Mini Horse Therapy Brings Joy to the People Who Need it Most

Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses is a non-profit organization based in Florida but operates wordwide, doing business in New York, California and as far away as Greece. The organization uses miniature horses to reach people of all ages who need healing, love and care, such as survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting, those displaced or injured by the 2013 Oklahoma tornadoes, the elderly in nursing homes and hospices and sick, disabled or hospitalized children. 

The most famous horse at Gentle Carousel is Magic, a blue-eyed black mare. Magic was selected by Time magazine as one of the top ten heroic animals in history, for the following heartwarming story:

"Magic went to visit a patient who had lived in an assisted-living facility and hadn't spoken to anyone during her three years there. But the moment she laid eyes on Magic, she said, "Isn't she beautiful?" Those first words caused the staff to break out in tears, and she continued to communicate from that point onward."

Co-founder of Gentle Carousel Debbie Garcia-Bengochea elaborated:

"The activities director was so surprised to hear the woman speak that she began to cry. She told the woman that she loved her. 'I love you too,' was the answer, her first sentence to another person in all that time. Magic always seems to find the person in the room who needs her the most."

Don't miss the Gentle Carousel Facebook page, the perfect place to visit for anyone who needs a smile. It has precious pictures and stories of these beautiful animals and the people whose days they brighten.

Via My Modern Met | Images: Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses