Hi guys!
This is especially for Phil, as you've told me you'd rather have a horse as
guide than a dog. Thought you might like to read this.
Sharon
Training Miniature Horses as Guide Animals
In 1999, Janet and Don Burleson completed a successful feasibility
study with miniature horses as assistance animals for the visually
disabled. Janet is a retired professional horse trainer with over 30
years of full-time horse training experience and an extensive record
of success in training performance horses.
While Don and Janet Burleson only intended to develop a training
program, they were overwhelmed with requests from blind horse lovers
asking for a trained Guide Horse. Although she was confident in her
skills as a retired professional horse trainer, Janet Burleson needed
to learn what a guide animal must know in order to keep their handler
safe.
The initial training has shown great promise, and two tiny Guide
Horses have already been trained to guide blind people in public. The
prototype, a 14 year-old dwarf mare horse named Twinkie, has
successfully guided blind people in a host of environments, including
shopping malls and congested urban areas with heavy traffic. Nine
other horses are currently undergoing training, and the Guide Horse
Foundation also has a substantial waiting list of blind people who
have applied for a Guide Horse.
Once the Guide Horse Foundation announced the result of their
feasibility study, the ability of horses to guide the blind was
confirmed from a number of independent sources. We received numerous
responses from blind people who ride horses, both in competitions and
on trails, and they confirmed our findings that the horse is a capable
guide. One blind woman stated that she sometimes uses her full-sized
horse as her Guide Horse. She says that her horse makes allowances for
her needs and walks beside her for miles in the woods, gently nudging
her whenever she strays from the trail.
_________________________________________________________________
Horse Intelligence Testing
All candidate horses for the Guide Horse program are given a [46]field
intelligence test prior to acceptance into the Guide Horse program.
Guide Horse training is mentally demanding on the horse, and the Guide
Horse Foundation only accepts horses that demonstrate the cognitive
ability to successfully complete the training program.
Horse Training Theory
While horses do not possess complex reasoning skills, miniature horses
are quite intelligent and excel at tasks that require long-term memory
skills. There is been a great deal of research into the cognitive
psychology of horses, most notably by the Equine Research Foundation
of Horse Learning and Behavior. They have done extensive clinical
research on horse intelligence and are most noted for proving the
theorem that a horses ability to learn is directly proportional to
their prior learning. In other words, the more a horse learns, the
greater their capacity for future learning. Noted animal learning
expert, Professor Emeritus [48]Frank A. Logan also provides comments
regarding [49]horse learning.
The Guide Horse training approach
Training any assistance animal requires an in-depth understanding of
animal behavior. Because equine behavior is generic to all horse
breeds, any professional horse trainer can start the initial training
of the assistance horse, teaching it to accept the harness, and
start/stop on command. Advanced training involves training the horse
not to react to environmental distractions, to avoid obstacles and to
recognize all potential dangers. The idea is to create a team, person
and horse, working together and understanding one another.
While no formal documentation exists for training guide horses, our
trainers use the horse training methods and techniques developed from
a variety of sources. Don and Janet employ some techniques developed
by [50]John Lyons, a world-renowned horse trainer. Don and Janet also
rely on the basic principles of operant conditioning, and apply the
animal training concepts originally described by [51]B. F. Skinner,
the famous behavioral psychologist.
Even though horse training is vastly different from dog training, the
Guide Horse Foundation worked closely with guide dog trainers,
orientation and mobility specialists and experienced guide dog users
to understand what a guide animal needs to know to keep their handler
safe at all times. The Guide Horse Foundation also performed
exhaustive research, studying all available training methods and
techniques from the major guide dog training schools throughout the
world.
Guide Horse Training involves the following areas of training:
- Basic Lead Training - This involves training the Guide Horse to move
forward at an appropriate speed and respond to verbal commands. The
Guide Horse is also trained to negotiate everyday obstacles, and they
learn to enter escalators, elevators, climb stairs, and lie down on
command.
- Voice Command Recognition - The guide horse is trained to respond to
23 voice commands, enabling the handler to direct the guide in any
circumstance.
- Stationary Obstacle Avoidance - A guide horse must be able to alert
the handler to obstacles in their path. Miniature horses avoid
obstacles quite naturally, and only need to be taught that the handler
is an appendage of themselves. In this way, the horse is taught to
avoid low overheads and other stationary obstacles. The horse must be
able to navigate sidewalks and streets, avoiding all obstacles,
including any protrusions that may injure its handler. The Guide
Horses must also be able to ignore all distractions while guiding, and
all Guide Horses are thoroughly trained and tested to ensure that they
will not "spook and run" while guiding.
