A "very bright light" came into the lives of the senior citizens at Friendship Villas at La Cholla recently.

And that light clopped along on eight hooves.

The assisted-living facility on North La Cholla Boulevard got a visit on July 20 from two miniature horses, Lillie and Dolly.

In addition to taking their horses to nursing homes and hospices, the Oracle-based nonprofit Little Hooves & Big Hearts helps children with special needs as well as those with other physical conditions.

"They are a very bright light," said self-professed "Army brat" C.J. Knutson, 88, who lives at the facility with her husband, Bruce, 90.

"Our association with horses goes back to the horses in the (U.S.) cavalry," Knutson said.

Her husband rode when he was in the ROTC program at the University of Arizona before World War II, and her father used horses to move cannons.

He also was a polo player.

"I used to ride a lot.  I miss riding — I miss the atmosphere of being around horses," she said.

It seemed to be a common sentiment at the facility.

Weeks ahead of the horses' arrival, residents recalled their experiences with horses, said Caroline Wilford, the facility's owner and manager.

"They have been anticipating this for weeks," she said.  "It also lets them tell their experiences with horses after they (the miniature horses) are gone.

It's very healing — therapeutic — for them."

The people at Little Hooves & Big Hearts encouraged residents to tell horse or pet stories during the visit, she said.

The visits help bridge the age gap between staff and residents, Wilford said.

Patty and Fred Green of Scottsdale founded Little Hooves & Big Hearts in 2007, said Tammy Mockbee, its executive director.

"They have subsidized the operation to date, but in the future they hope to rely more heavily on tax-deductible donations to the charity," she said.

Mockbee became involved because she "had the resources and knowledge with horses and I knew how to work with people."

The group uses 10 specially trained miniature horses, six of which belong to Little Hooves and the remainder to Mockbee, to help people gain self-confidence, lessen feelings of loneliness and dependency and provide a sense of comfort.

The organization travels with its horses to Tucson and the surrounding area but prefers to work at its Oracle facility "because we have so much more to offer here," Mockbee said.  "We are able to work in our arena where the horses are comfortable and are in their element."

Miniature horses have the same behavior and characteristics as regular-sized horses.

"Every individual horse is a mirror to people's energy," Mockbee said — if a person has high or low energy, horses will respond in kind.

"Horses are not judgmental," she said.  "Horses don't lie — there's no reason."

Grooming, petting or observing horses or driving a horsedrawn cart can have a positive effect on people, Mockbee said.

"Grooming is very relaxing; it gives people a sense of calmness," she said.

For people with physical disabilities, the sensations of touch and smell and the joy of being part of something make them feel good, said Amy Armour, who assists Mockbee at Little Hooves.

"They are involved, which is more fulfilling than just observing," Armour said.

Driving a cart, Armour said, "gives people with disabilities the experience of movement and freedom because they have the ability to determine where they want to go.  They are not confined any longer."