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Digby The Miniature Horse Is The UK’s First-Ever Guide Horse

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Assistance animals are a wonderful thing. They help people who need help live a normal, robust, everyday life by providing physical or emotional assistance. Plus, anyone who gets to see an assistance animal—usually a very smart breed of dog—gets to look at it, because cute animals are very fun to look at. (But not, as their little vests often say, to pet. One must never pet a service animal, because they are working.)

Mohammed Salim Patel is a journalist for the BBC. He’s also visually impaired (he calls himself “The Blind Journalist”) Patel requires the help of an assistance animal, but there’s a snag: He’s got a pretty bad fear of dogs.

“For me, having an assistance animal is something I gave up on,” the Blackburn-based reporter said. But he didn’t need to. He’s been cleared for, and received, the U.K.’s first ever guide horse.

“I’m very excited,” Patel said. “With Digby, and because of Digby, I can go where I want, when I want.”

And he should be excited, because get a good look at Digby. Digby isn’t a pony, he’s an American miniature horse. He stands two feet tall, and he’s only eight months old.

Enough with the words, and on to why you’re here: pictures of an adorable tiny horse.

https://twitter.com/JJRadioRadio/status/960759780372635648

Here’s Digby in action.

People on Twitter just loved this horse (of course).

https://twitter.com/jacquimorley/status/960454217113702401