When a real horse walks into a child’s hospital room it is always a magical experience.
Therapy horse Magic is celebrating ten years of bringing her special magic to adults and children who need it most.
Magic has comforted survivors and first responders of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, and the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. She worked with the tornado survivors of Moore, OK, victims of the fires in Gatlinburg, TN, child trafficking victims in Washington, D.C., families in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, and thousands of patients in children’s and veterans’ hospitals across the country.
Magic works with medical professionals in oncology units, the ICU, and with occupational, speech and physical therapists as part of the treatment teams for patients who have suffered strokes, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, and burns. She brings her love to Gold Star families, is an honorary Sheriff’s Deputy for her years of work with first responders, and even helped teach a class at Columbia Medical School in NYC.
Working indoors would be a challenge for any horse but with her years of experience, she makes it look easy, even in high rise hospital buildings. Magic walks up and down steps, rides in elevators, walks on unusual floor surfaces, carefully moves around hospital and television studio equipment, works in small patient rooms, and stays calm around unexpected sounds like ambulances, alarms, and hospital helicopters… and yes, she is house trained.
Magic also works inside schools and libraries, with mentoring programs, at literacy events, and at education resource centers in high crime neighborhoods. Her award winning literacy program Reading Is Magic “brings books to life” for young readers with a special focus on at risk readers.
Some video of Magic at work:
http://www.today.com/video/miniature-horse-makes-dying-womans-wish-come-true-573356611506
http://www.click2houston.com/news/horse-named-magic-aims-to-lift-spirits-for-trauma-patients
Over the past ten years Magic received awards and honors including:
One of History’s 10 Most Courageous Animals – TIME Magazine
Selected to be a Breyer Portrait Model Horse.
Most Heroic Pet In America – AARP
A Reader’s Digest/Americantowns Power of One Hero
One of the 10 Most Heroic Animals of 2010 – Newsweek/The Daily Beast
2014 E. T. York Distinguished Service Award
One of Seven Most Notable Animal Heroes in the World – The Daily Mirror 2014
Featured in 125 Stories of Amazing Pets: Inspiring Tales of Animal Friendship and Four-legged Heroes by National Geographic – 2014
Autism Paws of Honor Award
Pet Hero of the Year 2016/Florida Veterinary Medical Association Hall of Fame
American Red Cross A Hero Among Us Outstanding Service Award – 2016
Featured in The Book of Heroes by National Geographic – 2017
Ronald McDonald House Caring and Sharing Award – 2017
United States Equestrian Federation/Equus Foundation Horse Stars Hall of Fame
Therapy horse Magic is a member of Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, an award winning, all volunteer 501(c)(3) charity celebrating 20 years of service. The teams of therapy horses bring love to over 25,000 adults and children each year inside hospitals, hospice programs, and with families who have experienced traumatic events.
We are looking forward to the next ten years with this amazing little horse.
Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses
www.gentlecarouseltherapyhorses.com
www.facebook.com/TherapyHorses
352-226-9009