Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
It's a (horse) party.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- It's not every day that two miniature horses walk in to ArchCare Senior Life in St. George, but when they do, they draw a crowd.
More than a dozen seniors gathered at the North Shore site to partake in the first-ever miniature horses therapy event. The animals, named Aiden and Pearl, made rounds across the room as participants gave them kisses and pet them.
"A lot of the people here grew up riding horses," said Lauren Abate, an employee of ArchCare. "We wanted to do something that would make them smile."
(Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
There's no casual way to bring a horse into a building.
The event, sponsored by Mortgage Tech Home Finance, made an afternoon out of bringing these miniature horses to Staten Island. The animals came from out of state and stayed with the group for an hour and a half.
The organization typically has therapy events with dogs. This is the first time participants have interacted with miniature horses.
ArchCare Senior Living provides care for those who are 55 and older. The St. George site is mainly used for active exercises and social events. More information on ArchCare can be found at ArchCare.org.
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured are Diana Johnson, 84, with daughters Cindy and Gale. Johnson rode horses growing up and has won multiple ribbons in horseback riding. The therapy animals brought back "great memories," Johnson said. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Bringing back wholesome memories.
Diana Johnson, 84, was once a professional horseback rider and she never lost her love for animals. When she met Aiden and Pearl, she gasped with joy and tears began to form in her eyes.
"She's always had a way with animals," said Johnson's daughter, Cindy. "I think having these horses here bring back a lot of fond memories for her. I took off of work today to be here for her."
Keep scrolling to see more precious moments from the animal therapy event at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George.
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured is Pietro Mione petting the horse. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Here, horses Aiden and Pearl meet for a moment to "make sure the other is OK," handlers said. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured is Bessie Molodio with a horse. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured is Anna Timmons taking a selfie with a horse. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured is Sister Rita DeMasco petting a horse. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Pictured are Dan DePinto with family members Lori DePinto, Palma Shannon and Blaze Klein. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
Therapy horses comfort participants at ArchCare Senior Life in St. George on Feb. 19, 2019. Mortgage Tech sponsored the event. Pictured are representatives from the company. (Staten Island Advance/Victoria Priola)
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