[ti:Mini Horses in Greece Bring Joy to Sick, Disabled]
[al:Health & Lifestyle]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-12-25]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]A non-profit group in Greece uses small horses to provide pet therapy to sick and disabled people.
[00:11.53]But the organization is now considering its future after facing financial difficulties.
[00:19.47]The Associated Press (AP) recently met members of the group, called Gentle Carousel Greece.
[00:29.64]The animals are brought to hospitals and care centers to give joy to the sick or those suffering physical limitations.
[00:40.01]The horses are bred as miniature animals and stand about 72 centimeters tall. 
[00:49.30]They are specially trained to provide comfort to disabled children, sick people, or older adults.
[00:58.51]One of the horses was recently brought to a school outside Athens for children with special needs. 
[01:07.85]At the school, nine-year-old Josifina Topa Mazuch seemed drawn to a small, gray horse.
[01:16.62]She ended up leading the animal down a school hallway.
[01:21.54]The horse, named Ivy, stood no taller than the girl's pink wheelchair.
[01:28.78]"I really want them to come again," Josifina told the AP about Ivy and another visiting horse, Calypso.
[01:39.64]"They made me feel really happy," she added.
[01:44.59]Ivy and Calypso are two of nine miniature horses provided by the non-profit group. 
[01:54.11]The organization is linked to an American group called Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses.
[02:03.15]The U.S. group is based in Ocala, Florida.
[02:07.83]The organization said the horses complete at least two years of training. 
[02:15.44]They are taught how to work in confined environments with children and adults with special health needs.
[02:24.09]Caregivers say the horses provide a form of pet therapy that offers valuable social interactions and new learning experiences.
[02:36.84]But the leader of the Greek organization says her group has been financially struggling in recent years. 
[02:45.88]Gentle Carousel Greece is run by 68-year-old Mina Karagianni.
[02:53.62]She said she now performs most of the group's duties herself. 
[02:59.28]Karagianni also finances the group and cares for the nine miniature horses, mostly by herself.
[03:09.07]Karagianni 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. 
[03:23.63]After learning about the group's activities, she got the idea to start her own operation.
[03:31.89]"I was touched and I was moved, and I said: 'OK, we have to bring this to Greece,'" Karagianni said. 
[03:42.20]So, she decided to make changes to her land to be able to care for the horses. 
[03:49.92]She said she turned her property into what she calls a "Magic Garden."
[03:56.23]She has everything she needs to care for the horses. She also runs a small restaurant and party area.
[04:06.61]Karagianni launched her Greek group in 2014. She said the organization has served about 12,000 children since it began until the pandemic led to restrictions in 2020.
[04:23.61]The pandemic caused financial pressures and Karagianni herself faced a medical problem that hurt her ability to run the group.
[04:36.08]"I'm just starting to get myself back together again now," she told the AP.
[04:43.90]"With a lot of financial difficulties. But what can I do? I'm trying."
[04:50.05]Karagianni said she had contacted businesses and non-profit groups about financial help but has not been successful. 
[05:01.57]She plans to continue to seek help. 
[05:05.44]"I'm making super-human efforts," Karagianni said. "I'm doing what I can. But I can't do it alone," she added.
[05:15.96]Karagianni said she keeps going because she sees the great benefits the children and adults receive from the animals.
[05:26.88]At the special needs school, teacher Eleni Volikaki said she sees "incredible" reactions from the children.
[05:37.56]"It's like something awakens their senses."
[05:41.34]Volikaki noted the horses can often get students to make more progress than with other therapy methods.
[05:50.94]"We saw things we didn't expect," she said. 
[05:54.58]"We saw children with autism, or children who are generally afraid of animals, coming very close, letting the (horses) get close to them." Volikaki added.
[06:09.10]I'm Bryan Lynn.