AR-News: (PA - US) Miniature horse is a guide animal for the blind, not for riding

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Miniature horse is a guide animal for the blind, not for riding
    
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The Associated Press    March 17, 2004  
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She has a knee-high stuffed toy horse by the back door, a black-and-white one 
stabled in the living room and a small herd of equine figurines scattered 
through her house.  
So it's no surprise that Shari Bernstiel, a self-described "lifelong horse 
lover," finally decided to get a real, live one of her own.
What's surprising is ... well, this is how she puts it:
"Look at Tonto," she said of the 3-year-old gelding. "We're not going riding."
Tonto, a calm fellow with caramel and off-white fur and a buttery mane, is 
only about 2 feet tall. That makes him larger than the stuffed animals, but 
smaller than Bernstiel's German shepherd.
And while the miniature horse is meant to take her places, she doesn't ride 
him.
Bernstiel is legally blind, so Tonto is her guide animal. He's like a 
seeing-eye dog _ only with hooves and an occasional whinny.
Leading her with his reins through their Lansdale neighborhood last week, 
Tonto stopped before crossing intersections and briefly guided her onto a lawn to 
avoid a sidewalk puddle, then back onto the sidewalk, his hooves 
click-click-clicking alongside her.
He also navigates stairs, elevators and car rides, has gone shopping in 
places like Montgomery Mall, and once stayed politely by Bernstiel's side at a 
movie theater. The horse often wears a pair of customized baby sneakers to give 
his hooves traction on slick surfaces.
As expected, Tonto's public appearances draw stares and more than a few 
questions.
"A lot of people ask if he's stuffed," Bernstiel said. "Well, he's walking 
and there's no place for batteries."
And despite the shawl he wears attached to his harness identifying him as a 
guide horse that shouldn't be petted, Bernstiel still fields requests to touch 
Tonto.
"With kids, I try to let them," she said. "But I can't get from point A to 
point B if I stop every five steps for someone to pet him."
Clay Lewis, who owns the North Wales News Agency, remembers Bernstiel 
bringing Tonto into his store one morning.
"He was very well-behaved," Lewis said. "She'd told me she was trying to get 
one, so I knew, but my customers were very much surprised."
Because the Americans with Disabilities Act requires access be given to any 
specially trained guide animal, she hasn't been refused entry to any public 
place she has gone. She has heard a snide remark or two, though.
"Some guy commented like, 'Yeah right,'" she said. "But (Tonto) is 
legitimate. He is performing a service."
Though Bernstiel has some vision, she still needs help to get around.
As a child, she was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease called 
Stargards. It is characterized by a reduction of central sight, though peripheral 
vision generally remains.
Bernstiel can't drive and doesn't really read. She said she can get around 
her home unassisted, though she admits she's prone to tripping over things her 
sons leave lying around.
She said she never thought about getting a helper pet until a few years ago, 
when she noticed her sight getting worse.
Then she heard of the Guide Horse Foundation, a North Carolina-based group 
that trains horses instead of dogs to assist visually impaired people.
According to Seeing Eye Inc., a New Jersey-based dog training organization, 
about 10,000 of the nation's estimated 1 million legally blind people use 
seeing-eye dogs. Guide horses are used only by a handful of people nationwide 
because the training program started just a few years ago.
"I decided to apply, never thinking I would be accepted," Bernstiel said.
Eventually, she was. She had several interviews and made a trip to North 
Carolina to meet Tonto, who had about a year of training.
Bernstiel brought the horse home late last year.
And since horses are herd animals, she also brought home Kayla, an untrained 
miniature horse, to keep Tonto company in his downtime.
The horses live in a small makeshift barn with a separate fenced-in pasture 
in Bernstiel's back yard. The barn required a permit, and the horses drew an 
inspection from the borough, but haven't required any other special exceptions.
"They were fine," said Lansdale's health officer, Rosella Burcin, who made 
the inspection. She added that she had received no complaints about Tonto and 
Kayla.
Like most guide dogs, the horses didn't cost anything. Bernstiel said their 
upkeep isn't that expensive, with a $4 bail of hay lasting more than a week and 
a $10 bag of oats lasting a month.
But caring for the two horses is more difficult than looking after two dogs, 
she said. Stalls must be cleaned daily to keep smells and flies away.
"It is a lot of work," said Bernstiel's 17-year-old son, Andy, who often 
helps with the horses. "But I don't care."
Still, why not get a guide dog?
In addition to her interest in horses, Bernstiel said she liked the idea that 
Tonto wouldn't be as attention-hungry as many dogs.
"I've raised five kids, a dog and three cats," the housewife said. "I didn't 
want him to be emotionally needy ... and he's happy outside."
With a life expectancy of about 40 years, Tonto will live much longer than 
the average guide dog.
"My vision is going to get worse, so I wanted him here now so we could get 
used to each other," Bernstiel said of Tonto. "He's going to be the one guide in 
my lifetime _ that's a big plus."

    
    
 
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