- April 24, 2024
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WINTER GARDEN — An interaction with a therapy animal can be an emotionally restorative experience for people of all ages and stages of life.
Usually, those animals are dogs, and sometimes cats. But in Winter Garden, a more unexpected friend is training to become a therapy animal: a miniature horse named Romulus, whose handler is lifelong horse-lover Alicia Dooley.
About three years ago, Dooley’s daughter’s horse was growing older and more frail.
“I knew that at some point, we were going to lose her, and I needed to get a companion,” Dooley said. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to get a miniature horse?’”
Soon after, a miniature horse named Bandit went home with the Dooleys. But two months later, Dooley found out about a family that had changed their minds about a miniature horse they had recently purchased.
“The owners didn’t know what to do, so they asked me if I would take Rommy, and I said, ‘Certainly,’” Dooley said. “At that point, I wasn’t thinking of a therapy horse or any of that. I was just thinking of a companion horse.”
When Rommy arrived at Dooley’s home, it was clear that what he lacked in physical size, he made up for in personality. He had walked into a farm with three established horses, and he wanted to be in charge.
And that’s why his namesake was the legendary founder of Rome.
“My daughter named him Romulus because he came over and tried to conquer the farm,” Dooley said.
After getting acclimated to his new human caretakers and equine friends, Dooley noticed he seemed bored in the pasture.
It was the first time Dooley had tried to train a horse to pull a cart, but it was a success. Rommy picked up the trick quickly. Last Christmas, Dooley’s father surprised her with a cart as a gift, and by January, Rommy was already pulling her around.
Dooley was inspired to continue Rommy’s training in a more meaningful way. She researched therapy horses and decided to start Rommy on the track to becoming one.
It can be difficult to register horses and other non-standard animals because unlike dogs, there is not one go-to national organization that certifies them. But Dooley found out about Pet Partners through the ASPCA and took its handler instruction course, which taught her the skills needed to safely visit with an animal in hospitals, nursing homes, classrooms and other facilities. Pet Partners certifies many species, such as horses, llamas, rabbits, pigs and birds, as therapy animals.
The next step is for Rommy and Dooley to pass a team evaluation. Rommy will have to demonstrate his abilities to accept a friendly stranger, accept petting and go for a guided walk on a path. His appearance also must be in top shape.
Dooley does not yet have an easy method of transporting Rommy, so she has been walking with him to places close to her home, such as playgrounds and subdivisions. The goal is for Rommy to get accustomed to meeting new people in unfamiliar places.
“He has a blast,” Dooley said. “We’ve had quite a few adventures.”
Dooley and Rommy stopped by the Winter Garden Fire Department July 4 so that Rommy could get a drink of water. The employees at Petsmart have started to expect a visit most Sunday mornings and usually have horse treats on hand.
The team recently met a family with a son who had autism.
“He came up and petted Rommy everywhere, and Rommy stood as still as a statue because he knew that he shouldn’t startle this boy,” Dooley said.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at [email protected].
Rommy still has a lot to learn before his Pet Partners evaluation, but training him is easy. He is smart, Dooley said, and highly motivated by rewards.
“He’ll do anything for carrots,” Dooley said.
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Rommy’s adventures with Alicia Dooley are posted frequently on a Facebook page and a Facebook group, both by the name “Rommy, a Miniature Horse with a Big Heart.”
To contact Dooley about birthday parties or other appearances, email [email protected].
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Contact Catherine Sinclair at [email protected].
