Sarah Woodland and her six miniature Shetland ponies travel to meet animal-loving seniors across the UK
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Sarah Woodland’s company Dinky Ponies brings six miniature Shetland ponies to care for residents of care homes and hospitals across England
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Dinky Ponies went viral on Instagram with heartwarming videos of pet-loving seniors fawning over therapy animals
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Little Woodland Horses also visit children in mainstream schools and with special needs and book one-to-one private sessions
Miniature Shetland ponies can be less than a meter tall, but Sarah WoodlandThe traveling team of little horses is lifting spirits across the UK.
In 2021, the Woodland equestrian formed the Dinky Ponies, an aptly named team of therapy ponies based in Oxfordshire.
The fun-loving herd started out attending outdoor children’s parties and private viewings in southern England, but Woodland needed a way to keep business from dwindling with the temperatures every winter.
Near the end of summer 2022, she called a few local nursing homes to see if their elderly residents would like to meet the Dinky ponies.
It wasn’t long before Woodland was inundated with bookings and inquiries requesting visits from the six trained and trusted steeds that make up the team: Poppy, Abbey, Charm, Tinks, Gracie and Georgie.
Today, Dinky Ponies have expanded their services to hospitals, special needs schools, regular schools and more. Woodland tells PEOPLE that he’s seen a range of “invaluable” reactions during his visits, but most people are “extremely pleased” to meet the unexpected therapy animals.