Buy or Gift a Pony Visit

Our ponies are washed and groomed prior to each visit.  Depending on the time of year, their coats have been trimmed to avoid any hair shedding.

We have an equine therapy pad that goes on their back and a bathroom bag attached in case of any toilet accidents.  

The pony wears shoes.  These are designed to minimise any slipping on the various floor surfaces and are also sanitised so that any paddock grime is not transferred inside to the care facility. 

Our handlers carry a small towel (if needed) to place on the knees of residents to assist with keeping everyone clean.

Our ponies are transported to each Aged Care Facility in a customised van.  This allows us to visit more places, which would have otherwise been difficult with a horse float.     Having a van means that we can transport the ponies safely and in temperature controlled comfort.

There is risk involved with this activity.  Ponies and horses are prey animals, so they have the ability to panic if in a situation where they feel unsafe and they may bite or kick if they feel threatened.  This means that residents and patients can be injured.

These are innate behaviours, but we mitigate the risk by:

• choosing ponies based on excellent temperaments
• we build trust with them before going anywhere
• they go through training to ensure that they are not easily spooked/frightened
• we advise staff at each facility via email in advance on how to approach the pony during our visit as well as a suggested visit plan.
• we continually watch for any change in behaviour while we are on a visit and will finish early if we feel we need to, for the benefit of the pony and everyone else.