2 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – They are mini but mighty.
“He’s too short,” said Leah Sewester, a volunteer with Little Blessing Miniature Horse Therapy.
She works closely with Merlin, a 14-year-old miniature horse. He is one of the miniature horses the nonprofit has.
A sweet boy, serving the community with special visits.
“They always bring so much joy. It’s like not every day you get to see a horse walking inside with cute little shoes on and come for cuddles and pets all the time,” Sewester said.
Little Blessing Miniature Horse Therapy goes all over the greater Wichita area.
“Horse brings just an extra added level of excitement and joy,” said Kathryn Rodriguez, Little Blessings’ founder.
For seniors, the visits spark meaningful memories.
“A lot of our seniors can tell me stories about when they rode to school on a horse, or they used horses as farm animals,” Rodriguez said. “It is a very unique experience for them to see a horse again, even though it’s not as big as they’re used to.”
The horses are always a hit.
“I love it. I think it’s a lovely thing to do. It gives us a nice break,” said Vilma Laughlin, a visitor on a recent visit.
“I like horses, I’ve always been around horses. They’re my friend!” said Bonnie, another senior on the visit.
Merlin is full of personality and delivers smiles on every visit.
“They can come back anytime,” Bonnie said.
The nonprofit goes on around 30 visits a year. Rodriguez says they do have to turn some visit requests down, due to a need for more volunteers. She adds they would happily take more.