OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Dawn Lomelo, a Blue Star mom, saw the therapeutic benefits horses had on her son, who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy, and his friends when they came home to visit when they were on leave.
“It was a little break from their travels in the military and they would come to the farm, and just enjoy the relaxation of the farm’s environment and walking around petting and grooming the horses,” said Lomelo, founder of the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit Ponies for Patriots and Pint Size Therapy. “But most of his friends who had little or no experience with horses, were able to grab one of the minis, with no prior knowledge in the horse world and just walk around like they would a dog. I just saw the connection, the release, the before and after. It was remarkable.”
Lomelo is a retired schoolteacher, and she and her husband Ray, relocated to Ocala from New York. Her passion for all things equine and understanding of the therapeutic qualities horses possess and their ability to connect with humans, along with her son being active military, found her reaching out to Charlie Calhoun, president of the On Top of the World Veterans Association. Ponies for Patriots and Pint Size Therapy are located in Bradford Farms.
“I said, ‘I would love to be involved. What can I do, let me know, and that’s when I said to him, I have these minis (miniature horses).” said Lomelo. “I said, ‘my son and his friends, they’re active military, and enjoy interacting with the horses so much. You have a few hundred members, right here, and right down the block from me, I said, would you want to come and bring some of the veterans? He said, ‘that’s such a great idea.’ He said, ‘I can’t believe I never thought of that myself.’ I said, ‘you don’t need any knowledge in the horse world, I know some people want to come and interact with the horses, you still have to be careful.'”
Ponies for Patriots and Pint Size Therapy has a Facebook page and they’re currently in the process of developing a website. There is an obstacle course for the minis, and a sand track is in the process of being built. Lomelo and the On Top of the World Veterans Association seem like the perfect fit. Pint Size therapy isn’t just restricted to the Lomelo’s Ocala-base, she and miniature horses will be traveling around to visit those who may not have the ability to come to the farm.
“We really just hit it off (the Lomelos and Calhoun),” said Lomelo. “I said, I would love to be involved, if I could open up my world to your world, let’s do it. It was like a perfect little marriage. I would like it to be a little bit bigger. Right now, I only have the two minis. When he (Calhoun) does come down he’ll bring a couple of people at a time, which is perfect, I would like to keep it very manageable. We’d like to expand, maybe get a couple more, and do it a couple of days a week.”