- by Jody Johnson, Assistant Editor

Meet Klive and Kaity Beaton of Owen Sound, an in-training miniature service horse and his handler.

A service animal is defined as an animal that is trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.

Beaton has been diagnosed with PTSD, major depression disorder, an anxiety disorder, as well as balance issues. “My doctor and I decided a service animal would be of great benefit for me,” she says.

There are many benefits of having a service horse and some often prefer a service horse over a service dog. Firstly, horses live a long time and can work for 20 or so years which provides support to their owner for a long time.

Beaton chose Klive for his calmness and willingness to please. “He wants to be with people, he strives to make people happy.” She decided on a miniature horse over a dog mainly for their size. “He's a bit better suited for the mobility work my balance issues require, and he will live into his 30s, so much longer lived than a dog.”

Beaton self trains Klive and has done all the training herself. “He had basic horse training like leading, picking up his feet, that sort of thing, but I potty trained him (yes, he's potty trained) and taught him a couple tasks to help me with my disabilities, like lipping at me when my anxiety flairs up, or helping me balance.”

While Klive doesn’t accompany Beaton everywhere yet, they are working towards that. Klive is currently still in training, so sometimes he has problems with simple things, like walking through doors that have to held open.

“I've had Klive, who is 8, for about 6 months now, and I can't imagine my life without him. If you see us without his harness, feel free to come meet him and say hi!”