Therapeutic Mini Ponies Bring Joy To Hospitals And Care Homes‌ ‌

Poppy, 16, and Tinks, 17, stand at just 30 inches tall and love being stroked and fussed over. COURTESY SWNS

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Meet the pint-sized ponies visiting hospitals, schools and care homes – providing therapeutic cuddles for those in need.

Owner Sarah Woodland, 42, was gifted two mini Shetland ponies in the summer of 2022 by a friend.

Poppy, 16, and Tinks, 17, stand at just 30 inches tall and love being stroked and fussed over.

Sarah started doing private one-to-one enrichment sessions with the pair before deciding to visit a local care home with them to encourage residents connect with the animals.

The session went so well she decided to make them both therapy ponies – to provide comfort and interaction to people who need it – and now she takes them into special schools, hospitals and care homes.

Sarah, who runs Dinky Ponies, from Oxfordshire, said: “It’s the touch and the communication – seeing and interacting with the ponies is a form of communication for people who may have difficulty talking, it’s almost like a form of love and it gets people up and moving.”

Before setting up her wholesome venture, Sarah worked in HR in London and spent years raising her two children – aged 15 and 10 – with her husband, Nick, 50, a retired military veteran.

As her children grew older, Sarah found herself with more time and a desire to reconnect with her love for horses.

She turned to freelance enrichment, sessions before stumbling upon the idea of therapeutic pony visits.

Demand for Sarah’s one-to-one riding lessons dipped during the winter months – so she decided to try a different approach.