Saw on the news there was a miniature horse on an American Airlines flight. It was classified as a Service Animal - named "Flirty". Pictures showed it in the passenger section.

Would you rent to FLIRTY?

That's very interesting! I always wondered how airlines were getting around the law by basically saying "dogs only" when miniature horses are clearly allowed as Service Animals.

I guess they didn't follow their "dogs only" "rule" and instead followed the law.

This is good for us. These sorts of crazy things will hopefully make more people go "Seriously? You have to allow a HORSE??" (Because, yes, as landlords, we have to accept a horse if the person otherwise qualifies.)

On a side note, NE flat out stating that he wouldn't rent to a Service Animal horse violates federal law. But, hey, who cares? heh. :)

- John...

NE: While I agree with you in theory, I'm not going to be the guinea pig landlord that goes to federal court over "drawing a line" that violates current federal law. Someone else can fight that one for me. If it is you, then more power to you! I have better things to do with my time and money...

Ken: My GUESS is that the federal law would trump the local law and a Service Animal would not be classified as "livestock" in that situation. But, I'd like to see it too! :)

JKJ: It is a tricky situation. Horses as SAs are rare, but they do exist and are legit. My understanding would be that the application would need to cover all costs of any renovations/stable/whatever needed -- and the property would need to support it. So, yes, I think a hardship situation would apply in many multi-family and other properties.

NE: My advice is just telling people what the law says because so many here seem to "forget" it regularly.

I don't know what you mean by "most of it will never come to fruition." It's already law. It exists and has already come to fruition. It's not like I'm predicting some weird possible future or something.

- John...

Law or not, It'll never come to fruition means that if we play our cards right, we'll never have to deal with the nonsense.

Work arounds John, work arounds.

I guess we're stuck with them until a service animal kills someone on the plane. If the horse didn't take to flight, imagine the damage it could do kicking and bucking. It could even kick out a window and depressurize the cabin.

I'm gonna start bringing my pet, err I mean emotional support rattlesnake on my next flight.

Ken: The horse that we're referring to here actually weighs only 135 pounds! Quite a bit smaller than your dog! :) I think a lot of people are making assumptions about how big it is. Sure, 135 pounds is big -- but this is a TINY horse. :)

Landlord of the Flies: There are people much stronger than this horse. If the horse could depressurize the plane (which I have my doubts about), then a dangerous human could too.

Nellie: This horse is not an Emotional Support Animal or a "Comfort" Animal. It is a Service Animal trained to perform tasks. The owner says that it doesn't poop in "public" most of the time. As for where, it fits in front of the first row by the bulkhead -- or between the 1st class and economy seats for planes that do a 1st Class section. As for what it does, this one helps her balance when walking (which a dog probably couldn't do) as well as some other more minor things (IMO).

For those asking WHY a horse instead of a dog -- the main benefit is that horses live 3-4 times as long as a dog, so they can be trained and used for half a person's lifetime. For dogs, they (unfortunately) do not live nearly as long -- and you therefore need to train new ones each time.

- John...

Also, before I get accused of siding too much with the wrong side of things... I want to say that, personally, I think miniature horses being Service Animals is still a stretch. I'm not convinced that they can really be trained to "perform a task" in a way that I think should qualify as a "Service Animal."

This horse, for example, has the following "tasks" that it is "trained" for: 1. Help her balance when walking (maybe she needs a cane??); 2. Remind her to take her meds (um, it's called a watch -- and you can get a Smart one with an app that will tell you exactly what to take and when!); 3. "helps with her anxiety" (a very vague way to put what is really an Emotional Support Animal thing).

So, I personally think that this may be a bunch of horse-crap. It looks like an ESA to me that she has managed to elevate to "Service Animal" under a stretch.

But, again, that's the federal law. It specifically includes miniature horses under the ADA (and therefore under the laws that apply to airlines and landlords). I think this was a screw-up from the start, but it's still the law. :(

- John...

JKJ I now understand why the miniature horse is still included as a service animal. Anyone who has seen a horse pee and poo knows that it is the UNCLEAN animal. So this is all about religion. What other demands will be given in to?

A few years back,a town in the next county had to deal with one of the first "Seeing Eye" miniature horses. They determined that the owner could keep it in the small suburban back yard, as long as they fenced it, and keep the droppings cleaned up. A few months later, the owner tried to convince the town that the miniature horse needed a companion - another miniature horse - as they are herd animals. (Right, so what would the companion mini horse do while the other one was working? Would the owner then need three total?)

Fortunately for the neighbors, the town successfully nixed the equine ESA!

Alan, to answer your question, YES. I would rent the farm to Flirty's owner and they could use the barn and all, for a small fee of coarse.

Ken, I love ST Bernards