HILLSBORO, Ore. — When she met DJ, Marcia Perrolle carefully extended her right hand through a blue gate, palm down.
DJ, a miniature horse, gently nuzzled the top of her hand.
Perrolle loved it.
“I got a lot of kisses,” said Perrolle, a resident of The Springs at Sherwood senior living community who visited VFM Miniature Horse Farm on a group outing in October.
It was Perrolle’s first close encounter with a horse in decades.
“I got thrown off a horse in my late 20s and broke my back,” she said. “This is a much better experience.”
4-H youths lead the way
Amy Hindman, DJ’s owner and a member of the Mini Express 4-H Club, introduced Perrolle to the horse while helping lead the tour. Fellow club members Amber Hansen and Emma Baker answered visitors’ questions ranging from how much the horses eat to whether they could take one home.
“Horses can be therapeutic. And the miniatures are perfect because they’re gentle and approachable.”
The 4-H youths wore purple Mini Express shirts and hoodies featuring a rearing miniature horse. The 4-H Youth Development Program is part of the Oregon State University Extension Service and serves nearly 25,000 youths statewide.
After the tour, visitors sat along the edge of the arena as 4-H members led horses past, offering each person another chance to pet them. Perrolle received more kisses. Bob Vance, who uses a wheelchair, leaned forward to pet a horse named Snickers, smiling broadly.
The youths also demonstrated skills such as navigating an obstacle course with the horses.
A farm open to the community
VFM Miniature Horse Farm is owned by Linda and Gerald Van Fleet and their daughter, Katie Hansen. Linda Van Fleet hosts Mini Express 4-H Club meetings at the farm, where youths work with their horses on driving, jumping, showmanship, halter and obstacle skills.
The Van Fleets have welcomed community groups to the farm for several years.
“I don’t know how people find out about us, but they do,” Van Fleet said.
She credits some of the interest to the Mini Express club’s visibility at the Washington County Fair.
The family acquired its first miniature horse 30 years ago — Frolic, who arrived in the back of a Toyota pickup. Today, the farm is home to 27 horses, including Pickle, a world champion that earned titles in 2019, 2020 and 2023 at the American Miniature Horse Association World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas.
Several of the horses at the farm are owned by Mini Express 4-H club members.
A therapeutic connection
The farm hosts visitors ranging from preschoolers to seniors, including groups of adults and children with special needs.
“One year we had a group of people living with Alzheimer’s disease,” Van Fleet said. “As they were leaving, a caregiver told me, ‘I’ve never heard that woman speak before.’ But she was talking to me.”
Miniature horses are known for their calm, social nature — part of what makes visits so meaningful.
“Horses can be therapeutic,” Van Fleet said. “And the miniatures are perfect because they’re gentle and approachable.”
Previously titled 4-H’ers lead tour of miniature horse farm to the delight of visiting seniors
