A blind man will become the first in the UK to receive a guide horse to help him get around – and it’s all because he’s scared of dogs.
Mohammed Salim Patel, from Blackburn, is set to receive an American miniature horse named Digby to help him in his day-to-day-life.
The 23-year-old has a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa which breaks down cells in the tissue at the back of the eye.
Mr Patel will be helped by the two foot tall Digby, an eight-month-old miniature horse.
He told the Lancashire Telegraph: ‘I have a condition where I lost my vision and I have come across lots of people who have guide dogs.
Mohammed Salim Patel, from Blackburn, will be helped by Digby the American miniature horse. The 23-year-old, who is visually impaired, is scared of dogs
‘But I have a big phobia of dogs that I was not able to work out and it was good when I heard about horses being trained.
‘I have always loved horses but it is good to see the benefits to people who are visually impaired.
‘It will be a couple of years before he will be coming to live with me as he has training to do. He needs to get used to being out and about Blackburn.
‘I also think I will have to give myself an extra hour to try to get around my daily routine as people will all want to come and see it and touch it.’
Digby, who lives in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, with trainer Katy Smith, will eventually be trained to take washing from the machine and mop the kitchen sides.
Yesterday Digby made a visit to Blackburn to introduce him to the town where he will live.
Ms Smith, who runs K L Pony Therapy and is currently training eight tiny horses, says Digby will be great for him.
She said: ‘There are about 14 training in America to help visually impaired people and they have a long life-span as they can live until 45 or 50 year old.
‘You may have to have two or three guide dogs and then you have to think about the emotional bond to them.’
Luckily for Mr Patel the horse will also be fully toilet trained before he comes to live with him.
Horses began being used for guiding roles as an experimental programme in the early 2000s in the US.
With an average lifespan of 30 to 40 years they can remain with their owner for much longer than a guide dog.
They also have a natural ability to guide and in the wild, if a horse within the herd goes blind, a sighted horse is said to accept responsibility for the welfare of the blind horse and guides it with the herd.
Ms Smith said the temperament of the American Miniatures is very well-suited to the role and they only grow to about 27 inches high.
‘The miniatures pick things up quite quickly,’ she said. ‘I have eight of them and they each have a different personality.
‘They have a great therapeutic value, they can tell when a person is really unwell. When someone is approaching end of life they seem to know.
‘You hear of cats and dogs having that empathy but people tend not to look at horses as being in tune with people in that way.’
Digby is being taught to become used to a collar and being inside buildings and homes.