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A WORKHORSE FOR CHARITY : Handsome the miniature horse rings a bell, among other things, for the Salvation Army
SCOTT STEEPLETON, NEWS-PRESS CITY EDITOR
December 4, 2009 6:28 AM
Collecting donations at this time of year is serious business for the Salvation Army. After all, bills and coins dropped in those familiar red kettles help the faith-based organization help the needy year-round.
But for one Salvation Army Bellringer, it's all horseplay.
Just ask Peggy Hogan, who will be at the Vons store in Carpinteria on Saturday helping to fill a kettle with a most unique sidekick, a miniature horse she calls Handsome.
To be classified a miniature, a horse must stand no taller than 34 inches at the base of the neck. Handsome is 33 1/2 inches.
The 7-year-old dances, rolls over and shakes hands -- make that hooves. The horse, one of four minis at Ms. Hogan's place, can honk a horn and dunk a basketball, albeit through a less-than-regulation-height hoop.
And like others who give their time to the Salvation Army at the holidays, Handsome can ring a bell.
This will be the horse's fourth time raising money.
Handsome got to this point by way of a training ethic that Ms. Hogan equates to B.F. Skinner's behavioral training. In the case of the full-size and miniature horses under Ms. Hogan's care, behavior is reinforced by way of a hand-held clicker she sets off when they do something she wants them to do and food she gives them after the behavior.
"It's how they train Shamu," said Ms. Hogan, referring to the killer whales of Sea World fame. "You can't make Shamu jump through a hoop. Shamu jumps because he wants to. That training, or positive reinforcement, is what I do. They earn their reward doing something that I'm teaching them to do by continually rewarding their efforts."
The name of her business, The Best Whisper is a Click, reflects her style of training.
"Horses still are pretty much considered farm implements or sport utility vehicles or big dogs with saddles," said Ms. Hogan. "They're pretty much asked to do things to avoid pressure. In other words, 'If you don't stop, you're going to feel the pressure of the bit. If you don't do this, you're going to feel a little spur.' "
But there are no spurs, no bits, no whips in this barn.
Clicker training, says Ms. Hogan, takes horse whispering to a different level.
Whether she takes Handsome on a walk in the neighborhood or appears with the horse at an expo, they draw a crowd. And when it's bell-ringing time, she added, people can't help but give to the cause.
"The people's faces just light up. They put money in that bucket because it's just so darn cute."
Saturday's appearance at Vons, 850 Linden Ave., starts at 1:30 p.m. Ms. Hogan said she's also been cleared for other times during the week.
A horse with a bell is one example of the offbeat things people do for the Salvation Army, said Captain Philip Smith, who transferred to the Santa Barbara Corps from Salinas in July.
"Animals may be as common as other specialty kinds of volunteer help that comes our way," he said.
"We have music groups, people who stand on their heads or juggle balls, or have some other unique twist to their volunteering," Captain Smith said. "In San Francisco, I saw some of that kind of stuff."
e-mail: ssteepleton [at] newspress [dot] com
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Handsome the miniature horse will be a Salvation Army Bellringer 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Vons, 850 Linden Ave. in Carpinteria. Peggy Hogan will also bring the horse to the store at other times next week. For times and more information on clicker training for horses, go to www.thebestwhisperisaclick.com.
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