Minis and Friends is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2007 and located in the greater Austin metro area to include: Bastrop, Hays, Travis and Williamson County. Because of the growing need for the unique benefits that a visit from the little horses can bring- a group of 9 mini-owners and friends - decided to create an organization that brings a mobile herd of trained miniature horses to people of all ages with special needs or whom life's circumstances have created a special need.
Minis and Friends have developed their own technique, Equine Guided Interactions (EGI) and use it at every visit. They also teach others about EGI in annual Mini Boot Camps. There was not a Camp in 2011 - but we plan on having one in March 2012.
Minis and Friends model is designed to allow miniature horse and miniature donkey owners to join with us to bring incredible big smiles and happiness to everyone we meet! We recruit interested people (with or without a mini) to learn to be a mini-handler and to work with their horses in the community. We work with minis owners to teach and present guidelines on loading and unloading minis from mini-vans and trailers, general caretaking, walking on slick surfaces, noises in general, up and down curbs/steps and much more.
The #1 importance is to be observant of the stress and safety of the mini. They will let their handlers know when they have had too much petting or need to go outdoors (if it is an indoor visit). We work mostly on weekends (Saturday) as most of us work or go to school :-)
Minis and Friends works mostly free-of-charge to non-profit organizations but we do happily accept donations.
For other facilities and organizations we request an honorarium to help off-set transportation and other costs.
Not one person takes a salary - we are truly a non-profit run by volunteers. We have a wonderful organization of mini-owners and a small army of dedicated volunteers who join us on weekends and some holiday to bring "mini cheer" to all we visit.
We are proud to announce we also have a Director of Community Development, Melinda Pyle and an Associate Volunteer Coordinator, Cathy Howard.
Board members are:
Sally Iwanski
Ellen Wetherington
Donna McLean
Candy Delleney (Emeritus)
Kim Sullivan (Advisory)
Aquila Jordan (Advisory)
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2011 Working Miniature Horses and Miniature Donkeys:
MasterCard, Remington and SeanMonet (Austin minis - Sally and Gil)
Bravo, Rocky and Rudy (Austin minis - Sherry and Paul)
Diego (Austin mini - Loretta)
Jax and Koda (Cedar Creek mini - Gina)
Nemo and Spirit (Dripping Springs - Cathy)
Bear and Bodacious (Buda - Donna S)
Boo and Finn (Pflugerville - Kylie and Chris)
Rocky/Rockyroo and Lewis (Round Rock - Kim)
Tator Tot, Tiny Tim,Trigger Treat (Wimberley - Donna M)
Skittles, Snickers (Funsize), and Peanut (Buttercup) (Steiner Ranch - Melinda and Audrey
To learn more about these minis - please visit our website page on "Meet the Minis" http://www.minisandfriends.org/meetminis.html
We have partnered with several locations now on visits - some have strict guidelines and age restrictions. Please visit their websites to learn more about them. We have many facilities and schools who have invited us to visit with them.
Thank you Austin - Bastrop, Hays and Williamson County for your trust and belief in Minis and Friends.
Austin Children's Shelter (Age Restriction -20 - strict dress code) http://www.austinchildrenshelter.org/
Helping Hand Home (Age Restriction - 16 with parent - strict dress code) http://www.helpinghandhome.org/
Settlement Home for Childrens (Age Restriction - 14 with parent - strict dress code) http://www.settlementhome.org/
Meridell Achievement Center (Age Restriction based on which group we are visiting with) http://www.meridell.com)
Marbridge - No age restriction -- http://marbridge.org/
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Cedar Ridge Alzheimer Care Center
Villages at the Arborteum
Longhorn Village
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Center for Child Protection (support events) - http://centerforchildprotection.org/
Dell Children's Medical Center - Blood and Cancer Unit/HEM-OC Clinic
Garrett's KidStrong - http://www.garrettskidstrong.or
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation - Austin
Buddy Walk for Down's Syndrome
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Organizations we support at Events Annually:
Austin Celtic Festival (yearly event) on first Saturday of Nov - http://www.austincelts.org/festival/
St. Baldrick's Day at Dell's Children Hospital - by invite only
Barnes and Noble Bookstore - Sunset Valley - first Saturday in November or December at 11:00am (watch our In The Community on our website located at: www.minisandfriends.org
Bluebonnet Horse Expo (horse rescue organization) - October 2011 http://bluebonnethorseexpo.com/
Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome - October 2011 -http://www.dsact.com/DSACTBuddywalk.html
Cedar Park Parade and Heritage Festival - April 9, 2011
CenTex Horse Festival - Saturday, April 30, 2011, Georgetown Posse Arena http://www.centexhorsefestival.com
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Walk for the Cure, Oct 31, 2011 - http://www.jdrf.org
And many more - so check our events calendar and Come On Out and Meet the Minis :)