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Get to Know Carmella…

  • Carmella is a miniature horse
  • Carmella stands 30″ tall & weights 250 pounds
  • Carmella is a registered member of the Delta Society’s Pet Partners program
  • Carmella loves to eat hay and grass and especially carrots
  • Carmella’s birthday is April 1, 2002
  • Carmella lives with her daughter, Scarlet

Carmella is on FaceBook!

Become a fan of Carmella and follow her on all her escapades at CTRC and around the community.

Mini Troopers Team Building

CTRC’s miniature horse, Carmella, and her daughter, Scarlet, are a part of our team building program for corporations and groups.  During these sessions, participants are given tasks with the horses that help them understand how to work better together as a team, and the importance of clear communication.  Carmella, is a registered member of the Delta Society’s Pet Partners program, which upholds standards of professionalism in the field of Animal Assisted Activities (AAA). Carmella has also been specially trained in the Parelli Savvy System, a method which “allows horse lovers at all levels and disciplines to achieve: success without force, partnership without dominance, teamwork without fear, willingness without intimidation, and harmony without coercion” (Parelli Natural Horsemanship, 2007).

Thank you to Carmella and Sue for many years of Mini Troopers education!

Carmella, is now in semi-retirement and we wish to thank all of you who helped with this program for many years, especially Sue Winthrop.  Our Mini Troopers program, launched in 2006, used Carmella to facilitate the well-being of special needs populations who benefited from experiencing the human-animal bond. This service was designed to educate our community while providing human-animal contact for children and adults resulting in a multitude of documented benefits. The Delta Society (2007) reports that Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), like CTRC’s Mini Trooper service, may provide the following benefits to adults and children: empathy building, outward focus, nurturing skills, rapport building, acceptance, entertainment, socialization, mental stimulation, physical contact and touch, physiological benefits, and feelings of meaning in connection to the physical world.

“On behalf of our organization, I would like to thank you for bringing Carmella to meet and interact with some of the children we serve at our office in Lafayette. Carmella offered not only entertainment, but also a truly healing presence to many children who are in the midst of so much chaos. I witnessed her amazing ability to open up pathways to both self-awareness and hope.” – Marisol R., Spanish Bilingual Tri-City Woman’s Counselor, Safehouse Progressive Alliance for NonViolence.

“We had so much fun! What a wonderful lesson, which will be great to refer to when we’re having a little trouble reading body language and understanding social cues. We would love to come back soon, and I’ll be in touch as we work on the upcoming schedule. Thank you so much!” – Shanna W., Honeyman Services

“I hope that your program continues to flourish, and continues to impact lives in ways that are indescribable. Thank you for all that you did with our members and we will be sure to come back!” – Claire G., Drop-In Center Associate, Community Connections