Horse Hugs is a non-profit, all volunteer group located in North Carolina and Southern California that uses miniature horses to visit patients in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, assisted care centers, special needs children, at-risk teens, prisons and juvenile detention centers.
An animal visit can break up the monotony of daily routines in the hospital or nursing home. Miniature horses, with their wonderful personalities and small size, are perfect as therapy animals. Visits with these adorable little horses can help a patient feel less lonely and less depressed. The horses offer
entertainment and encourage families to visit more frequently, often bringing in the grandchildren to see the horses.
Miniature horses are the perfect size to put their little noses over the bedrail of bedridden patients or into the lap of a patient in a wheelchair.
Medical studies indicate that stroking an animal can reduce a person's blood pressure. Health care workers have reported that patients become more active and responsive both during and after their visits with these little ambasadors.
