A blind man with a fear of dogs has been given the UK’s first guide horse. Mohammed Salim Patel, a 23-year-old BBC journalist from Blackburn, Lancashire, was introduced to his new companion Digby on Monday.
Digby, a two-foot-tall American Miniature horse, will help Mr Patel with daily tasks and household chores – just like a guide dog.
Mr Patel, who has a degenerative eye condition called Retinis Pigmentosa, told the Lancashire Telegraph: ‘I have a big phobia of dogs that I was not able to work out, and it was good when I heard about horses being trained.
‘I have always loved horses, but it is good to see the benefits to people who are visually impaired.’
However, although they’ve already been introduced, Digby won’t be able to live with Mr Patel for another couple of years because he’s still completing his training.
Until then Digby lives with his owner Katy Smith from Northallerton in North Yorkshire. She told the paper that there are even more miniature horses being trained in the US, and that they have a long life span of around 45 to 50 years. She said: “There are about 14 training in America to help visually impaired people and they have a long life-span as they can live until 45 or 50 year old.
“You may have to have two or three guide dogs and then you have to think about the emotional bond to them.
“Another thing is that people may have an allergy, phobia or for health reasons and it is a choice for people.
“We are working with the Environment Agency to get them to understand Digby is toilet trained.”
Horses began being used for guiding roles as an experimental programme in the early 2000s in the US.
With an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years they can remain with their owner for much longer than a guide dog.
They also have a natural ability to guide and in the wild, if a horse within the herd goes blind, a sighted horse is said to accept responsibility for the welfare of the blind horse and guides it with the herd. Ms Smith said the temperament of the American Miniatures is very well-suited to the role and they only grow to about 27 inches high.
Digby is being taught to become used to a collar and being inside buildings and homes.
