Posted on by Matt Gilligan

Miniature Horses Are Now One of the Service Animals That Airlines Must Allow to Fly

Be prepared to possibly see an unexpected animal on your next flight.

The list of service animal just keeps growing, doesn’t it? And specifically, I’m talking about service animals that are allowed on planes. In addition to dogs, we’ve seen ducks and all other kinds of creatures accompanying their human handlers on flights.

Well, it’s time to add another furry friend to the list of animals allowed to fly on planes: miniature horses. The U.S. Department of Transportation is encouraging airlines to allow miniature horses on flights as service animals.

And while it may sound a little odd, miniature horses are actually quite popular as service animals, right up there with dogs and cats.

The official word from the Department of Transportation says, “After reviewing the comments on this issue, we believe that it would be in the public interest and within our discretionary authority to prioritize ensuring that the most commonly recognized service animals (i.e., dogs, cats, and miniature horses) are accepted for transport.”

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A play date that was just her size•We held our first, “Toddler Time” with Martha, last week, giving kids, ages 2-4 years, to come be with Martha•She was the quintessential hostess of her playground 🎪 and all the kids loved petting her fluffy hair•When the goodbyes were said, each child got to choose a button of one of the horses•Surprisingly, there were no duplicates🏵Such a cute way to share Martha with a tiny little population and add more exposure to kids as we continue our goal for her therapy work😊Think about all the good that comes from exposing a child to a horse at this young and how it effects their future feelings towards them😊….sound . . . . . . . #miniaturehorse #miniaturehorses #miniaturehorsesofinstagram #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #dwarfhorse #rescuehorse #adoptdontshop #hunterjumper #dressage #eventing #horseriding #horsebackriding #equine #equitation #equinetherapy #equinephotography #equestrian #equestrianlife #kids

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Airlines aren’t obligated to allow therapy horses on their flights, but if they ignore the new guideline from the Department of Transportation, they could be penalized. And just to get down to the nitty gritty: this guideline does not apply to emotional support horses, only service horses that help people with visual impairments or issues with mobility. Emotional service animals are often times dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the airport.

The guidelines also say what CAN’T be used as service animals: no snakes, rodents, reptiles, spiders, or ferrets are allowed. Thank goodness for that…

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