Therapeutic Mini Ponies Bring Joy To Hospitals And Care Homes‌ ‌

window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({article:'auto'}); !function (e, f, u, i) { if (!document.getElementById(i)){ e.async = 1; e.src = u; e.id = i; f.parentNode.insertBefore(e, f); } }(document.createElement('script'), document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0], '//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/zengernews-network/loader.js', 'tb_loader_script'); if(window.performance && typeof window.performance.mark == 'function') {window.performance.mark('tbl_ic');} window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'UA-160618588-3',{'custom_map': {'dimension1': 'story_id'},'story_id': ''}); By George Mathias Meet the pint-sized ponies visiting hospitals, schools and care homes – providing therapeutic cuddles for those in need. Owner Sarah Woodland, 42, was gifted two mini Shetland ponies in the summer of 2022 by a friend. Poppy, 16, and Tinks, 17, stand at just 30 inches tall and love being stroked and fussed over. Sarah started doing private one-to-one enrichment sessions with the pair before deciding to visit a local care home with them to encourage residents connect with the animals. The session went so well she decided to make them both therapy ponies – to provide comfort and interaction to people who need it – and now she takes them into special schools, hospitals and care homes. Sarah, who runs Dinky Ponies, from Oxfordshire, said: “It’s the touch and the communication – seeing and interacting with the ponies is a form of communication for...