- Moving Obstacle Avoidance - This phase of training requires the
Guide Horse to avoid any moving obstacles that threaten to impede
their path. These obstacles include pedestrians, cyclists, motor
vehicles, and any moving object that may impede the progress of the
handler. This is one of the most important areas of guide training
and this training requires the Guide Horses to demonstrate absolute
proficiency before graduation.
- Surface Elevation Change Recognition - This phase of training
requires the Guide Horse to recognize and signal the handler upon
approaching any change in surface elevation, including ramps, steps,
stairs and curbs. This involves training the Guide Horse to signal
the handler and pause upon reaching any steps or curbs, thus signaling
the handler that a step-up of step-down will be required. Because the
Guide Horse walks two paces ahead of the handler, the handler learns
to accurately time the point at which the step begins.
- [52]Housebreaking - Despite common belief, horses do possess bladder
control, and many horses develop the habit of "going" only in a
specific area. For excursions under 6 hours, the guide horse can be
relied upon to maintain bladder control. Just as dog owners are
required to utilize pooper-scoopers, Guide Horses on long excursions
can be fitted with a plastic lined poo-bag that catches droppings and
allows for easy disposal.
- Intelligent Disobedience - The Guide Horse is trained to disregard
any commands from their handler that would be unsafe for either the
Guide Horse or the Handler. This is the phase of training where the
horse is taught to rely on their judgment to keep their owner safe at
all times.
The Handler training approach
When candidates are evaluated for acceptance into the Guide Horse
program they must demonstrate proficiency with basic orientation and
mobility skills. While the vast majority of the candidates are
experienced guide dog or cane users, we require all candidates to
undergo basic training to ensure their ability to use their Guide
Horse.
Only certified handlers are allowed to use a Guide Horse, even in
training situations. The handler training phase includes the
following phases and activities:
Phase I: Candidate Evaluation
Prior to acceptance into the Guide Horse program, all candidates are
evaluated for their orientation and mobility skills.
- The Juno Walk - All candidates are evaluated for their ability to
use a guide animal by walking with an artificial Guide Horse named
Juno. The candidates are evaluated to ensure that they will be able
to communicate with a guide animal before being allowed to begin
training with a live Guide Horse.
- Orientation and Mobility Skills - The Guide Horse Foundation
requires all candidates to attend certified orientation and mobility
courses to ensure that each candidate possesses basic orientation
skills.
Phase II: Introductory Training
During this phase the candidate attends classroom training and basic
lead training.
- Animal Care Training - All candidates will attended lectures by a
licensed equine Veterinarian, a horse care specialist and a farrier to
completely understand the proper care, feeding grooming and housing
for their Guide Horse.
- Orientation and Mobility Refresher Training - The Guide Horse
Foundation hires certified orientation and mobility trainers to ensure
that each candidate can demonstrate basic orientation skills.
- Basic Lead Training - All candidates are evaluated for their ability
to effectively communicate with a guide animal. The candidates learn
the 23 voice commands and are tested to ensure that they understand
how signals are communicated through the harness and reins before
being allowed to begin training with a live Guide Horse.
Upon passing the testing for this phase, the candidate becomes
certified as an apprentice handler, and they are allowed to use a live
Guide Horse in a training setting.
Phase III: Advanced Training
This phase involves team selection and advanced training of the new
Guide team.
- Team Selection - Following basic training, the apprentice handlers
are given the opportunity to work as a team with several Guide
Horses. While each Guide horse is multi-gated, there are still
variations in "feel", speed, pressure and personality between Guide
Horses. The team selection process relies on the evaluation of the
apprentice handler and the trainer, and both the apprentice handler
and trainer work toward selecting the best-fit team in terms of
disposition, personality and performance. At the end of this phase the
apprentice handler will have chosen a suitable Guide Horse.
- Team Training - This is the final phase of training and focuses on
the training of the candidate and horse as a team. During this phase
the team demonstrates proficiency with the 23 voice commands and
learns to read signals from the Guide Horse via changes to rein and
handle pressure. Once bonded, the team undergoes extensive training,
especially in the areas of street crossing and intelligent
disobedience. The team must demonstrate absolute proficiency at
potentially dangerous situations such as street crossings before
graduating from this phase of training. The apprentice handler is also
taught to maintain the proficiency of the Guide to ensure that
training does not degrade after delivery.
