It's the little things
MUDDY CREEK TWP — They may be short, but their reach is long. In fact, for many events in Butler County, it's not a party until Bunny, Tripod and Pip show up.
“Whipporwill's Snow Beary Bunny” (Bunny), “Whipporwill's Got Attitude” (Tripod) and “Thoma's Simply Tons of Fun” (Pip), are miniature horses owned by Linda and Don Gibala of Butler. They are also considered ambassadors for the Butler Lions Club.
Tripod, Pip and Bunny have been to nursing homes, schools, the Monster Walk, Touch-a-Truck, church events, the Zelienople horse parade, the Saxonburg pet parade, the Butler Christmas parade, trick-or-treating events, and have promoted various horse shows.
Unlike regular horses, there is no designated breed such as Arabian or Morgan for miniature horses.
Kim Jarvis, the Gibalas' daughter, said today's miniature horses are descended from Shetland ponies and were selectively bred for their size to serve as exotic pets for royalty.
The final result was a proportionate little horse that stands up to 38 inches tall.
Today they are no longer the exclusive domain of royals and have grown in popularity.
Linda Gibala said they are quite common now.
Part of the reason for the tiny horses' growing popularity could be because of their temperaments, she said.
Miniature horses are easily trained and have a very gentle nature. This makes them suitable to use as pets, show animals, therapy animals and even for use as guides for the blind, according to Jarvis.“They are very calm,” said Jarvis, although the three her family owns each have their own personalities.Her daughter, Emma Jarvis, 14, said, “Tripod is like a grumpy old man. Bunny is more athletic than both of them.The three miniature horses are kept in a leased stable in Muddy Creek Township, along with the family's other regular-sized horses.The Gibalas got into the miniature horse business over a decade ago.Gibala said, “We got Tripod 11 years ago when my granddaughter was 2 years old. It was a safer way to introduce her to the equestrian world.”Gibala said the three miniatures don't need special treatment or food.Miniature horses need to be treated like regular horses. They need appropriate nutrition, shelter, pasture, regular hoof care, dental care, grooming, vaccinations and training.Jarvis said she and her daughter Emma and granddaughter, Lily Burns, 8, make the 25-minute drive to the stable twice a day to feed, groom and exercise the horses and clean their stables.Emma Jarvis said, “Sometimes the regular-sized horses are afraid of them because they are smaller.”Whatever the breed or size, Jarvis said her whole family has had horses.“I was just born into it,” she said. “There was never a time when I didn't have horses.”“It's my aunt, my cousins. I can't tell you how many horses are in our total family.”The miniatures make up a small but important part of that total, said Emma.Emma said the miniatures make for a great way to teach young children how to ride.“If you get stepped on, the hooves of these don't hurt as much,” she said. “If you slip, it's a shorter distance to fall.”Apparently that's the way Lily is learning.“I used to jump on her (Pip) bareback,” she said. Now with grounding in the basics, she said, “I'm going to do English riding by next year.”
By then, Pip, Bunny and Tripod will have gone on to charm new crowds of fans.Gibala said, “Our miniatures are handled daily and have had continued training since they were young.“Horses are flight animals and have to be properly introduced to and desensitized to our world including things like wheelchairs, bikes, cars, etcetera,” she said.It was easy for the horses to become ambassadors for the Butler Lions Club because Linda and Don Gibala are both members. Linda just finished a term as president of the club, and both the Gibalas have served as district governors.In the beginning, on some of the horses' appearances, the Gibalas would take other Lions Club members with them.“The Butler Lions Club does many services for our community and they support many needy causes. Our family has been active in this club for many years, and the minis seemed to fit in well with some of the Lion's activities,” she said.“Our mini horses are very well trained to be in the public, so we decided to utilize them in some of these activities,” she said.“Seeing children's faces light up is always wonderful; however, visiting the nursing homes and the elderly is the most rewarding,” said Gibala.Jarvis said that's because Butler County is a very rural area and many residents in the nursing homes grew up on farms with many animals. Seeing the horses and feeding them carrots brings them so much joy, she added.Jarvis said the tiny trio has brought smiles to the depressed.“We went to the Saxony nursing home. One lady who had been in a dementia unit was very quiet and withdrawn,” said Jarvis.“As soon as she saw the horses, she began talking about her former life on a racehorse farm,” said Jarvis.
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