CARMICHAEL, Calif — Two miniature horses brought a smile to over a dozen seniors living at the Aegis Living Facility in Carmichael on Christmas Day.
Owners Greg and LaVonne Crimmins said the miniature horses can be therapeutic for seniors, especially those with memory loss.
"Some people can be a little timid at first, but when they see them and touch them and see how soft they are, they open up," Crimmins said.
Rosemarie Campbell, 93, said she sometimes has a hard time remembering things, but the one thing ingrained in her memory is her childhood horseback riding days.
"I lived near the stable in Marin County up there on the hill, but they didn’t have the ponies there. They had the big horses," Campbell recalled.
These horses may not be the size she remembers, but they are bringing the same smile to her face.
"It is really great. It brings you back a few years," Campbell said.
Mini horses visit seniors at nursing home on Christmas Day
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