Therapy animals in Singapore come in all shapes and sizes, including the size and shape of a miniature horse.

However, one charity, Equal-Ark Singapore Ltd (EQUAL), that has set up community meet-and-pet sessions with their therapy horses at a store in ION Orchard has drawn flak on social media over concerns of the welfare of their animals during such events.

Netizens raise questions about animals' stress & safety

Many have commented on their concerns over welfare and the health and safety surrounding the event:

Charity & store involved respond

Responding to the issues raised by members of the public, the two organisations behind the event, In Good Company and EQUAL, have since put out two statements.

Some of these answers have been advised directly by EQUAL’s CEO, Ng Tze Yong.

According to the charity's website, EQUAL is recognised as a Institute of Public Character (IPC), and offers horse-based therapy to youth, persons with special needs, families and the elderly with clinical depression and dementia, with stables at 100 Jalan Mashhor.

Here are the concerns that were addressed by both organisations:

Therapy animals are specially selected & trained

The statement highlighted that the therapy horses at EQUAL are specially selected and trained and were rescued by the charity when "they were no longer wanted".

They also added that a therapy horse has a similar role to a guide dog, rather than a circus animal, and that the event aims to show people how therapy horses help humans.

According to the statement, their therapy horses visit various urban environments, such as nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and even HDB estates in order to work with young kids with autism and the elderly with emotional issues.

Animals' welfare comes first

Both In Good Company and EQUAL have taken measures to ensure that the well-being of the therapy horses come first.

During their travel to the store at ION Orchard, the horses will be transported in a horse trailer pulled by a tow truck while being accompanied by an escort car with their trainers, who have spent a lot of time caring for the horses.

This method of travel is used by the charity when bringing the miniature horses to other beneficiaries.

The horse trailer had fans and ventilation vents to suit the Singapore's tropical weather and even has a remote camera to keep an eye of the horses.

The charity also added that it has been preparing the horses for the meet-and-pet session for several months, such as getting the horses comfortable with being at In Good Company's store:

This preparation also includes helping the horses get comfortable with new objects (fabric, lights), new spaces and sounds, and different kinds of human interaction. Our store space will also be adjusted to accommodate the horses, with dimmed lights and lowered music volumes. The horses are only deemed ready for travel and for this event after they have been completed these acclimatisation exercises and are thoroughly accessed by their trainers.

Closed-door event will have rest time for horses

The organisers highlighted that the event will be kept very small, as it will be a closed-door event.

Entry to the event will be limited and is strictly by pre-event bookings, with only two people allowed to interact with the horses for each session.

The miniature horses will also be rotated in pairs and get 30-minute rest periods, which is half the time they usually spend with beneficiaries.

You can read their full statement here:

Top images via In Good Company & EQUAL