Miniature Therapy Horses Killed By Loose Dogs

Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses lost two of its equine therapists this month in Florida at its home base after a distressing attack by loose dogs.

On March 4, 2017, loose dogs entered the property of Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses in north Florida and attacked two miniature horses. “Mozart” was killed by the dogs while “Catherine” was found severely injured by owner Jorge Garcia-Bengochea and rushed to the clinic. Catherine succumbed to her injuries ten days later despite efforts by veterinarians to save her. Gentle Carousel announced the passing of these two therapy horses last week on March 23.

According to Gentle Carousel’s Facebook page, the dogs responsible for the attack have been euthanized and the owners have been fined, but are not accepting any personal responsibility nor offering to cover any of the expenses, including Catherine’s vet bills. Reportedly, the owner was aware that one of the dogs had shown signs of aggression to horses in the past and stated that she would not be surprised if the dog attacked a horse.

Gentle Carousel’s miniature therapy horses are some of the widest-traveled in the horse industry, serving after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut, deadly tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma and most recently the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. In addition to these major events, the miniatures visit tens of thousands of patients in hospitals and hospice care each year.

Catherine was named for a six-year-old Sandy Hook victim.

This video of Catherine was posted by Gentle Carousel:

“We would like to thank all of our FB friends for your kind words and prayers after the loss of therapy horses Mozart and Catherine. We have been encouraging everyone who loved them to remember them as the amazing, happy loving horses they were. We are grateful for every moment they were in our lives and for the thousands of lives they touched.

It’s tragic that these little horses who have given so much to humans in need had to meet such a distressing end. To help cover Catherine’s extensive veterinary bills, a GoFundMe page has been set up for donations.

Learn more about Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses at the organization’s website.

Go hug your horses.