Phase IV: Delivery and certification of the team
Only after the successful completion of all areas of training is the
apprentice handler graduated to "handler" status, and the handler and
the Guide Horse are then certified as a team by the Guide Horse
Foundation.
- Home Area Training - The final stage of training involves traveling
with the handler to their home. The team is then evaluated on their
home turf and the trainer ensures that the new tram is able to
negotiate all of the regular travels for the team.
- Follow-up visits - Following delivery of the team, the trainer
conducts periodic follow-ups to make sure that the team continues to
be safe and effective. If the handler experiences any problem, the
handler may visit the team for additional on-site training.
[53]Guides [54]Training [55]Press [56]Photos [57]News [58]Apply
[59]FAQ [60]Wishes [61]Contact [62]Home
Helping Hooves
Training Miniature Horses as Guide Animals for the Blind
Janet Burleson
Contains over 100 all-color photo's!
Retail Price $27.95 / #20.75
- Help the Guide Horse Foundation give free Guides
- Author royalties benefit the Guide Horse Foundation
Only $19.95
The Guide Horse Foundation has the utmost respect for The Seeing Eye.
and their seventy-two years of outstanding work with assistance
animals for the blind. Even though the press often calls our horses
"seeing eye horses", please note that The Guide Horse Foundation is
not affiliated with or sanctioned by the Seeing-Eye. or any of the
Guide Dog training organizations. Seeing-Eye. is a registered
trademark of the Seeing-Eye, Inc.
References
Visible links
1.
http://www.guidehorse.org/text_only_master.htm
2.
http://www.guidehorse.org/index.htm
3.
http://www.rampant-books.com/book_2004_2_helping_hooves.htm
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12.
http://www.guidehorse.org/
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http://www.guidehorse.org/training_seminars_clinics_classes.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/contact.htm
15.
http://www.guidehorse.org/faq.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/training.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_page.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/misconceptions.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/news_events.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/related.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/application.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/wishes.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/DOJ.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/films.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/law_n_news.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/law_n_news.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/book.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/pennys_ponies.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/guide_horse_candidates_menu.htm
30.
http://www.guidehorse.org/mini_horse_rescue.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/miniature_horse_adoption.htm
32.
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?o=1&l=as1&f=ifr&t=rampanttechpr-20&dev-t=D68HUNXKLHS4J&p=8&asins=0974448605&IS2=1&IS2=1<1=_blank
33. LYNXIMGMAP:http://www.guidehorse.org/training.htm#boxmap-p8
34.
http://www.guidehorse.org/lisa.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/lisa.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_lesser.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_lesser.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/pennys_pony.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_lesser.htm
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http://www.ucomics.com/nonsequitur/
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http://www.mini-horse.org/
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http://www.guidehorse.org/mini_horse_rescue.htm
43.
http://www.guidehorse.org/pennys/menu_pennys_ponies.htm
44.
http://www.dba-oracle.com/grand_turk_hotels/t_grand_turk_hotels.htm
45.
http://www.guidehorse.org/press.htm
46.
http://www.guidehorse.org/intellig.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/intellig.htm
48.
http://www.unm.edu/~quadl/
49.
http://www.guidehorse.org/logan.htm
50.
http://www.johnlyons.com/
51.
http://www.sntp.net/behaviorism/skinner.htm
52.
http://www.guidehorse.org/housebreaking.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/reasons.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/training.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/press.htm
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http://www.guidehorse.org/photo_page.htm
57.
http://www.guidehorse.org/news_events.htm
58.
http://www.guidehorse.org/application.htm
59.
http://www.guidehorse.org/faq.htm
60.
http://www.guidehorse.org/wishes.htm
61.
http://www.guidehorse.org/contact.htm
62.
http://www.guidehorse.org/index.htm
63.
http://rampant.cc/cart/catalog/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=33&osCsid=44b0b51dead5fc7b20d1f2af5e1cdce4
Hidden links:
64.
http://www.burleson-arabians.com/
65.
http://www.guidehorse.org/misconceptions.htm
66.
http://www.guidehorse.org/contact.htm
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