How to Get a Guide Horse Certified

If you own a miniature horse and want to have it certified as a service animal for the blind, there are a number of criteria your horse must meet. Guide horse candidates must meet size and weight requirements and are challenged by training as rigorous that used for an advanced dressage animal. Only a few extremely intelligent miniature horses are qualified to get guide horse certification.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Determine if your animal meets the size requirements. Most miniature horses are too large to be service animals in this capacity. Your horse must be extremely small by miniature standards, but not a dwarf horse. Animals over 26 inches (withers height) are ineligible for certification.
2. Visit a vet to obtain immunizations and evaluate your animal's health. Your horse must be healthy and anatomically sound for certification. Some miniature horses have weak legs or sway backs, for example. Even in the peak of health, they aren't always considered sturdy enough for the rigors of being a service animal for the blind.
3. Assess your horse's intellect level. The animal must have high scores on verbal and non-verbal commands, problem solving and intelligent disobedience. Only highly intelligent animals can get guide horse certification. Refusing commands can cause injury to a horse or a handler.
4. Contact the Guide Horse Foundation to request entry into their certification program. Be aware that they accept very few potential candidates, and that there is a long waiting list (See Resources below).
5. Train your horse well during the waiting period. Work with your animal using the Guide Horse Foundation's Field Intelligence Testing page as a guide.