Horsing around

HUNTLEY, IL – Everything was quiet and peaceful at the new Alden Rehab Center in Huntley one recent April day.

Then, suddenly, a horse came trotting into the second floor patient therapy and activity area. Strangely, nurses and patients welcomed the animal happily, and a party was held. Cell phones were quickly turned into cameras.

A horse, in a modern rehab center?

Okay, this needs to be explained. You’ve no doubt heard of therapy dogs, maybe even cats. This was a tiny, three-foot-tall, costumed, tan-colored, miniature therapy horse named Hawk. He delighted more than 20 patients, who took turns petting and cooing and ahhing over him. He had custom-made junior-sized sneakers on his hooves, so he wouldn’t mark up the polished new floor in this recently opened rehab center.

“This is one of the best things that can happen to our patients,” said Terrie Majeski, Alden’s social service director. “I can tell from the smiles on their faces, they are really enjoying this.”

Her grandmother, Arlene, was one of the patients that was petting and talking to Hawk, who also appeared to be enjoying himself.

Therapy dogs are frequently brought to Alden and other healthcare facilities to provide positive contacts with patients and offer a pleasant experience to persons experiencing difficult or painful health setbacks or illnesses. Why not horses, another Alden therapist asked.

In addition to taking pictures of the occasion, the Sun Day talked to Hawk’s handler, Carol Swinford.

“Hawk is one of 21 mini therapy horses that we have bred and trained at our Shades of Blue Ranch near Hebron,” she said. She and husband Gary built their ranch on what used to be a cornfield in 1990. “Our name came out of building our barns,” Carol said. “As we acquired more horses, Gary had to build several barns and that blue paint never seemed to be the same shade as the prior ones. So now we call our place the “Shades of Blue Ranch.”

Hawk and his friends are actually Falabella and American Miniature Horses, Carol explained. “We breed pure Falabella miniature horses whose ancestry dates back to the Falabella Farm in Argentina. We also raise American Miniatures. We handle and train them every day to ensure a gentle and loving attitude. We focus on training and preparing our horses for activity and therapy work, such as visiting nursing homes, homes for the disabled, schools, hospitals, etc.”

She added that the couple bought their first pure Falabella stallion by a fluke accidental switch at a miniature horse auction in 1997.

“The fluke is our foundation sire, Toyland El Rio Rey, affectionately known as ‘Buddy,’” she said. “We were smitten with minis and started breeding and raising select Falabella and American miniature horses. Mini horses usually live close to 30 years.”

She also stressed that these animals are not ponies, they are miniatures.

“Hawk is special to us because his name has been published in ‘Who’s Who in Americana,’ and he also recently received a Humanitarian Award for his work at healthcare locations in the Midwest,” said Swinford.

By the time Hawk left after about 45 minutes of “horsey” farm therapy, moods and dispositions at Alden were much improved. Alden had formally welcomed its first therapy horse, the first of many in the future, probably.

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