Guide horses have been used for years in the US with an 'overwhelming' response

Katy Smith first came up with the idea after breaking her back five years ago

The Yorkshire-based trainer is currently teaching seven-week-old Digby and Monet

The horses will be able to assist for three times as long as dogs

Guide dogs are a pivotal part of allowing those with visual impairments to lead as close to a normal life as possible. However, guide horses are already a popular alternative in the US after an experimental programme to access the abilities of miniature horses as assistance animals was launched in 1999.

The Guide Horse Foundation's website explains: 'There is a critical shortage of guide animals for the blind and guide horses are an appropriate assistance animal for thousands of visually impaired people in the USA.'

And now those needing assistance in the UK could be about to swap a labrador for a two-foot tall, shiny-maned alternative too, The Times reports.

Katy Smith, from the Northallerton Equestrian Centre, is the trainer behind efforts to integrate guide horses into the homes of the visually impaired. She is currently training six-week-old American miniature horse Digby and has already trialled out her other miniature horse Monet in the home of para-dressage rider Jane Lishman where they got along really well.

Miniature horse Monet with Katy's friend Jane Lishman, a para-dressage rider from Darlington. Lorne Campbell

Katy came up with the idea to start training miniature horses as guide dogs after she broke her back five years ago.

'I used to be a carer and work in a care home and did the activities as the activities coordinator. I used to tell the residents stories about my horses and organise trips to go and visit some of my bigger breeds,' she explained to Prima. 'When I broke my back it meant I couldn't do the job I had been doing so I had to think of something that I could do to keep working and I came up with the idea of taking a pony to say thank you to a care home that helped my dad with great results.

'I started taking the miniature horse in and the place just seemed to light up,' she adds. 'Then every resident gets to touch, have a moment with the horse and just get lost in feeling excited about the horse. I talk to them as well and it's about giving time as well – bringing back normality to those who have had to give up a lot by going into a home situation.'

The business began to snowball and after Katy found out about guide horses in the US she decided to 'breed [her] own foal to be a therapy horse who could also help a visually impaired person.'

Her seven-week-old foal Digby will take two and a half years to train, according to the American standards for guide horse qualification, but has the ideal temperament to care for those struggling with sight.

You have the advantage of that horse being trained and then living with one person for the rest of their life.

While Monet, who is slightly older, can already take clothes out of the washing machine and even 'empty a bag of bread to get a slice out and nudge it toward the toaster.'

However Katy was keen to explain that she doesn't want to overload the horses and is careful, particularly in the kitchen, as Digby has already accompanied her to local cafe Tiffany's where he promptly 'drank the tea from [her] cup'.

Trainer Katy Smith with seven-week-old foal Digby Lorne Campbell

What are the benefits of a guide horse over a guide dog?

After speaking to Carol Warner, Guide Dogs' Service Director for Canine Services, she assured us that 'the charity Guide Dogs [have] made a lifetime promise to provide every one of our guide dog owners with a guide dog for as long as they need one.'

So, why the need for guide horses?

'A guide horse takes six months longer to train than a dog but they live up to 45 years, where as a labrador will only live up to 14,' Katy told us. 'You have the advantage of that horse being trained and then living with one person for the rest of their life. You've also got the advantage of being able to help those who are allergic to dogs and, for religious reasons, some people can't have dogs in the house so a horse works better.'

Monet helps out at home by taking clothes out of the washing machine Lorne Campbell

There has already been one known case where a guide horse has made a difference where a guide dog would not have been able to. The Times reports that in 2009 Mona Ramona, a blind Muslim woman from Michigan, was reported to have selected a guide horse over a guide dog 'because her religious parents consider[ed] dogs unclean'.

Additionally, horses are known for having a high awareness to human emotions, something witnessed first-hand by Katy after she took her horse Mr P to visit the residents of a care home: 'A couple of weeks ago I went in to visit one gentleman and he got on really well with Mr P. He explained how he got on really well with everyone at the home but then turned to Mr P, hugged him, and said, "but they can't dance with me like I can dance with you". The man was actually doing the waltz in his chair and Mr P was moving with him. It was such a tender moment.'

So far the reaction to Digby and Monet, and indeed the prospect of guide horses becoming more common in the UK, has been positive. Katy is keen to stress though that she is 'not trying to take away from the guide dogs, they can work side-by-side, it's just an alternative and will have a positive impact on peoples lives'.

What do you think of the prospect of guide horses? Is it a yes or a neigh?

Anya Meyerowitz Anya is a freelance editor and journalist with a penchant for coats, shoes and handbags.

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