San Severino with Buffalo

Sky was my first: a champagne-colored mini. I bought myself a Honda Element and put her in the back to go on visits. Then a girlfriend said, “Oh, my gosh, I would love to do that. Can you find me a horse and train it for me?” I said, “Sure.” And then another lady would say the same thing. And then another.

The moment you look at a miniature horse, you’re filled with joy. I have one named Buffalo that’s about 21 inches high. There are no miniature horses in the wild. They were bred down, and it took about 400 years. They can pull carts, but they are not meant for riding.

San Severino with Sky, visiting Don Beck of Escondido, California

We train the miniature horses and therapy-certify them, so they are confident when going up stairs and in elevators. The training can take from a couple of months to nearly a year. My horses have to be able to maneuver carefully to jump into and out of a van, truck or large SUV. I train them for clients who want to take them visiting.

I love going into Alzheimer’s units because some people say, “Oh my, what kind of dog is that?” You’ll say, “It’s a horse.” And they’ll say, “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” It brings them joy.

I think the real reason I do all this is because of my aunt. When she got Alzheimer’s, they stuck her in a state-run facility to live. I had no power to get her out of there or take care of her myself. It broke my heart. I would visit her, and one time I held her hand and said, “Hi, Aunt Mary.” She had been quite confused for a long time, but out of nowhere, she looked at me and said, “Faithy, you’re a good girl.” I thought, We don’t know what they know. We have to always treat them with respect and love and honor. —As told to Leslie Quander Wooldridge

Faith San Severino, 65, operates the Faithful Friends Mini Horse Therapy Center in San Diego.