Residents at Peers Village in Fish Hoek were recently treated to a surprise visit by a miniature horse as part of a new addition to the village’s care plan.

Bambi, a five-year-old 90cm tall American miniature horse, made a guest appearance at the retirement village, as part of a special home visit initiative led by animal therapist Sandy Kennedy, of Animal Play Therapy in Noordhoek.

Ms Kennedy offers a variety of play therapy programmes for children, including yoga therapy and recently introduced eldercare home visits.

She said the eldercare initiative started two months ago at another local retirement village’s frail-care and dementia ward.

She said the village had allowed her to use its facilities as a “trial run” and it was wonderful to see how the residents in the dementia ward had smiled when interacting with the horses and used mobility to touch her.

"Our therapy pets are mobile, available to do home, hospital, and health-care visits, both for group sessions and one-on-one," said Ms Kennedy, adding that their goal was to improve quality of life, enhance well-being, increase social engagement, reduce feelings of loneliness, as well as improve mental and physical health.

“This applies to all ages, including those facing end-of-life issues, trauma victims, and the terminally ill."

Bambi is one of three therapy animals. Her mother, Dreamy, was the original therapy horse and has visited many schools and old age facilities. In addition to the two horses, Ms Kennedy also has a border collie named Skye, that is used for therapy sessions.

She said before each visit, Bambi is groomed and washed the day before. She wears special socks or plasters on her hooves to make them non-slip and has a specially designed poo-bag.

Peers Village general manager Jason van Veyeren said the visit last month was a surprise for residents.

"The residents weren’t told what their surprise was going to be, and they were absolutely blown away when Bambi walked in,“ he said.

He said Bambi was impeccably groomed for her special visit, complete with a plaited tail, a bow in her mane, and hooves bound up to prevent any slipping on the floor.

"She was very well prepared, and we made sure the floors were protected," said Mr Van Veyeren.

After all the residents in the lounge had a chance to pat Bambi, Caroline Jones, the village's health-care manager, accompanied Ms Kennedy to the individual rooms of residents who had expressed an interest in seeing Bambi.

“It is amazing to see how they react to Bambi. In some cases, it brings up memories of their past, and they start chatting and smiling,” said Ms Kennedy.

"Bambi was incredibly well-behaved and even gave a good smile," said Mr Van Veyeren, adding that they plan to have a visit from Ms Kennedy and one of her horses every month going forward.

Ms Jones said it was great fun to surprise the residents.

“We are always thinking of ways to brighten their lives. Such experiences break the monotony of day-to-day routine, help elevate the mood, and spark an interest in life which might have faded a bit,” she said.

Resident Delicia Czech said: “I really enjoyed it. Perhaps we can have a lion or a leopard for our next visit.”

Bambi being petted by some of the residents at Peers Village.

Animal therapist Sandy Kennedy and Dreamy at another local retirement village earlier this year.

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Therapy horse pays surprise visit to seniors