FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Who/What is Penelope?
-Penelope is a 38 inch miniature horse. She is 11 years old and became a therapy horse 5 years ago.  The Beers’ family rescued her almost 10 years ago. She now resides at Everything Little Farm. She enjoys visiting children, sick and elderly in order to brighten their day and giving her a purpose.  She is certified through Pet Partners and goes through her recertification every other year.

Does she live in a barn?
Yes, She  lives at Everything Little Farm with her 8 pony siblings.

What Happens if she Poops?
-She wears a horse diaper.  If her tail lifts then the bag opens to catch the manure. 

Can we bring food to feed her?
-Unfortunately not. If one person feeds her then she is going to be looking for food at every person she visits. It makes interacting with her much harder.

How Does she Travel?
-While we do have a horse trailer, Penelope’s preferred way of travel is in the family mini van. She thinks that the music blaring and AC or heat is much more enjoyable then standing in a box trailer. She especially enjoys driving up to the Starbucks drive-thru and making the Barista’s day.

What does a visit consist of?
-See “How a visit works”

Can I schedule a visit?
-See the “Schedule a Visit Page” We are located outside of Doylestown, Pa and while we would love to visit everyone, we try to limit our visits to 30-45 min from our farm.

Where have you been in the past?
-We have been to Shriner’s Hospital, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in NJ, many local nursing homes,  children in the Central Bucks School District’s multiple handicapped classroom and Autistic support classrooms, Wood School in Langhorne, as well as many other schools and events.
How do I qualify to be visited by Penelope?
-Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Schools/classrooms for children with Autism, Multiple Handicaps and other special needs. If you do not qualify we can still come visit your camp or school program, there is just a charge involved.

Can you come visit my child at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania)
-While we have tried very hard to come there, at this time CHOP does not allow mini horses onto their campus. I am not sure if the same goes for the Ronald McDonald houses.

I Need her Shot Records, Certification Documents, Proof of insurance etc. Is that Possible?
-Yes, not a problem. Just ask and I can fax it over to you. 

Does it cost money?
-The visits through Penelope’s Helping Hooves does not cost any money, however if you have it in your budget then we always appreciate a donation. Typically we have to take off of work to make the visits so every donation helps. All money is tax deductible as we are a non profit 501 3c

How Can I make a donation?
-You can make a donation through this website, or if you prefer to donate with a check then I can email you our address. All donations are tax deductible. Any donation of $25 or more and you will be given a canvas autographed by Penelope.

. . .an Autograph by Penelope?!?!
-Yes, we put ink on the bottom of Penelope’s Hoof and she places her hoof down on a canvas.

What do you do with grant money/donations?
-As of right now, we use the money to visit as many locations as possible, taking off of work, travel expenses, etc. We use the money for promotional purposes as well. Ideally we would like to use the money to expand and create an Amish cart that Penelope would pull that would be handicap accessible for children/adults that are wheelchair bound.

How can I help? Can I Volunteer?
-Donations are always a huge help, however we also greatly appreciate the donation of people’s services. Whether that means helping to run a fundraiser, donating a raffle for the fundraiser, etc.

Can I come visit her at her home?
-Sure! Schedule a visit with us. While our home visits are not part of Penelope’s Helping Hooves, you can check out Everything Little Farm and see what we are up to there!

Can I ride Penelope?
-When we bring Penelope on therapy visits, it is mainly a meet and greet type of situation. You can also use brushes to interact with her. There is no riding of Penelope when we do this sort of visit, however small children at our farm do ride her.

Does Penelope pull a cart?
-Yes! Penelope does drive. She pulls an amish buggy . Sometimes during our visits, we bring the cart and the children/adults can sit in it with their aid. We have given rides to children who are wheelchair bound and we put them in the cart and they are overjoyed at feeling the movement underneath them.