THERE are hopes that a two-week-old foal - who will grow no bigger than a large dog - could become one of the UK’s first guide horses.

The newly-born American miniature horse, Digby, has been picked by Katy Smith for potential training for the relatively new venture.

Small ponies and horses are starting to be used to help people with disabilities such as visual impairments in much the same way a guide dog would help.

The use of small ponies or horses to fulfil the same roles as guide dogs began in the US and is started to attract interest in the UK.

Ms Smith runs KL Pony Therapy based at Northallerton Equestrian Centre and already takes miniature horses into care homes and other venues, where her miniature horses help provide therapy to residents. She also arranges for care home residents to have a day out visiting the horses at the equestrian centre.

The Northern Echo: GUIDE: Katy Smith with Digby the American miniature pony which she is hoping to train as a guide horse. Picture: RICHARD DOUGHTY PHOTOGRAPHY

GUIDE: Katy Smith with Digby the American miniature pony which she is hoping to train as a guide horse. Picture: RICHARD DOUGHTY PHOTOGRAPHY

For her latest venture she has been in touch with Guide Horses in America to see if her latest foal could be trained for the role.

“They take as long, or a bit longer to train than guide dogs,” she said.

“Somebody may need two or three guide dogs during their life, but horses have a longer life span.

“They can be trained up to do many of the same takes like help answer doors and get the washing out, as a guide dog would.

“To a certain extent you can also train them up to be house-trained.”

Horses began being used for guiding roles as an experimental programme in the early 2000s in the US. With an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years they can remain with their owner for much longer than a guide dog.

They also have a natural ability to guide and in the wild, if a horse within the herd goes blind, a sighted horse is said to accept responsibility for the welfare of the blind horse and guides it with the herd.

Ms Smith said the temperament of the American Miniatures is very well-suited to the role and they only grow to about 27 inches high.

“The miniatures pick things up quite quickly,” she said.

“I have eight of them here and they each have a different personality.

“They have a great therapeutic value; they can tell when a person is really unwell.

“When someone is approaching end of life they seem to know. They seem to know that a person’s breathing has changed and become shallower and they will breathe in synch with them. It’s quite humbling to watch.

“You hear of cats and dogs having that empathy but people tend not to look at horses as being in tune with people in that way.”

For now Digby will be trained as a therapy horse, like his mother, and will gradually be taught to become used to a collar and being inside buildings and homes.

Once he is a bit older he will be brought on therapy visits with his mother to residential homes, where he will also become used to being around wheelchairs and people with impaired sight.