Horses bring smiles to Good Samaritan residents in Windom

WINDOM, M.N. (Dakota News Now) - During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people had to find new ways to connect, whether through drive-by parades or window visits. In Windom, Minnesota, a tradition that started during the pandemic continues to this day.

For the residents at the Good Samaritan Society in Windom, Thursday is by far the best day of the week.

“So everybody eats really fast on Thursday afternoons because they know the horses are coming right after lunch,” said activities director Lindsey O’Brien.

Each week, several horses take a stroll across the street for a visit.

“We line up, we kind of bring the horses though like a big parade and we all get to see them, they’re dressed up in different costumes every week,” O’Brien explained.

“They always are so friendly to you,” said resident Sandy Thompson. “They come over and you can pet them and they’ll maybe lick your hand and hope you have something good for them to eat.”

The visits bring lots of smiles each week.

“We have these horses and our goal is to bring joy and happiness to people, so that’s exactly what we do by bringing the horses over here,” said Damon Weinandtwith Reinbows Inc. of Windom.

Reinbows Inc. is a non-profit that just so happens to be right next door.

“So we started doing this during covid, so it started by us bringing the horses over and going around all the buildings to all the windows and the horses would look into the windows,” Weinandt said.

As the pandemic waned, the visits got more interactive.

“He was being so nice, the horse was, so I gave him a kiss on the nose,” said resident Dolores Bohning.

A weekly reminder that there’s joy in the little things.

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