Recovered after dog mauling, mini horse tries out new life as a therapy animal

A Carstairs seniors' centre received a special visitor. Their new friend put smiles on faces, but there was a time when her future didn't look so bright.

Nugget, the seven-month-old mini horse, went on her first visit as a therapy animal on Thursday.

“She’s very level-headed and very quiet,” said Anita Resnechenko, Nugget’s owner.

Nugget visited seniors at Chinook Winds Lodge in Carstairs, Alta.

“It’s amazing. Just the look on their faces. It just brightens their day. You can tell they were all excited. One lady came out specifically just for the horse. She hasn’t come out for anything else. So, I mean, it’s just huge,” said Natalie Weisbrod with Chinook Winds Lodge.

The little foal’s life hasn’t always been easy.

Things took a turn when she was mauled by a dog on a property outside of Calgary in October.

That’s when the Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS) stepped in and made the rescue.

“She had some pretty serious bites on her neck, her ear and her face. She was extremely dehydrated. She was just about expired,” said Darrell Glover, HAWS president and founder.

Nugget has made a remarkable recovery and is now enjoying every moment of her new life.

She even has a best friend, a seven-year-old pony named Ducky.

Resnechenko hopes to get the mini horse officially certified as a therapy horse soon, so she can continue bringing joy to many places in the future.