ESCONDIDO — For the last eight months, a uniquely smart miniature horse has been learning the moves to several popular line dances to the surprise and delight of her owner.
Laura Van Eyck has had Gigi, a 5-year-old mini horse, as one of her service animals for the past four years. However, it wasn’t until last November that she discovered Gigi’s hidden talent: performing the Electric Slide. What began as a joke quickly showcased Gigi’s impressive dance skills.
As a service animal, Gigi follows and supports Van Eyck, who has mobility issues due to a multiple myeloma diagnosis. Van Eyck trained Gigi and her other two miniature horses, Zorro and Kiya, to pick up anything she dropped and place it right back into her hands.
According to her owner, Gigi stands out from the other two because of her intelligence and willingness to work with Van Eyck easily.
“Gigi likes a challenge,” Van Eyck said. “She’s really, really, really smart, and we have to keep challenging her or else she gets kind of unhappy.”
Once she realized Gigi could dance, she continued to teach the mini horse more line dances. Now, Gigi can do the Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Hustle, and Boot Scootin’ Boogie.
According to Van Eyck, the more challenging the dance, the more Gigi likes it. Her favorite is the Hustle, while the Cupid Shuffle seems to bore her a bit. Van Eyck also added an extra spin in the Boot Scootin’ Boogie dance to keep Gigi interested.
“She does this because she wants to, not because I make her,” Van Eyck said.
Van Eyck receives additional help teaching Gigi new dance moves from Rachel Dunford, who lives nearby, and Jennifer Hutchinson of San Marcos. The two originally teamed up to get their daughters some volunteer experience with horses. Now, more than three years later, they still lend a hand – and now some footwork as well.
Gigi is in the process of learning original choreography for the song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. Van Eyck intends to have Gigi dance to the song with survivors of cancer, domestic violence, and other hardships.
“It’s about having hope, and I think it would be really meaningful for them to dance with her,” she said.
According to Dancing Gigi’s website, the group hopes to educate the public on the long-term commitment to owning a miniature horse and why it’s important to understand this commitment before purchasing one.
“Miniature horses can live into their 40s,” the website states. “They are a long-term commitment, and the more you work with them, the more amazing they become.”
Van Eyck doesn’t want to see her horses or any others end up in a slaughterhouse like many other horses whose owners couldn’t handle the responsibility.
“There are a lot of beautiful animals out there that get abandoned… so we’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said.
Van Eyck also hopes to raise funds through Dancing Gigi to take care of her mini horses before her cancer, which is incurable, eventually ends her life.
To learn more about Dancing Gigi, visit dancinggigi.com. Events will be posted soon. To inquire about a visit, email [email protected] or [email protected].
