TIL Service Ponies are a thing and welcome at CP

Being a city dweller I had never heard of this, but I suppose it makes sense. On occasion I have seen guests with service dogs at a park but never a pony.

Has anyone ever seen a service pony at CP or any other amusement park?

I WANT A PONY!

Saddle up, my scooter is not charged, I need my service pony to ride me around the park.

OK, here is the (un)practical side...

Who would be cleaning up after said pony? Not quite so easy to pick up as a dog. The little blue bags that attach to a leash just aren't going to work. Not to mention they will pee gallons at a time.

Just curious as to how that would be handled. And would CP (or anywhere public) be required to provide a space for the animals to relieve themselves? Just wondering what the guidelines are.

Seriously? If I were in charge of a park I would let people file a lawsuit against me before I let a "service pony" in the park. If there actually is a thing as a service pony than this world is seriously f'ed up.

Well Pete you will be distressed to know, "A relief area is located in the Marina near the Human Resources Office. "

I learn something new every day.

Miniature horses get OK to be service animals

Guide Horse Foundation

Forget about a horse - I need an elephant to guide me around. A horse just isn't good enough. Who gets to draw the line as to what type of animal is acceptable? I'm with Pete - this is messed up.

I have witnessed a service pony in Magic Kingdom......on more than one occasion.

Once when I was at the casino I ran into an old friend (ex co-worker, actually) who is hearing impaired and had her tiny, white, fluffy dog with her. I bent over to say hello to that sweet thing and my friend pulled her back and said "no pets, please, she's working." Sure enough she was a uniformed service dog. I was a little embarrassed, as I already know the rules, but at the same time I wanted to say "aw, c'MON!"

But not to judge. Service animals can do everything from providing physical assistance, to visual and audible cues, to emotional support. (I'm going with that last one, as I could often use emotional support at the casino...)
So I suppose a pony, of all things, could easily fulfill those roles too. For some reason I think of autistic customers who might rely on the support of a horse to stave off anxiety or other related issues. Otherwise, it's a new one on me.

So having said that, I STILL WANT A PONY!!!

Not intending to re-hash old discussions, but the question came up last year in another thread about whether it was wise to permit service dogs access into the haunted houses during Halloweekends. Points and counter-points were made and I can truthfully understand and respect both sides of that discussion. But I gotta draw the line on a pony! LOL!

The owner is responsible for cleaning up after the animal. Service ponies wear an excrement collector that can be emptied into any trash receptacle. The ADA has broad guidelines as to what constitutes a service animal. Some airports are now building animal relief areas for service animals.

I have seen a service monkey on an airplane. The passenger was paraplegic and the monkey would retrieve anything that was dropped. It was also trained to turn off/on lights and the TV.

I want a service monkey. Sir, what service does your monkey provide? He fetches my beer!

I need a Service Emperor Monkey

Lash said:
The owner is responsible for cleaning up after the animal. Service ponies wear an excrement collector that can be emptied into any trash receptacle.

Great, now there will be horse **** (poop) in the Frontier Town trash cans. I guess they won't have to worry about giving the area a realistic smell. No wonder I like to drink.

Kind of off topic, but last season I had a dream that I was working in camp snoopy, and a guest insisted on telling me her service pig could ride camp bus with her.

The frontier trail already smells like a barn why not frontier town as well.

Pete said:

Great, now there will be horse **** (poop) in the Frontier Town trash cans. I guess they won't have to worry about giving the area a realistic smell. No wonder I like to drink.

You haven't been in Frontiertown yet this season?

Frontiertown is the one place where you DON'T need to worry about horse fuvg in the trash cans. All of the trash cans in Frontiertown have been replaced; the new cans are sealed, self contained, solar powered automatic compactors. As a bonus, each one has a foot pedal to open the chute, which is built like the door on a mailbox. So even if someone spilled his service pony's waste bag in the chute, you still don't have to touch it to throw away your lunch wrappers.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Of course I've seen this trash cans Dave. My comment was meant to be humor about the ridiculous thought of having service ponies in the park. Though on further thought, they would actually fit right in on the midway in Frontier Town and Trail.

samosuband said:

Kind of off topic, but last season I had a dream that I was working in camp snoopy, and a guest insisted on telling me her service pig could ride camp bus with her.

Was the pigs name Arnold Ziffel?

As long as I can utilize the 'Service Camel' from the barnyard, I don't care if someone else has pigs or ponies.