Mini Horse Plays Basketball, Makes Therapy Visits, Has Bullying Prevention Program

St. Petersburg, Florida, July 23, 2015 (Newswire.com) -  What has four legs, shoots hoops with the Harlem Globetrotters, teaches bullying prevention with law enforcement, has appeared on national TV, visits children in the hospital and residents in nursing homes, and has hair that women swoon over?

LeBron? Fabio? No. It’s Amos the Wonder Horse, a miniature horse who’s certainly lived up to his name.  At only three feet tall and 14 years old, Amos came from humble beginnings. His owner, Shelly Mizrahi, discovered him on Craigslist, living in a remote pasture. Mizrahi, a former public relations professional and longtime equestrian, purchased him to do pony parties for a new business but soon realized he had much more to offer.

She decided to teach him a few tricks. Mizrahi drew on knowledge gained as a former zoo director, training exotic birds for a bird show. Amos surprised her when he learned his first trick, basketball, in only three 15-minute sessions.

“Horses are “fight or flight” creatures. They either flee from what they’re afraid of or turn to fight it,” Mizrahi says. “Horses can be scared of toys and learning tricks. As herd animals, they turn to their owners as the leader of their herd to guide them through what may be scary to them. Amos wanted to learn.”

To help promote her party business, she created Amos’ own Facebook and Twitter accounts where followers could hear it “straight from the horse’s mouth.”  Mizrahi pitched a story to local media during the NBA lockout about a basketball-playing pony. The story went viral and soon the world famous Harlem Globetrotters were calling.

In the meantime, Amos began volunteering, visiting children and adults with developmental disabilities and senior citizens in nursing facilities. On his first visit inside a building, he walked right in and up to a child’s bed, where he gently placed his head. He was a natural.

Within two years, Mizrahi returned to St. Petersburg and launched her business doing pony parties and animal assisted therapy visits to local nursing homes. It was at a party where she had a chance encounter with a high school student who told her how she was bullied and had a gun pulled on her. Mizrahi says she was shocked and knew she had to do something.

Amos had already worked for two years with the Harlem Globetrotters who had made him an honorary goodwill ambassador to the team for his community work. He had made dozens of media appearances with players and visited hundreds of school children, helping to teach the team’s anti-bullying initiative.

Mizrahi approached the St. Petersburg Police Department with the idea of using the benefits of animal-assisted activities and partnering with law enforcement, thinking it was a natural fit since the department had a mounted equine unit.  “Just Say Whoa™ to Bullying” was born.

 “We’re pleased with this program,” says Lt. Carl Watts, who worked with Mizrahi to bring the program to fruition. “Not only does Amos help teach about bullying, this is often the first time kids are meeting a police officer. It gives them an excellent first impression and helps us foster trust between officer and child.”

Since its first presentation in January 2014, Amos and his police officer partner have made over 100 presentations at area schools in front of nearly 9,500 students. Other law enforcement agencies  - and teachers – across the country have noticed and are calling.  Mizrahi plans to offer the program to law enforcement and kids’ programs across the country. 

But it seems that with all his accolades and accomplishments, the person he may have helped the most is Mizrahi herself, who recently underwent surgery and treatment for breast cancer. With some of her work being physical and the other half requiring her to always wear a smile, it was hard for her to bounce back. It was at her lowest that her pony pal stepped up to help her. 

Mizrahi hopes to grow her business large enough to get Amos a new friend to accompany him on his visits and perhaps lighten his workload. In the meantime, she is grateful for what she says is the opportunity to combine her passion and knowledge of horses with her skills.

“Working with Amos has given me the chance to give back to my community in a unique way. Everywhere we go, people smile and are happy to see Amos. I couldn’t have a better job.”

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Amos has been featured in National Geographic Kids Magazine, as well as one of their books. He has made in studio appearances on the Today Show, Sabado Gigante, Daytime, and other media affiliates. He is the first equine allowed to make visits to All Children’s Hospital, a Johns Hopkins facility in St. Petersburg, Florida.  He visits hundreds of residents in nursing homes, ALFs and memory care units each month and visits schools as a volunteer with the St. Petersburg Police Department. In his spare time, he plays the piano and the xylophone, does a puzzle and practices his beanbag and ring toss skills. He posts to his own Facebook page, where fans from around the world follow his antics and hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.  Despite his busy schedule, he still has time to roll in the mud, sleep in the sun, and plan his career as a movie star.

Shelly Mizrahi resides in St. Petersburg with her family and considers this her second act. She credits Amos for everything they do and often refers to herself as “just his driver, cook, and upstairs maid”, even though he lives in a one-story stall. She finds all his skills amazing, especially that he answers all his own fan mail on Facebook, particularly since he has no thumbs.
 

Sources

Eric Nemeth – Senior Director Publicity, Harlem Globetrotters (609) 770-3615

Lt. Carl Watts – St. Petersburg Police Department (727) 422-3565

Joey Mingione - Administrator, The Springs – (727) 828-3500

Connie Maddox – Activities Coordinator, Bon Secours - 727-563-9733 

Videos available upon request or see YouTube - Amos the Wonder Horse