As if hearing talk about how yoga with goats is now a thing in NJ on the radio this morning wasn’t enough, I couldn’t help but to shake my head and chuckle as I stumbled across several articles this morning surrounding the news of miniature horses offering support/therapy at airports.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati/North Kentucky International Airport (CVG) will be receiving bi-monthly visits from some miniature horses, provided by Ohio’s nonprofit Seven Oaks Farm.
Photo credit: IttyBittyHorses on Instagram
While it’s not uncommon to find support/therapy animals at airports (most commonly, dogs), CVG has a rather unusual choice of a support animal to “ease the anxieties” of flying for travelers passing through.
I do recognize the good cause surrounding the miniature-horses and the IttyBittyHorses initiative, and I am sure they are friendly and excellent support animals to those they pay visits to. I am also not discounting any legitimate support animals that those may need while flying; however, horses in airports just seems a bit… excessive?
And I’m not exactly sold on the idea that the average traveler interacting with a horse before boarding a flight would truly offer therapy. If anything, I feel like it would slow things down for travelers.
Sure, they’re cute and all, but I just worry that it may just be further enabling the frenzy surrounding travelers who claim “support animals”, obscure or not, just because they can.
What are your thoughts about the miniature horses at CVG?
As someone allergic to horses, I’m not very enthused. As someone who just thinks farm animals belong outside, I’m a little grossed out.
You know how when you come into the country they ask you if you’ve been on a farm to see if you could possibly be transmitting farm diseases? How does that work with the horse at the airport?
Miniature horses can be “legitimate” support animals: https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
As for “enabling” those who claim support animals – I’m not sure what you mean. Enabling people to use support animals – if they just happen to be “exotic” – is a bad idea?
With all of the focus on peanut allergies on airplanes, how do airlines and hotels clean up after a service animal has been there for people with pet allergies? As a lifelong dog owner, I can assure you that it is practically impossible to remove all of the hair of a pet from inside a car… let alone an airplane that doesn’t get nearly the same detail and cleaning that my car does.
Wow, this is really a disgusting article. People who are driving for Uber are doing shell because they have found themselves in some kind of tough situation. It’s the only reason that someone would trade their vehicle equity for cash. Because that’s exactly what your Uber driver is doing with the rates that Uber is paying them! A ride that used to cost you $60 in a cab, now cost you $20. I bet you never failed to tip that cab driver either because it was expected. how greedy can you possibly be? Unless you want to go back to Payne 3 times as much for the same ride you better start treating your Uber driver better, or you’re going to find you’re not able to find a ride when you need one because people are going to stop being willing to come pick you up in their personal vehicle and drive you and your stinky kids across town for a pittance really, how greedy can you be? And you go to all the trouble to write an article like this so you can make yourself feel better about sticking it to someone who’s just trying to get by