Submitted by Victoria Nodiff-Netanel of Mini Therapy Horses.
For years I’ve been searching for the perfect boots for my miniature therapy horses and EasyCare has created one that fits and functions like a dream!
Mini Therapy Horses is an all volunteer nonprofit charity. Our mission is to bring hope, comfort and joy to children and adults in need with our 7 highly trained miniature therapy horses. Our little horse angels provide emotional, physical and positive mental benefits to those they visit with the help of our team of volunteers. Our specialty is helping people in crisis.
All of our tiny mares have a busy schedule. They are registered with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Civilian Volunteer Program, who can be called on at a moment’s notice 24/7 and are available for community outreach events like National Night Out, Emergency Preparedness events and LASD open houses. We have a special literacy program with Lieutenant Jennifer Seetoo bringing the minis to schools and LA County Public Libraries.
The horses comfort patients and staff in The Greater Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, the psychiatric wards, the Intensive Care Unit and VA Hospice. We’ve been committed to weekly visits in this hospital for over 8 years. We love the veterans and they love our horses! One of the many heartfelt interactions that has inspired me was when I received a Last Wish request from the head nurse of the VA Hospice in North Hills, CA. She had a terminal patient, Jerry, that requested to see my therapy horse Pearl as his last wish. He had met Pear when he was being in the Greater LA Veterans Hospital and it really touched his heart. Jerry had been taken in by a family on a farm in Germany and his fondest memories were of the horses he connected with as a frightened child. I went within days to visit Jerry with Pearl and it brought all the nurses to tears. Jerry talked to Pearl as he went in and out of consciousness while stroking her. They were communicating in their own language. Pearl knew what he needed. I heard a few days after our visit Jerry passed peacefully and I felt honored to have Pearl help him on his way.
Mini Therapy Horses are regular visitors at Ronald McDonald House East Hollywood and Pasadena where the families of children undergoing treatment for cancer and other critical medical procedures in nearby hospitals, get to stay free or at low cost. The children are always excited to spend time with our tiny horses.
We have so many incredible experiences with the children and their families, and I’d like to share a few. Pearl and I visited with a little girl staying at Pasadena Ronald McDonald House that was going through critical procedures and had lost a leg to cancer. We hooked a lead on both sides of Pearl’s halter and off we went together with her walker and all! She was so overjoyed and felt like a normal kid walking a horse while Pearl pranced in her Easyboot Minis. Being able to lead a horse from a walker or wheelchair gives these kids a sense of empowerment and a memory they will never forget!
Another magical visit was with our volunteer Megan Sullivan and myself handling mini therapy horse Willow Blue and a child that was visually impaired. With sensitivity and compassion Megan took his hands and helped him navigate Willow from her ears to her hooves. He felt the warmth breath from her nostrils and ran his fingers through her fluffy mane. He was ecstatic with happiness and his mother was crying saying she had never seen him respond like that and be so engaged. This comfort and relief for the parents and siblings is vital to the health of the entire family and his support system. These experiences are the essence of what drives our hearts and our charity, Mini Therapy Horses.
Our relationship with EasyCare began when I met one of their representatives at an event in Santa Rosa where they were unveiling their new Easyboot Mini. I first had our horse Black Pearl put on a set of the smallest Mini boots on the market. The boot slipped on, was the perfect fit, and it looked gorgeous! In that moment Pearl and I felt like Cinderella and we both knew our search for the perfect boots for our miniature therapy horses was over! Our lives were changed forever!
We are so thankful for EasyCare’s sponsorship, supplying all our therapy horses with their fantastic boots. Our equine family adjusted seamlessly to the feel of the boots and we love the ability to conform the boots to each hoof with the Velcro straps. The integrity of the construction of their boot is very impressive. They hold up beautifully with lots of use. The EasyCare Mini boots match the work that we do helping grieving communities and children and adults in crisis. As members of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team the horses are secure in all situations and look very professional. It’s so important to feel confident in a product we’re endorsing. It is important that it meets the high standards of our therapy organization and the people and agencies we work with.
I’ve trained the horses to do many tricks that are tools to break the ice, promote interaction between patients, and bring joy to those withdrawn, depressed and in pain. They all play a battery operated keyboard, give a high five, they smile and stand on their hind legs, kick balls, squeak toys and of course, bow. At any time we might be requested to visit an at-risk youth center like A Place Called Home in South Central, LA, Newton Police Station, Maryvale Orphanage, a home to console families that experienced a traumatic event, a busy street fair, or a school. The minis are able to perform in their boots and feel calm and secure doing these activities. The boots are practical and have a neat and clean appearance. The Mini boots complete our horses professional uniforms including their vests, halters and leads.
Aside from looking beautiful, I have full confidence knowing my horses will be able to comfortably move with ease and stability on a variety of surfaces. At the Veterans Hospital they shine the floors so well you can see your reflection in them. We love walking down the corridors in our Easy Boot Minis knowing we won’t we slipping and sliding! Nothing makes me happier than to see the kids at Ronald McDonald House feel so empowered when they double leash walk the little horse with us, all decked out with shoes, bows, a sparkly halter and a vest with an embroidered flying horse.
These boots are lightweight but at the same time tough and durable allowing Black Pearl and Blue Moon to show off their standing abilities! This trick on some surfaces could be potentially dangerous for our girls without their trusty boots. The flexibility of the boots allows for the natural movement of the legs. Whether we are at in a hospital room visiting a patient, with the children at Ronald McDonald House, de-stressing law students in the UCLA Library or doing community service with the LASD, the Easyboot Minis are sure to protect our horse’s tiny hooves.
I always laugh when we are getting ready to go on a visit and pull out the boots, because the horses KNOW we are headed out on a mission helping people all over Los Angeles.
January 1st , Mini Therapy Horses will be participating in the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade proudly sporting the Easyboot Minis on our 7 therapy horses. This year’s theme is “Making a Difference” and EasyCare has truly made a difference in our lives in helping our horse’s ability to help others in need!
Thank you, EasyCare.
