Miniature therapy horse visits Brookdale Hearthstone

MOSES LAKE — Of all the things residents at Brookdale Hearthstone Moses Lake expected to find in the halls of the assisted living facility, a horse wasn’t one of them. 

The hoofed visitor was Luna, a miniature horse brought for a visit July 16 by Jodi Peck of Kindhearted Mini Therapy. Luna spent about an hour wandering through the facility charming residents right and left. 

“We’re starting to get our name back out there, so starting in August we’re going to do a lot more fun things like this,” said Brookdale Hearthstone Activity Director Aleecia Robledo, who was introducing Luna to one resident after another. 

“This is fantastic,” said Charlotte Cramer, who came out of her room to get acquainted with Luna. “It makes me wish I had a farm.” 

Luna is fully grown at 7 years old, said Peck, and stands 34 inches tall. She came to Brookdale Hearthstone wearing special shoes over her hooves to keep from sliding on slick surfaces and a manure bag to protect the floor as well. Peck has trained her to keep calm in the face of noise and chaos simply by taking her and Bass, Peck’s other miniature horse, out in public at every opportunity, to grocery stores and public events. The horses pull carts in parades, she said, and give cart rides at the farmers market at Hale’s Farm and Feed in Ephrata. 

Not everybody was on board with Luna’s visit. One resident was frightened by Luna’s sudden appearance, which startled Luna into backing into a small table and knocking it over, and Luna looked behind her nervously for a few minutes afterward. But most of the residents took to Luna immediately, and she was happy to be petted and fussed over. 

Ann Telecky was quite comfortable with Luna. 

“I worked as an activity director and we had horses that came into the facility,” said Telecky, who had lived for many years in Ritzville. “My boys had horses, but I never really did ride myself.” 

“My (horses were) bigger than this one,” said Nancy Bolyard. “One was (named) Princess, and the other was Duke.” 

“You are beautiful,” she added to Luna. 

Peck started out showing horses, she said, until she decided it wasn’t fun anymore and she wanted to do something she liked better. She reached out to Honey's Mini Therapy Adventures in Webster, Florida, whose owner took Peck under her wing and taught her the ropes of using horses for therapy. She got all her licenses in January and started her own program. For the first 20 visits or so she asked for donations online, but none ever came in, she said, so she began requesting a donation of $5-20 to cover gas and expenses. 

Besides the assisted living facilities, Peck takes her horses to hospitals and rehab centers, she said, and will bring them to a law enforcement conference centering on preventing child exploitation. 

“What (the organizer) explained to me is that they learn all this stuff when they have to watch really bad videos, so she likes to have something for them to take a break and go visit,” Peck said. “I’m excited to do that one … They say in the training that a miniature horse has a 4-foot healing radius, so even if you’re not really close they’re helping you. 

“At Brookdale Hearthstone, one of the ladies just started crying and crying,” she added. “It was just so sweet. Both of us started tearing up.” 

Kindhearted Mini Therapy
425-232-4741
Kindheartedminivisits@gmail.com
kindheartedminitherapy.org 

    Brookdale Hearthstone resident Betty Bolyard, right, gets acquainted with Luna the miniature therapy horse, accompanied by Luna’s owner, Jodi Peck of Kindhearted Mini Therapy, left, and Brookdale Hearthstone Activity Director Aleecia Robledo.
  

    Wayne Scroggins knows where Luna the miniature horse likes to be scratched, while his wife Helen and Luna’s owner, Jodi Leck of Kindhearted Mini Therapy, look on.