Girl Scouts help miniature horses

Stories don’t get much cuter than this: Girl Scouts, helping miniature horses!

Mini Miracles Horse Rescue rehabilitates the animals for adoption, and trains them so they can find forever homes. The facility has needed an obstacle course for quite some time.

That’s where the group of 4th and 5th grade animal lovers come in. Girl Scout troop 53001 of the Ft. Bliss Service Unit wanted to help, and they made a plan:

“The girls are working on their Bronze Award. They learned teamwork, leadership and communication skills to help them come together. They poured concrete, dug holes, painted, and made sure everything was balanced. And they took the horses through and decided to change some things, ” leader Susan Manion says.

The new obstacle course has several different stations for the horses to master, including stepping on and off of wood platforms, walking through suspended pool noodles, and jumping over a partially buried barrel. It was a labor of love that gave these girls instant gratification, as they worked the horses on the course.

The Romero family started the non-profit rescue in 2015 quite by accident, after adopting a “party pony” that had been neglected. Their eyes were opened to the tremendous need in West Texas.

“People think that because these horses are 1/4 size of a regular horse they can keep them in their yard like a dog. Even though they’re smaller, they have the same needs and care as a full-size horse,” says Marisa Romero. Marisa is 18 and has dedicated her time to the horse rehab non-profit. She’s treated horses with skin conditions, emaciation, neglect and abuse issues. Most have overgrown hooves, which can make it difficult for the animals to walk.

She’s currently working with 12 rescue horses. A total of 37 have gone through the program in the past 5 years.

“We’ve been needing an obstacle course for a while but we didn’t have the time or money. The horses love going through the course! They light up when they see it. They have so much fun, and it really helps with their training,” says Marisa.

Funny thing is, the Girl Scouts think they’re the winners here. One told me she loves horses just like she loves dogs and people. Another said she would come volunteer at the obstacle course every weekend if she could.

Troop leader Susan Manion says the girls got to see first-hand the impact of their accomplishments. And as any good Girl Scout would do, they helped make the world a better place.

For more information on Mini Miracles Horse Rehabilitation, click HERE.