(ABC 6 News) – Munchkin is a miniature horse and he’s the newest therapy animal at Mayo Clinic. Munchkin experiences dwarfism, making him a little smaller than traditional miniature horses, but he doesn’t let that slow him down.

His handler, Amanda Peters, says she saw something quite special in munchkin a few years ago and they thought he would be perfect for the kids at Mayo Clinic.

“So he’s been doing this kind of therapy work since 2017, but just started at the Mayo Clinic on September 25th,” said Peters.

Munchkin is already impacting patients and staff.

“We get lots and lots of smiles, lots of people saying it made their day. Lots of people very surprised that they’re seeing a horse,” said Peters

It was a very special day for munchkin today because he officially got his Mayo Clinic badge.