In 2005, a nurse fell in love with a photo she saw on the internet of a six week old brown and white miniature horse. The little horse had one blue eye and one brown. She and her family drove two hours to meet the horse. The breeder told her about how he would load up one of the smaller horses into his trailer and take him to area nursing homes. He did not charge for this service; he did it because he enjoyed it.
The nurse adopted the little brown and white horse. She could not stop thinking about what the man had told her and the twinkle in his eye when he described the visits. That is when the nurse decided that she would create a nonprofit organization that would bring miniature horses to facilities for the handicapped. Following the adoption of a second miniature horse from the same breeder and a third mini that was rescued, Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc. was born.
