Is this for real?

silv

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The wee cutie looks like he is enjoying himself. Years ago before most people had trailers or trucks horses were moved by train all the time.
 

Cinnamontoast

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That’s so mental! I mean, I used to take the dog to the beach all the time on the Metro, but never a pony!! 🐴
 

Cinnamontoast

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I had to lead my boy over the bridge back to the lorry in the parking over the M1 when we were at a show one day. He spooked like a twat, went up a verge on the other side, he was extremely upset. I can imagine that the pony was unhappy on the Metro and how did they get him in? Some of the stations are underground, echoey and weird, very odd acoustics for a horse.
 

be positive

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Looking at further reports on it the pony is going to live in London, in a stable in the back garden and may curl up indoors in front of the fire!! he will travel on the underground and around London just as a guide dog would, I could just about accept it in a rural or small town situation but I find it rather unfair on the pony, however much he is loved he will never lead a normal equine life in any sense.
He will be a novelty around the city at first but he may not be so attractive in a restaurant or shopping centre, even with his nappy on he will smell which is not fair on other diners or the venue owners who will have no choice about him being there, a dog is totally different they are used to living in houses, are content with human company and can be house trained, they are also considerably smaller.
 

Keith_Beef

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I don't see anything in your post...

Reading the replies makes me think that a pony has been taken on the London Underground.

I've taken horses through bridges under roads and dual carriageways, quite long and tunnel-like. One time, this was on a guided hack, and the leader's horse was too nervous to go through; the horse I was on was not at all bothered, and the leader's horse was fine once I showed the way.

We also ride over a couple of bridges crossing railway lines; one has high side walls and isn't a problem, but another has lower railings and so we keep watch and cross when there are no trains approaching.
 

Red-1

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I didn't like it when I saw it either. Dogs are a totally different type of psyche and much more suited to curling up beside the fire and sleeping under an office desk.

I also agree that dogs are toilet trained, and acceptable indoors whereas this loose nappy is unsuitable in public buildings. Besides, what happens when he needs a pee?

I have trained many horses to encounter city centre situations, including on the platform at a station, riding over the motorway, shopping centres etc, but even I would not choose one over a guide dog if I needed a service animal.

Also, will this horse ever see any other horses? Get to be at liberty and graze?
 

be positive

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I don't believe the use of a preyed upon herd animal as a guide animal is fair, nor does it make any sense.

It's a gimmick, and a bad one.

It seems to have started in the US, why does that not surprise me, and this is the first over here to be trained as a guide pony, I just cannot see how it can be relied on or trained in the way a dog can to genuinely work for a blind person without a lot of continual support, even the daily care requires so much more than a dog and it can hardly have a run in the local park to kick up it's heels when it needs to.
 

MotherOfChickens

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it seems that in the US, you can get to keep animals in housing that you'd not normally be allowed to, by claiming its a support animal (which granted is somewhat different to a guide animal). So more and more species are being used (ducks and geese in the house with nappies for example) with very little thought as to what the animal needs.
Horses can be trained to do all sorts of things, whether we should is a different matter. Is this pony going to get any equine company?
 

Lurfy

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I think using a pony as a guide animal is an accident waiting to happen. If the pony loses his cool, or some nitwit provokes him, this becomes a potential disaster. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
 

ycbm

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It seems to have started in the US, why does that not surprise me, and this is the first over here to be trained as a guide pony, I just cannot see how it can be relied on or trained in the way a dog can to genuinely work for a blind person without a lot of continual support, even the daily care requires so much more than a dog and it can hardly have a run in the local park to kick up it's heels when it needs to.


I checked out the videos on YouTube from the US when I first heard about this. They were heavily edited to show only the best bits, but even then a pony walked a partially sighted person off a kerb sideways and nearly into a car.

There was only one where I thought it was a good idea, which was a woman who was prone to sudden collapse for physical reasons, and the pony had been trained to allow her to pull herself back to standing by holding onto its harness. It gave her an ability to go for walks in the country by herself, which was clearly valuable to her and no different for the animal than any of us taking a pony out in hand.

The proposal to keep this pony in a London garden and travel it on the Tube is, to my mind, abusive and entirely contrary to animal welfare legislation. Poor little mite.
 

ycbm

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This video is typical. Over three minutes long, only seconds are shown of the pony actually leading, and right at the start the pony almost squashes her into a door frame. I don't believe anyone is using ponies as proper guides for blind people, and most are companion animals dressed up as assistance animals in order to get them allowed into places where they could not be taken as pets.

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oldie48

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I don't believe the use of a preyed upon herd animal as a guide animal is fair, nor does it make any sense.

It's a gimmick, and a bad one.
Yes, this is what I thought too, it's completely ridiculous. Horses have lots of qulaities that make them suitable for lots of diffferent jobs and roles, this is not one of them.
 

PapaverFollis

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I think I'm going to get The Beast a "support animal" jacket and take her round Tesco.

Although I am now wondering about taking her on a train as there's some lovely remote hacking I could access... 😂 I'm sure noone would mind if she shat in the aisle.

Guide ponies just seems so silly when dogs are much better suited to both job and attendant lifestyle. And it's cruel. Horses, even small ones, need space and equine company. Why do we have to follow America down every crazy path?
 

Pearlsasinger

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This has to be one of the silliest ideas ever. It makes me wonder if the blind person has been assessed as not suitable to have a Guide Dog, previously.
 
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