Mini Horses That Brighten Days

It is the greatest gift when you find a path to pursue where your heart leads. Lora Melin has found that gift.

Having grown up with the companionship of horses, it is perfectly perfect that for the past 12 years she has passed that love down to her daughter, Maggie. The family lives on a horse farm in Lebanon, Ohio…with, of course, their animals – five mini and two full sized horses.

However, the horses have come to have an even more special meaning in their lives. At 2, Maggie was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and if you know anything about that disease, you know it is very high maintenance to maintain good quality of life. The experience has taught her a lot about responsibility and compassion. It has given her empathy for others who have their own personal challenges or differences. It has made her into the young woman who is drawn to those feeling excluded. And become the driving force behind Maggie’s goal of becoming a special education teacher one day.

Through it all, the family’s large pets were invaluable helping Maggie to deal with her chronic stress – with her mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

And now, Lora is passing this gift on to as many people as she can reach with their nonprofit called Maggie’s Mini Therapy Horses.  They partner with organizations that support people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and have programs for schools; hospitals; hospice; local police & fire departments and other organizations that may benefit from animal assisted therapy.

Running the organization is no small feat. It begins with having the right horses. Then, since their natural instinct is to run when something scares them, there is a lot of desensitization training that needs to be done. The mini therapy horses need to be able to walk on different surfaces, hear all kinds of noises without being spooked, interact with wheelchairs and other mobility devices, etc. There is also the daily care that goes into raising healthy and enriched animals.

And, on outing days, it isn’t as simple as putting a horse in a car. Volunteers spend several hours grooming the horses before moving them into a trailer headed for their destination. On average each of the therapy horses go on two visits per week. They regularly visit the Dayton’s Children’s Hospital, Lindner Center of Hope, Bethany Village, the Ronald McDonald House and Otterbein Retirement Community. They also attend events for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the local police department and others.

Interested in getting involved? Maggie’s Mini Therapy Horses is need of donations and volunteers. You can find more information on their website.