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Dogs, cats, miniature horses still allowed on Southwest Airlines flights

Fly, fly Li'l Sebastian!

Southwest Airlines just announced an update of its service animal policy that goes into effect on September 17. The “most common service animals” will still be able to fly, including dog, cats, and miniature horses.

It might seem odd that a miniature horse would be considered a service animal and it’s certainly rare that a horse would fly on a plane with a passenger (if you have pictures, please email us), but the Americans with Disabilities Act actually created a provision in 2010 that allowed miniature horses to be considered service animals as long as these four criteria are met:

1. Whether the horse is housebroken.

2. Whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control

3. Whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight.

4. Whether the miniature horse’s presence will compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.

It’s hard to believe that any horse could match this criteria but as long as a passenger have a current letter from a licensed health professional and give credible verbal assurance that the horse is a trained service animal, there’s still a chance that you might see a miniature horse on the plane if you’re flying Southwest.

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