Plenty of horse sense makes pony a proven leader

Not bad for a horse wandering about in baby shoes.

The greatest advantage to using horses over dogs is longevity. Horses can live up to three times as long, longer, Don Burleson says. Horses also have eyes on the sides of their heads that allow them to see nearly 360 degrees.

But "not every horse has what it takes," notes Janet Burleson, a retired professional horse trainer.

Each needs to be "100 percent proficient," her husband adds.

Especially when it comes to "intelligent disobedience." A horse must be smart enough to prevent its owner from entering an elevator if the cage is nowhere in sight or crossing the street if a car is heading toward them despite a walk signal to proceed.

It takes 400 to 600 hours to teach a horse to lead the blind and visually impaired. The Burlesons say that's less time than it takes to train dogs, which require puppy socialization skills.

The first horse they trained was named Twinkie. During trips to a flea market in Raleigh, the couple began noticing that Don Burleson's personal pet would steer them clear of hazards such as electrical cords.

They kept Twinkie but placed the next horse in Maine. The nonprofit foundation provides the animals at no charge to the blind and visually impaired, and operates on donations.

Eighty people are on the waiting list, but the trainers are in no rush to match them with horses.

"We still consider it experimental," Janet Burleson says."We haven't encouraged a great many people to try it."

For more information on the guide horse program, visit www.guidehorse.org