Seeing-eye horse guides blind Muslim woman

DEARBORN, Mich. - Seeing-eye dogs are a nonstarter among many Muslims who consider the animals unclean, but a horse the size of a dog just might work.

"This is a really awesome little horse," Mona Ramouni said this week as she put Cali, a 3-year-old miniature horse, through her paces and rode the bus to work with her for the first time.

Ramouni lost her sight to retinopathy — damage to the retina — that is a frequent side effect of premature birth. Until now, she has relied on her family to guide her around the Detroit suburbs where she's lived, studied and worked for all of her 28 years.

Ramouni, a proofreader of textbooks in Braille, wanted more independence, but a traditional guide dog wasn't an option. She's an observant Sunni Muslim and respects her Jordanian-born parents' aversion to having a dog in the home where she lives along with three of her six siblings.

The answer, she hopes, is Cali, short for Mexicali Rose. The former show horse stands about 2 1/2 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30155540/


Mona Ramouni rides a SMART bus to her job with her guide horse, Cali, in Lincoln Park, Mich. Ramouni lost her sight soon after birth, but she can't use a guide dog. Many Muslims consider dogs unclean, and Ramouni respects her parents' aversion to having one in their home. The solution, she hopes, is Cali, a miniature horse who stands 30 inches tall and is being trained to help Ramouni through her daily routine.


Mona Ramouni, left, and her guide horse, Cali, walk by co-worker Kelli Finger and her black Labrador at K&R Braille Transcribing in Lincoln Park, Mich

I was watching it on the news the other day. Pretty amazing.

you refer to. From OP article:

Ramouni says having Cali as a guide opens up new opportunities, but the U.S. government may soon tighten the definition of a guide animal under the Americans with Disabilities Act to exclude farm creatures such as horses.


Seeing eye minature horses especially with their long lifes I think are a viable option as well as the magnificent guide dogs.

This was a full size one that the woman rode. She would even ride it down the street on the shoulder of the road.

I was thinking of other stories I have seen referencing mini horses used as guide horses. Thanks for clarifying.

As to the full-size, if a business in that area was ok with it, I'd say no problem.

... http://www.5stardog.com/dog-breeds-saluki.asp

http://www.salukiclub.org/

http://www.ead.ae/en/?T=2&ID=409

http://www.natgeoprogramming.com/film/99/the-hunting-hounds-of-arabiaaka-saluki-running-with-the-wind

These dogs kick ass.

as far as "uncleanliness" goes, I'd far rather have a dog in the house/office than any sized horse!

And intelligence - well, a horse has a brain the size of a walnut. Their brain structure/capability is incredibly simple vs. a dog's brain. Combining that fun factoid with their flight instinct, I'd be really curious about a horse's long term viability in this situation. I understand the longevity factor in considering a mini as a companion animal but the rest of their negatives would far outweigh the longevity in my opinion.

Are there exceptions? Of course. To any rule. But as a norm, color me very skeptical about the universality of horses as guide animals.

I'd be the first one to embrace the usage of horses for more diverse roles in our society so please consider that I make my living riding/training/competing/breeding/selling/boarding horses on a daily basis before you flame away.