We recently teamed up with Cargill’s Nutrena® brand horse feeds for the “My Horse My Life” photo contest, asking horse owners to share photos of their four-legged friends for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree. Horse owners shared photos ranging from seriously playful to heartwarming and touching. Facebook fans voted and chose Sweetheart from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses as the winner! Check out Sweetheart’s story below and how she will enjoy her shopping spree!
“Sweetheart is a 3 year old Miniature Horse that is part of the therapy horse team at Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity. She was born at the facility in Gainesville, Florida and jumped into her training immediately as a foal with her mother when they visited a training hospital. At 26 inches tall, with a gentle disposition and an adorable face, it’s no wonder that she touches the heart of everyone she meets.
Tiny therapy horses like Sweetheart work with tens of thousands of people each year inside children’s and veterans hospitals, hospice programs and with families who have experienced traumatic events. From helping children and first responders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, to child trafficking victims in Washington D.C. and tornado survivors in Moore, OK, these little horses bring their special love where it is needed most.
Sweetheart makes challenging situations look easy when she is working inside hospitals. She walks up and down steps and on unusual floor surfaces, rides in elevators, carefully moves around hospital equipment, works in small patient rooms and handles unexpected sounds like ambulances, alarms and hospital helicopters… and yes, she is potty trained! Therapy horses like Sweetheart work with medical professionals in oncology units, the ICU, with veterans in inpatient psychiatric wards, and with occupational, speech and physical therapists as part of the treatment teams with patients who have suffered traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations and burns.
With over 34 horses in the program at Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, everything from grooming supplies to tack and equipment are a necessity… and of course the horses love treats too! Keeping the horses clean is a priority for the therapy program which is why this $10,000 shopping spree will be put to great use for curry combs, brushes, shampoo, clippers, clipper blades, and much more!”
About Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses
Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity based in Malibu, California and Gainesville, Florida. Teams of little therapy horses travel across the country to brighten the day for adults and children. One special program the horses participate in is “Reading is Magic” where the horses visit schools and libraries to bring books to life for at risk youth.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED HORSES GROWING UP WHEN I WAS YOUNG DON’T HAVE A HORSEOOR BUT I DO HAVE NEIGHBORS I PET THERE THEY ARE ALWys smart especially when they help in theraphy
I’ll use 10,000 k for my Arab mare. She loves pink so/if we win I’ll by he EVERTHING PINK!!
I’ll use 10,000 k for my Arab mare. She loves pink so/if we win I’ll by he EVERTHING PINK!! I love u smartpack