Sarah Woodland has built a unique full-time business around miniature ponies bring joy to care home residents, children with special needs, and young children. What started as an unexpected gift of two Miniature Shetland Ponies has grown into Dinky Ponies, a service that brings these small equines into indoor settings for visits that often provoke strong emotional reactions.
From Field Ornaments to Working Animals
Woodland, who had worked as a groom caring for other people’s horses, noticed two Miniature Shetland Ponies in a field on her daily commute after the pandemic. She eventually inquired about their owner and, a few months later, was given the pair. Unsure what to do with them, she decided they needed a job rather than becoming permanent field ornaments. Given the breed’s small size, she began by offering stable management classes and pony handling sessions, initially hosting parties and one-to-one sessions in locations like pub car parks and random fields. Running a business was new to her, and she had to learn about bookings, invoices, and administration. As colder weather approached, she realized outdoor sessions wouldn’t work year-round and began exploring indoor options.
Testing the Indoor Waters
A random of a horse in an elevator sparked the idea that her ponies might cope with buildings and elevators. She tested the concept by bringing one pony into a children’s day care near her home, and the pony handled the indoor environment and children without problems. Around the same time, she wondered whether elder care homes might have budgets to bring ponies in for residents. With no experience in care homes, she called a nursing home and asked to try a visit. The ponies coped, and the residents loved it. Four years later, Woodland has seven ponies and visits care homes, residential homes, and children with special needs as her full-time job and passion.
Learning Through Trial and Error
Woodland has faced many unexpected challenges, with no model or blueprint to follow. She has learned from mistakes along the way, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Practical details matter: the ponies’ feet are slippery on laminate floors, so she found shoes for them that don’t look silly. She emphasizes treating the ponies as working animals with respect, not making them look ridiculous. When taking the ponies into buildings or elevators, she relies on their trust in her. Positive reinforcement, such as a small mint each time they enter an elevator, helps. She also stays calm because the ponies are intelligent and mirror her state.
Understanding Residents' Needs
Having never spent time in a care home, Woodland wasn’t prepared for how much she needed to learn about what residents need. She is constantly learning to understand how people feel when they see the ponies and what to say—and what not to say. She enjoys conversations during walks with the ponies and finds it hard to move on when her hour-long visit ends. Visits are limited to one hour for the ponies’ welfare, but she revisits care homes throughout the year so different people get a chance to see them. She prefers visits with a limited number of people who get quality time to talk and interact, rather than rushed show-and-tell sessions.
Reactions and Rewards
Woodland can’t fully explain why elderly residents love the ponies so much. They laugh, and sometimes they cry when they see them, and reactions are unpredictable. She wonders if the ponies’ tiny size makes them appear young and foal-like, even though they are actually old. Children in residential homes for those with special needs and in nurseries also adore the ponies. Woodland has taken her sons along to visits and felt proud watching them interact with the children as they guide the ponies. She never expected this to be her work and life. It has been incredibly hard and not hugely profitable, but equally fulfilling. She wouldn’t want to do anything else right now, living her dream of making ponies and people happy at once.