You have probably heard of therapy dogs, but have you heard of therapy miniature horses and donkeys? Well, thanks to Marianne Hartmann, a Swampscott resident and co-founder of nonprofit organization Minis With a Mission, you may just be able to meet some at events in town.
“Minis With A Mission, Inc. brings our trained miniature horses and donkeys safely out in the community to populations that can benefit from the equine connection,” their website says.
The idea for the nonprofit sparked in 2017 after Harmann and Laurie Lowe, the other co-founder, volunteered at an equine rescue. “I had always done the visits with the minis … and I wanted it to be a more kind of formalized nonprofit that exclusively did this kind of work, so she and I both branched off and started our own nonprofit,” Hartmann said.
The organization became an official independent nonprofit in 2020. “Marianne and Laurie have since earned their certification in Equine Assisted Learning and offer programs to help individuals develop life skills working with horses as the teacher,” their website says.
While the animals live in Ipswich, Harmann and Lowe bring them all around to places such as assisted living spaces, rehab centers, and hospitals, as well as to events such as Pride in Swampscott.
For this event, Fluff (short for Fluffanutter) the miniature horse dressed up in pride colors and Romeo the miniature horse has learned how to accept donation money given to him.
“We always say anywhere we can bring a little mini joy,” Hartmann said. Almost all of the animals at Minis With a Mission came from the rescue where Harmann and Lowe originally volunteered. “They’ve all been rescued from different situations including kill pens in the south,” Hartmann said.
One of the miniature horses is missing an eye due to the neglect she endured before she was rescued. When people interact with miniature horses and donkeys, it can be a “transformative” experience for them, Hartmann said.
One place they have taken the animals to is the Recovery Center of America at Danvers.
“We had some experiences there with the clients who go there that were just phenomenal, people who hadn’t really been able to speak up in groups, but once they started interacting with the minis, they were all talking a mile a minute with everyone around them and just connecting with the minis on a very deep personal level and it really is a beautiful thing,” Hartmann said.
In February, a group of students from transitional programs at high schools in the area visited the animals in Ipswich. One such program was the YACHT Program at Ipswich High School which “provides a post-secondary transition program for 18-22 students with various disabilities, focusing on communication skills,” and other living and work skills, its official description says.
“We’ve been looking to establish some community partnerships which would help expand career pathways for our students,” Molly Benson, a teacher in the YACHT Program, said. “Marianne was so gracious in offering us this opportunity. And so right away just sort of jumped right in and tried to find ways that we could each help each other out.”
YACHT Program student Brandon Dziadose has an interest in horses and spent the morning learning more about them and walking them around. He really connected with them, Benson said. Hartmann pointed out how comfortable the students became with the animals.
While they were nervous at first, after a short time they were petting and brushing them. Being involved with animals, particularly horses, is something Hartmann had always wanted to do.
“They really are true natural empaths and they really connect with people and you can’t lie to a horse and a horse doesn’t lie to you. The feedback that you get from them is just amazing,” Hartmann said.
