Cheval Assistants and Leaders International

Requirements To Get A Service Horse

Before you are matched with the horse, there are certain things that you must have in place. If you do not have everything ready for a horse at the time you apply, that is OK. But you must meet each of these requirements before we can match you with a horse and send you home together. 

Since wait times are very long and we match people based on best fit as opposed to first come first serve, we recommend that people apply so we can have their information on file while making any preparations that they need to. 

Appropriate Disability/Health Condition

There are some tasks that horses are better suited to than Dogs, many tasks that overlap between the two, and some tasks that are more appropriate to ask of Dogs. For instance, tasks where the service animal should be monitoring a person 24/7, such as high level mobility assistance for severe physical impairment (monitoring a person to make sure they are okay, hitting a button to call 911 in an emergency, rolling a person over who is having problems breathing, helping a person who has slumped over to sit up, and things of that nature) are more appropriate for dogs. Horses are not as domesticated as dogs. They need time to just be horses, don’t find the presence of humans inherently reinforcing the way dogs do, and need to be reinforced for performing tasks more frequently than dogs do due to their different digestive systems. For a deeper discussion on this topic, please see the “is a service horse right for me?“ page. 

Ability To Work The Horse Regularly

We of course understand that health conditions fluctuate, but you need to be reasonably sure you will be able to work the horse on a fairly consistent basis. Animals trained with positive reinforcement tend to retain what they are taught very well, But if skills aren’t refreshed every now and again, it is possible they will forget. Plus, the whole point of having a highly trained service horse as opposed to a pet is the ability to take them out and have them work to help you. If you would just like the companionship of a horse, an emotional support Animal would be more appropriate.  

A Readiness To Learn

If you come from the horse world, a lot of the stuff we do might seem strange. I was a traditional horse person myself, so I get it. However, making the switch to working with horses with positive reinforcement is vitally important for a healthy Working relationship with your service horse. Don’t worry, we will teach you everything you need to know, you just need to be willing to set aside traditional ideas about how we get horses to work for us and try something new.  

If you don’t have horse experience, that’s OK, but you are going to have to learn a whole lot. We have lots of material to help you learn everything you will need to know about caring for your horse and will always be there to answer questions. Please understand though, horses aren’t the simplest creatures to take care of, and there is a lot to know. 

Space

A horse cannot live inside the house 24 seven and needs access to outdoor space. More is always better of course, but an absolute minimum of about 20 x 30‘ is required. The space must be free from poisonous plants and other hazards.

Fencing

Fencing that is sturdy, safe, and at least 3 feet tall. Examples of good fencing include non-climb, chain-link, vinyl, and post and rail. 

Shelter

The horse must have access to a shelter with three sides and a roof that they do not need human assistance to access when turned out. 

Manure Management

A system must be in place to clean up and dispose of manure, which is vitally important if you are in a residential area. 

Hay

Long stem forage is the staple of a horses diet. You must be able to handle and feed hay, and always be able to keep it on hand and or purchase it when necessary. 

Veterinarian

There is an unfortunate shortage of veterinarians in the US, equine vets in particular. You need to find an equine vet close enough to you that you will either be able to take the horse to them or they can come visit you before you can bring the horse home. 

Farrier

Your horse will need their feet trimmed about every four weeks. You will need to find a Farrier/Barefoot Trimmer before the horse comes home. We can help you with locating and assessing the quality of a Trimmers work. 

Finances

The two largest reoccurring costs of horse ownership are feed and board. Since your horse will be living in your backyard, board is eliminated. These super tiny horses eat just a fraction of what the average horse does, so that cuts down drastically on costs. However, you still need to be able to cover reoccurring costs. Hoof trims run anywhere from $35-$80 depending on your area, with 50 to 60 being pretty average. 40 pound square bales of hay run between five and $26. It stretches a very long way because they are so small, but ration balancer and hay pellets will cost a few hundred each year. Your horse will need to be vaccinated and have their teeth checked yearly. And, unfortunately, emergencies can get very expensive very quick. We don’t expect everyone to have $10,000 tucked away for emergencies, but you need to be able to cover all routine costs.