Working with therapy horses is a wonderful experience, but just because someone has a miniature horse does not mean that they have a horse that should come indoors!  Taking a horse indoors that has not been properly trained and insured (even a miniature horse) to visit children or the elderly is not responsible in our opinion.  Take your time to set up your program and make sure your legal and insurance questions are answered by professionals.

I am looking for employment.  Are you hiring?

Is starting a therapy program with horses a good way to make money?  How much money do you make?

No one makes money at Gentle Carousel.  It is an all volunteer program and no one is paid a salary...   but our founders and volunteers sure spend money.  From costumes to gasoline, vet costs to photography, everyone gives to help make magic happen for thousands of adults and children each year.  We think every smile is worth the cost.

  I would like to join you on one of your therapy horse visits with my own horse (dog, cat). Can we come along?

 Our therapy horses are insured and we know what to expect from them.  We do not take animals on visits that we have not personally trained.

  We get dozens of emails and calls from people who would like to sell something at Gentle Carousel appearances.  We cannot help promote your book or other items for sale.

I would like to buy Magic (Aladdin, Rainbow, Peanut)?  Name your price!

They are priceless and absolutely not for sale.

  Will you insure my horses? Can you send me money to start my program?  I would like to start a therapy program and call it Gentle Carousel. Is that OK?  I would like your trainers to train my horses. I would like your trainers to evaluate my horses. I would like to partner with Gentle Carousel. 

Gentle Carousel is a trademarked name.  It is not available for your therapy program.  We cannot provide money for your therapy program or insure horses that do not work in our program.  We are not ready to take other programs under our wing right now... but you never know what the future may hold.

Can I use photos from your website for my therapy horse website?

Our photographers' photos cannot be used without their permission.

You don't know me but I would like to drop by and look around your farm. Is that OK? 

   Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses live and train on several private farms. We have allowed national media to visit for magazine photo shoots and television shows but for security reasons our farms are no longer open to the general public. 

I have a dwarf horse.  Would you like to buy it for your program?

How are Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses trained?

Learning all of the skills needed to become a therapy horse takes at least two years and there is always something new to learn.  Our training program is challenging for both horses and handlers.  We never force our horses to do anything.  They are treated with kindness and respect and choose to work with us and have a relationship with us. 

 One thing we always keep in mind is that therapy horses are not therapy dogs.  They are flight animals and they are herd animals.  They learn to trust and count on their handler like a "herd leader".  When working inside they need to be allowed to raise, lower or tilt their head to better judge distances or areas of high contrast. They are happier traveling and working with a favorite horse companion.  In other words, they may be small horses but they are horses in every way.

Our therapy horses work inside private homes as well as in public programs. They walk up and down stairs, ride in elevators, walk on unusual floor surfaces, work near other animals and move around hospital equipment.  They also learn to let their handler know when they need to go outside for a bathroom break. They have even traveled on airplanes and worked in busy television and radio studios.  Therapy horses must be calm in challenging situations and trust their handlers completely when something unexpected happens.

A well trained Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horse is walked into City Hall by canine movie star Benji during the filming of a documentary about our therapy program.

Learn more at:  Becoming a Therapy Horse

Where do Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses come from?

It is very difficult to become a Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horse.   Therapy horses are chosen for their beauty, very small size (much smaller than most miniature horses!), exceptional temperament, intelligence and desire to spend time with people.  We also look for flashy patterns and bright blue eyes.  Most start their training at birth or at a very young age. 

Horses selected for Gentle Carousel's Reading Is Magic program must look exactly like the characters in popular children's books and have the same qualities as a therapy horse (many work in both programs). We have searched for horses from one side of the country to the other for this award winning program.  Brighty and Splash are from California,  Circus is from Texas, Flame is from Georgia, Feather is from Montana...you get the idea.  It is very difficult to find the perfect match for a book and the perfect personality in one horse. 

 Each therapy horse or Reading Is Magic horse has their own webpage so you can learn more about the special members of our program.

Learn more about individual horses at:  Our Therapy Horses

Sundance reading at the Boys and Girls Club with former NFL and University of Florida quarterback Doug Johnson for an Associated Press photo.

  What an honor and thrill to have Sundance as a riveting character in JASON AND ELIHU.  -Shelley Fraser Mickle

Sundance's Book

Reading Is Magic Authors

 How small are Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses?