Mini therapy horses are helping people deal with mental and physical trauma all over LA County.
They’re roughly a fifth the size of a regular horse, fit perfectly in the back of a van and are helping people deal with mental and physical trauma all over LA County.
“Valentina,” “Blue Moon” and “Penelope Von Schweets” are just three of Victoria Nodinoff-Netanel’s ten miniature horses, stabled in her yard in Calabasas. Her non-profit is called MiniTherapyHorses.com – and the mission is in the name: bring smiles to faces and warmth to hearts in order to help people heal.“It makes me feel so good,” said Nodinoff-Netanel as she helped her small staff of volunteers sweep up the sawdust and prepare the horses’ lunch, “like all this hard work is worth it.
An accomplished artist with years of experience in the horse riding discipline called “dressage,” she came up with the idea after buying her first mini-horse more than 16 years ago. Patients at a veterans’ hospital were thrilled to see the animal during a visit.Victoria has trained several of her tiny team to “play” electronic keyboards with their snouts to the delight of young hospital patients and trot in circles as adults smile and nod in approval.The connection, said Capt.
Numerous studies have concluded that animal therapies of all kinds – horses, dogs and cats – have beneficial effects on such conditions as post-traumatic stress disorder , which is diagnosed frequently in the fire service, law enforcement and military. Caring for “Bindi Blue,” “Black Pearl” and the others is a labor of love, said Nodinoff-Netanel, but it’s also expensive. MiniTherapyHorses.com is a non-profit, supported by private donations that keep the horses exquisitely groomed and in immaculate living conditions. She’s always looking for new funding sources because the need for therapeutic animals of all kinds is so great.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
While an Orange County supervisor was under scrutiny, his daughter interned with county prosecutorsWeeks after it was revealed that Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do directed millions of dollars in contracts to a nonprofit linked to his daughter, and after the county was trying to account how the money was spent, his daughter landed an internship at the district attorney's office.
Read more »
Portage County family says home burglarized while they were at county fairA Portage County family caught several alleged thieves on their doorbell camera breaking into their home while they were at the county fair over the weekend.
Read more »
Bexar County Commissioners consider raises, bringing county judge to more than $200KBexar County was considering an even bigger increase, but commissioners brought it down to match employee pay raises.
Read more »
Bexar County will reopen the purchasing agent position, as county leaders complain contracts aren’t movingThe role oversees contract procurement for the county, a process that Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai says badly needs to be updated.
Read more »
High School Football: Seminole County downs state-ranked team; Early County falls in season openersSeminole County beat a state-ranked team for the first time in 11 years, while Early County in high school football openers on Friday.
Read more »
Emery County authorities searching for 64-year-old Utah County manAuthorities in Emery County are searching for a 64-year-old Utah County man near Goblin Valley State Park.
Read more »