Students can pet miniature horses outside of Library West on Thursday.
The event, Miniature Therapy Horse Magic, will be part of UF’s semesterly finals relaxation week. The week started Monday with two therapy dogs outside the library.
From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., dozens of UF students stopped by to pet Riley, a 7-year-old black Labrador retriever, and Fara, a 7-year-old golden retriever.
The dogs, which are from the organization Love on a Leash, are therapy dogs that visit schools, nursing homes, hospitals and almost any place they are invited to, said Sherrilyn Pasternak, a Love on a Leash volunteer.
Riley, who visited UF for the first time, laid down on the walkway in front of the library as students pet and took photos of him.
“He’s not going anywhere as long as people are petting him,” Pasternak said.
Sarah Hock, a UF history and political science junior, helped organize the events for finals relaxation week. She said they wanted to bring horses this semester because she saw them at an event held by UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center.
She said she liked the idea of bringing them before finals, the 20-year-old said. There will be two miniature horses on Thursday. One is a baby, and the other is an adult.
“They will both be outside for a little bit and then the adult-size one will go up in the library, but the baby gets tired so he’ll be out here for a while,” Hock said.
Fara, a 7-year-old golden retriever from Love on a Leash, was one of two dogs who visited students outside Library West during finals relaxation week.
