The basic of training of a therapy horse includes many skills , and Cherry knows many “ tricks ” or maneuvers that stand her in good stead in this area . Cherry responds to hand signals , foot cues , and voice cues . Nancy says , “ During a therapy visit Cherry will look around the room as she enters it , calmly taking in the whole scene . As she approaches someone , she will look at them and interact . Sometimes I will ask if they would like to shake hands with Cherry or get a kiss on the cheek . If they say yes , I ask Cherry to do so with my cue ( but do not force her ). If they say no , they can gently touch her or pet her . Cherry is very curious and alert , always watching her surroundings . She is social and enjoys these visits . Our sessions are never more than two hours long . We take a break to drink water or go potty once an hour or as needed . Her signal to me if she is tired is she will drop her head down and close her eyes . Horses , in general , might pin their ears back , turn their head away , swish the tail rapidly or even bare their teeth if they are angry , frightened , nervous or upset . And Cherry has once or twice before seemed irritated or nervous but this has rarely happened .”
During all the performing and outreach they ’ ve accomplished , one basic question always seems to surface when you consider the logistics of what this duo is accomplishing . Inquiring minds want to know . Is Cherry potty trained and how did you train her ?
“ First , I had to learn her ‘ schedule ,’ Nancy answered , “ I had to calculate about how much time normally passed between bowel movements . I noticed before loading to travel in the horse trailer ; she liked to poop before she got in , so that made it a little easier to note when she had last gone . Cherry likes privacy- she doesn ’ t like to urinate in public . ( She doesn ’ t even like me watching !) It turns out ; she lets me know when she has to go . She will give me a nip or a strong nudge or stomp her foot ( several times if It ’ s urgent ). And then I ’ ll quickly say – ‘ Excuse us , we must take a break , Cherry has to take care of some business .’ As soon as she ’ s loaded into the horse trailer , she wastes no time on taking care of her business . When she is done , she whinnies . She is polite and doesn ’ t want mess up any place people are inside , especially with carpet .
In the very beginning there were a few accidents when she was learning , As with potty training a dog , I would use a low stern voice “ No Cherry !” when she had an accident . Then when we loaded her in the horse trailer , I would stay with her until she pooped . Then I ’ d use the enthusiastic “ Good girl , Cherry !” and give her lots of positive reinforcement , hug her neck and give a special treat like peppermints or her favorite horse treats .
This worked like a charm she understood quickly as she LOVES food !”
“ Goals for the future for Cherry and I are to continue to keep helping charities on a much larger scale , Nancy explained . “ We would like to have more ( guest ) starring roles on major networks that focus on healing , education , and the family . Cherry is such a comedienne and does so many amazing things ! Cherry naturally brings joy into people ’ s lives . We plan to do more commercials , producing our own TV shows , and entertaining at more live events . We would love to someday be featured on a talk show such as “ Ellen ” so even more people could enjoy seeing Cherry and what she represents .”
“ Cherry and Nancy “ work ” together every day , Nancy shares , “ Sometimes we just take a walk to interact in public places . Or I might lunge her , or we practice jumping or her tricks . We do something every day , Sometimes we chill out , and I ’ ll give her a massage as she is lying down , or she ’ ll put her head in my lap , and we take a nap . We spend many hours together , and our communication is very strong . As you can imagine , we ‘ read ’ each other very well .”
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2016 Miniature Horse World 41