OUR MISSION
To Nurture And Inspire People, One Pat At A Time
Inspiration
MMHTP’s focus is on senior care homes, veteran's organizations, library reading programs, after school programs and we are introducing the “Just Say Whoa to Bullying” program into schools on the southwestern slope of Colorado.
Meet The Crew
The Littles
Goldie
Ima Little Gold Mine, Goldie for short, is 18-years-young. He is one of the original minis in 2017.
He loves being the star. Because he loves to shine, we think he gets just a little miffed when other horses come to events as well.
More on Goldie...
Since from day one of his being born, Goldie has been in the business. His mom was a nurse and working at a local hospital near their home when he was born so his dad scooped him up when he was born and they visited room to room and she Goldie's previous mom picked us at Moe's Mini Horse Farm and the Mighty Mini Horse Therapy Program to have him and continue with our program.
Goldie was one of my original two miniature horses. He came from Carol Lowry in Georgia, where she owned Falling Star Ranch. Carol personally raised Goldie with her granddaughter. They trained and showed him together for years. By the time Goldie was ten years old, her granddaughter had become interested in other things.
Carol had been following me on Instagram and Facebook because she had seen the therapy work we were doing. Since Goldie had been involved in therapy work from the very beginning of his life, she wanted him to continue that work. She called me personally and said, "I'm giving you first refusal on Goldie." I immediately said yes because I knew what a wonderful horse he was.
I drove my Expedition to Georgia to pick him up. He loaded perfectly into the back of my SUV. Unfortunately, it was during one of the worst ice storms Georgia had ever experienced. We had to travel through the mountains, and I was very thankful to have four-wheel drive.
As I traveled home on I-40, I posted updates about my trip. Several people who had been following me invited me to stop and stay with them since I was passing through. One stop was in Oklahoma City with a wonderful woman who had fostered mu Great Pyrenees, Kate. She had also been following my work, so Goldie and I stayed with her before continuing home.
Howard Hughes used to live in Ouray, also saw my Facebook posts, and invited us to stay overnight.
Once we got home, Goldie wasn't settling in the way I expected. I looked back at the videos from Carol's farm and realized another miniature horse, Sweet Dream, appeared in every video with him. I became convinced they were a bonded pair.
Sweet Dream
Sweetie is an 11 year-old female mini therapy horse. She came to MMHTP in 2018, not too long after Goldie came.
Goldie needed his friend from his last home, so I made it happen.
The Story on Sweetie...
After realizing Goldie and Sweet Dream were bonded, I called Carol, negotiated a price, and drove my Expedition back to Georgia to bring Sweet Dream home.
Sweet Dream is beautiful. She's a white pinto with black spots and crystal-clear blue eyes. As soon as she arrived, Goldie immediately relaxed and settled into the herd. He had always been a wonderful horse, but before she arrived he just seemed distracted and not quite himself.
Goldie was such a good traveler, I assumed Sweetie would be, too. But when she was separated from the herd and loaded into the back of the Expedition in Georgia she screamed until I found a Country Western station she liked. Only then she settled down for the trip home.
Today, Goldie and Sweet Dream do most of our therapy visits together. Goldie actually goes on more visits because he doesn't get very dirty. Sweet Dream, being mostly white, seems determined to get dirty every chance she gets, so keeping her clean is a full-time job.
When she's freshly washed, they both ride together in the back of my SUV, happily eating hay all the way to wherever we're going—whether that's a hospital, senior care home, reading program, or our "Just Say Whoa to Bullying" program. They participate in all of it.
Glory Halleluiah
Glory Halleluiah, "Glory" for short, is our impish, fun-loving youngster.
After losing my original Glory, I eventually got her half-sister, Glory Hallelujah.
About Glory...
Her name fits her perfectly because she's rambunctious. She started out traveling with us on therapy visits, but, being the annoying little sister, she was always nipping at the other horses while everyone was running around having fun. I think she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when she broke her leg.
Because of where the break occurred, surgery or a cast wasn't an option. She had to remain in a stall for six weeks while it healed. During that time she became pretty naughty. She's absolutely adorable, but she's mischievous enough that these days she mostly stays here at the farm.
The Big Kids
The Big Kids are Rose, Red and Ray. They provide experiences right here at the farm for visitors of our AirBnB. Guests can spend time through grooming or taking taking a walk with one (which they love).
Relaxing in their pen, occasionally petting them, and drinking in the peaceful beauty of this Southwest Colorado area is a little bit of Heaven.
Red Miracle
Red joined MMHTP in January of 2020.
Red and Ray came as a pair.
How Red and Ray got here...
When little Glory passed away, her trainer called me. She told me she was getting out of the horse business but had been receiving the first foals from a Kentucky farm at no cost, training them, and then selling them.
She offered to step out of the middle if I was interested in two miniature horses. Those horses became Moe's Red Miracle—better known as Red—and Ray of Hope, whom we call Ray. Red's registered name, Moe's Red Miracle, was one I chose myself.
Ray of Hope
Ray joined MMHTP in January 2020 with Red. He is currently in training to be a therapy animal.
He and Red work with people who stay here on vacation.
Yellow Rose of Texas
Rose trained as a therapy animal before she came to Colorado. She loves the senior care centers, hospitals, and after school programs, so she comes with us at times.
Special Mention
Evie is Our Protector and Ambassador
Evie keeps us all straight. She watches for bears. She welcomes and loves guests. She herds the horses when needed. She's a loyal, warm, loving companion to all.
Glory (Original) & Chief
Originally, I had Glorious Rapture, or "Glory." I got her through a trainer who had trained therapy miniature horses.
More on these magnificent horses...
Glory was only a year old when I got her, and she was the sweetest little thing. Unfortunately, she had a mild form of dwarfism. She died from complications related to dwarfism when she was only three years old.
I happened to be in New Zealand at the time. I had left a perfectly healthy group of horses, but during the trip I received a call telling me Glory wasn't doing well and needed to be humanely euthanized for her comfort.
Although she was only with me for two years, she met more than 10,000 people. She was the kind of miniature horse who would walk into a room and place her head in a senior's lap like a dog. She simply loved people and loved life. I still miss her very much.
Chief
Chief also came through the same trainer as Glory. He had been trained for therapy work, but he grew a little too large to comfortably ride in the back of my Expedition.
I decided I wanted to stay with the smaller miniature horses, so I found Chief a wonderful home at one of the largest miniature horse farms in Colorado, just south of Montrose. He now lives with around sixty other miniature horses, has been trained to pull a cart, and is doing great. I still get to see him from time to time.
Why Mini Horses?
Miniature horse therapy brings unique benefits to different groups.
In senior centers, minis spark joy, stimulate memory, and reduce loneliness, giving residents uplifting emotional connections
At VA homes, the horses provide comfort for veterans coping with PTSD, encourage social interaction, and help lower stress levels through their calm, grounding presence.
In schools, mini horses help children build empathy, improve focus, and help kids regulate emotions in positive ways. Sometimes a mini horse can help a struggling or shy child more than adults ever could.
No matter the setting, the gentle presence of a miniature horse touches emotions, encourages healing, and strengthens connections in ways that traditional therapy sometimes can’t reach.
Meet Some of the other Southwest Colorado Locals
