Ohio City Fights Appeal in Service Horse Case

The city of Blue Ash, Ohio, has asked an appeals court to uphold a lower court’s decision relative to a child’s use of a Miniature Horse as a service animal.
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The city of Blue Ash, Ohio, has asked an appeals court to uphold a lower court's decision relative to a child's use of a Miniature Horse as a service animal.

In February, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Housing Opportunities Made Equal,(HOME), along with Ingrid Anderson, filed a federal lawsuit against Blue Ash on grounds that the city violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by classifying as livestock the Miniature Horse belonging to Anderson's daughter. Under ADA rules, a trained service horse can be used as an alternative to service dogs in situations where the use of equines would be appropriate. Anderson's 13-year-old daughter has multiple illnesses and uses the animal to get exercise and spend time outdoors, a HOME representative said in February, and the horse is a trained service animal and responds to the girl's voice commands.

In response to the original lawsuit, Emily Schaffer, Blue Ash's public relations coordinator, said Anderson had previously failed to dispute the findings of the city council and a Hamilton County Municipal Court denying the Miniature Horse service animal status. In addition, the city had received numerous complaints that horse posed a direct threat to neighbors' health and safety, she said.

In July, Judge Timothy Black of the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio Western Division, dismissed Anderson's case against Blue Ash. Anderson is appealing Black's decision to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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