Victoria Smith, left, stands next to Chicky, a miniature horse, as Evert Koster pets the horse at Sharon Care Center during a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Marth Sweeny, center, pets Chicky, a miniature horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment, Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Ron Smith, left, stands next to Takoda, a miniature horse, as Richard Banter pets the horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Seen in the reflection of a resident's mirror, Phyllis Garre pets Takoda, a miniature horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Lois Leonard kisses Chicky, a miniature horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Beth Hall, center, pets Chicky, a miniature horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Linda Gonzalez laughs as she pets Takoda, a miniature horse at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
Takoda, a miniature horse, stands next to a horse trailer after his shoes were put on at Sharon Care Center for a Visiting Hooves appointment Thursday afternoon in Centralia.
A miniature horse may be one of the last things a person expects to see trotting through the hallways of an assisted senior living center, but the sight is not unusual at Sharon Care Center in Centralia, where two therapy horses make a weekly trip to comfort the residents at the facility.
On Thursday, Chicky and Takoda made their usual rounds through the center. Donning sneakers and Christmas capes equipped with a bow, the miniature horses traversed the hallways, went into patients’ rooms and rode the elevator.
Victoria Smith, founder and president of Visiting Hooves, has been providing the therapeutic services for about two years. Along with her two miniature horses, she also has rabbits that help spread cheer to patients.
While visiting her parents in a care facility, Smith said it was sad to see how few visitors some of the people get. Her parents later died within 18 months of each other, and she decided to make sure patients don’t go through long periods of time without visitors.
Service dogs are popular, but since she already owned some miniature horses, she thought, “why not?”
“They make a big impression on people in memory care,” Smith said, adding the unit serves residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “They remember the horse.”
On Thursday, the horses spent time connecting with the patients. While a woman sat in a wheelchair, Chicky raised her nose to her face to try to get her to respond.
“See, she connects with people all on her own,” Smith said. “Sometimes this horse actually makes me cry because of the way she connects with people.”
Smith’s husband Ron said his wife was made to do the work she is carrying out.
“She was born for this,” he said. “She just loves it.”
For Linda Gonzalez, the weekly visits help lift her spirits. Since she’s been at the Sharon Care Center, she’s been separated from her three dogs.
“Seeing the horses helps a lot,” she said. “Sometimes you get depressed, and they’re innocent and loving. I really think animals are a gift from God to us. It helps so much.”
Smith said animal-assisted therapy has a huge impact on people who need their spirits lifted.
Linda Greenwood, activities director of skilled nursing, agreed.
“It makes their day brighter,” she said. “They look forward to it.”
The Smiths have two more miniature horses currently in training.
To succeed as a therapy animal, the animals must have a good temperament. They need to be trained to go periods of time without relieving themselves indoors. They must also be calm and able to deal with a variety of situations and people.
Chicky and Takoda have mastered those skills, patiently standing near the patients as they are petted and gently nuzzling others to encourage participation.
They spend a lot of time on the road visiting nursing homes, hospice centers and children with special needs.
Based out of Toledo, Visiting Hooves has just in the past week made trips to Seattle, Kent, DuPont and Longview, among other local facilites.
“It’s very rewarding,” Ron Smith said.
