Mini Horses in Greece Bring Joy to Sick and Disabled

01A non-profit group in Greece uses small horses to provide pet therapy to sick and disabled people.

02But the organization is now considering its future after facing financial difficulties.

03The Associated Press, AP, recently met members of the group called Gentle Carousel Greece.

04The animals are brought to hospitals and care centers to give joy to the sick or those suffering physical limitations.

05The horses are bred as miniature animals and stand about 72 centimeters tall.

06They are specially trained to provide comfort to disabled children, sick people, or older adults.

07One of the horses was recently brought to a school outside Athens for children with special needs.

08At the school, nine-year-old Josefina Topa-Mazuk seemed drawn to a small gray horse.

09She ended up leading the animal down a school hallway.

10The horse, named Ivy, stood no taller than the girl's pink wheelchair.

11I really want them to come again, Josefina told the AP about Ivy and another visiting horse, Calypso.

12They made me feel really happy, she added.

13Ivy and Calypso are two of nine miniature horses provided by the non-profit group.

14The organization is linked to an American group called Gentle Carousel Minerature Therapy Horses.

15The U.S.

16Group is based in Ocala, Florida.

17The organization said the horses complete at least two years of training.

18They are taught how to work in confined environments with children and adults with special health needs.

19Caregivers say the horses provide a form of pet therapy that offers valuable social interactions and new learning experiences.

20But the leader of the Greek organization says her group has been financially struggling in recent years.

21Gentle Carousel, Greece is run by 68-year-old Mina Karagiani.

22She said she now performs most of the group's duties herself.

23Karagiani also finances the group and cares for the nine miniature horses, mostly by herself.

24Karagiani also told the AP she learned about the Florida-based organization over the Internet while she was searching for information on a pony she had rescued.

25After learning about the group's activities, she got the idea to start her own operation.

26I was touched and I was moved and I said, Okay, we have to bring this to Greece, Karagiani said.

27So she decided to make changes to her land to be able to care for the horses.

28She said she turned her property into what she calls a magic garden.

29She has everything she needs to care for the horses.

30She also runs a small restaurant and party area.

31Karagiani launched her Greek group in 2014.

32She said the organization has served about 12,000 children since it began until the pandemic led to restrictions in 2020.

33The pandemic caused financial pressures and Karagiani herself faced a medical problem that hurt her ability to run the group.

34I'm just starting to get myself back together again now, she told the AP.

35With a lot of financial difficulties.

36But what can I do?

37I'm trying.

38Karagiani said she had contacted businesses and non-profit groups about financial help but has not been successful.

39She plans to continue to seek help.

40I'm making superhuman efforts, Karagiani said.

41I'm doing what I can, but I can't do it alone, she added.

42Karagiani said she keeps going because she sees the great benefits the children and adults receive from the animals.

43At the special needs school, teacher Eleni Volokhaki said she sees incredible reactions from the children.

44It's like something awakens their senses.

45Volokhaki noted the horses can often get students to make more progress than with other therapy methods.

46We saw things we didn't expect, she said.

47We saw children with autism or children who are generally afraid of animals coming very close, letting the horses get close to them, Volokhaki added.

48I'm Brian Lynn.