Emotional support animals

Garcia told Insider that not all miniature horses can be therapy animals.

“Most miniature horses in our program are from multiple generations of therapy horses,” she said. “Unlike dogs, horses are herd animals/flight animals so we look for outgoing, fearless personalities that like to be center of attention. We then spend time with them (with their moms) from the day they are born, exposing them to new things everyday like wheelchairs and different walking surfaces.”

Horses from Gentle Carousel, which is based in Ocala, Florida, visit adults and children in hospital and hospice care, among other locations.

“Our therapy horse Magic has a very special relationship with children in hospital care,” Garcia said. “One little girl who had a heart transplant and then leukemia said Magic made her face hurt from smiling so much.” In 2016, LiLou became the world’s first airport therapy pig after traveling to San Francisco Airport (SFO). On LiLou’s website, it says, “Everyone we meet leaves with a smile and every day we hear that we have made someone’s day.”

Chesnut, who lives in Georgia, travels around the country with her therapy rat, Vincent, visiting children at schools. Vincent and Chesnut both underwent training to register him as a therapy animal. The test involved tasks like being around a dog, being passed around, taking a treat, and reacting to loud noises, Chesnut said on her site.

“Vincent has been reading with kids for a couple of months now and he has been a champ,” she wrote in a blog post. “He might get a little fidgety at first, but he quickly gets comfortable and listens to the kids read.”