Reply #13: Service horses, I knew it.

[Deep13]

These tiny horses are bred and trained to be assistance animals for disabled people. The training is extensive and expensive. Horses live longer than dogs and apparently have a better temperment, so they are more economical. My Dad used to train service dogs and he had to reject a lot of them because of temperment. Even ordinarily docile canines can become aggressive if provoked. Since that is always a possibility, ones with latent aggression had to be weeded out. As a result, there was a great deal of waste in the program. Apparently, that is not a problem for horses. When the article says "minature" they mean it. These horses are only about four feet tall.