Loving Horse (Clydesdale) Brings Joy to Seniors in Nursing Home
Therapy horses are specially trained to bring joy to people while also providing a sense of calmness and comfort. Though most therapy horses are minis, in this case the therapy horse is a Clydesdale.
Renee, also known as Neigh-Neigh, is a 13-year-old Clydesdale mare owned by Margie and Scott Provenzano. The Provenzanos, along with Neigh-Neigh, are part of Chamberlin Pony Rides & Mobile Petting Zoo.
In addition to being part of the “Ride the Clyde” program, Renee also makes visits to local nursing homes.
Spreading Joy to People of All Ages
Neigh-Neigh has brought joy to a lot of people. On her specialties, however, has been visiting seniors in nursing home halls.
Neigh-Neigh made her first nursing home visit to the Village of East Harbor Senior Living Community in Chesterfield, Michigan. During her visit, she lit up the entire facility.
Staff were a bit nervous about having such a big horse visiting, administrator Carolyn Martin wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.
The visit was Neigh-Neigh’s first time indoors, but she handled it like a champ. The sight of Neigh-Neigh brought every resident out of their room, as the building filled with excitement in her presence. Even the residents who rarely come out for events participated in seeing Clydesdale. 
Neigh-Neigh made sure to stop and visit with every resident, as people couldn’t get enough of her. Though the event was only supposed to be an hour-long, Clydesdale ended up staying for two and a half hours.
One of the most special moments of the visit is when a resident in the memory care section became visibly excited by the sight of Neigh-Neigh.
Once the mare reached her, she gently reached down, and the two shared a heartwarming moment with their heads pressed together.
A Gentle Giant
By the end of the visit, there were very few dry eyes among the staff and visitors. Not only did all the seniors enjoy the visit, but Neigh-Neigh did too.
In addition to being available for “Ride the Clyde,” Neigh-Neigh is also available to visit nursing homes in Southeast Michigan and Toledo, Ohio, as well as the surrounding areas. For more information, check out Chamberlin’s website here!
