Mini horse delights passenger on American Airlines flight
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That’s one way to get on your high horse.
Travelers on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Omaha last week had a real tale of “whoa!” when one of their fellow passengers was a miniature horse.
The mini-mare, named Flirty, got the OK to board as a service animal, and others on the flight were hoofing a ball with the mane attraction.
Flirty was photographed by several other passengers, and even posed with the pilots.
“Just your typical crew with one amazing passenger,” a caption posted on the airline’s “AA Stews” Instragram page.
Flirty’s owner, Abrea Hensley, documented the trip on social media — where the horse has its own following on Instagram and Twitter — but she said she probably wouldn’t flyagain with the pint-sized pony.
“It was a great experience and I learned a lot,” she tweeted on @FlirtyTheSH. “Flirty was FANTASTIC and handled it all like a pro. That being said, I’m going to keep traveling by car, it’s just easier on Flirty. Flying will be reserved for emergencies and such.”
She added, “Flirty couldn’t help jostling seat of the person in the last row of first class every time she moved.”
Flirty is 7 years old and previously worked as a show pony, but now helps Hensley with medical alerts and mobility assistance, according to a recent Omaha.com report.
She is also housebroken, her owner says.
“If she needs to go to the bathroom and we’re at a store she starts stomping her feet to let me know that we need to take a break and go outside,” Hensley told an NBC affiliate in 2017.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Flirty can use an airliner’s lavatory.
American Airlines allows horses, as well as dogs and cats, aboard its flights as service animals, as long as they are clean, well behaved, don’t block the aisles — and don’t eat from tray tables.
The US Department of Transportation recently reapproved miniature horses for planes in its most recent ruling on the animals.
The decision came earlier this month following a year of deliberations over how to regulate service and emotional-support animals on flights.
Travelers have tried to bring aboard all sorts of animals in recent years — from peacocks to pet pigs — with mixed results.
In July, a flight attendant needed stitches after being bitten by a support dog.
And a 2014 flight to LA was grounded after a service dog relieved himself multiple times in the aisle — causing some people on board to throw up.
Additional reporting by Lauren Steussy