Mini Extraordinaire! That is how GTR Patricks Vindicator is best described by his friends and fans. Not only does he have a following of over 30,000 fans on Facebook and Instagram, he truly shows that miniature horses are so much more than a cute face. He's a show horse and can jump 4 foot verticals, he's an equine ambassador for the American Miniature breed, and he's a registered therapy horse.

GTR Patricks Vindicator (Patrick), a miniature horse gelding registered with the American Miniature Horse Association (AMHA) and the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR), started showing with his owner Sarah Schaaf in 2002, when Sarah was only five years old and Patrick was just eight. He is well known and highly regarded by top miniature horse trainers, owners, and breeders across the world. But it is more than his show career that has earned Patrick such high regard and respect.

Since 2008, Patrick and Sarah have been exhibiting in breed demonstrations and performances across the state of Kentucky. He is a star at events such as the CP National Horse Show, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event,Keeneland, Churchill Downs, the Secretariat Festival as the official mascot, Breyerfest and the Kentucky Horse Park Horses of the World Show, where he draws crowds by the thousands. Patrick is friendly and placid enough to introduce newcomers to the world of horses, many of whom are afraid of large horses or have never had the opportunity to meet a horse in real-life. His versatility and gentleness appeals to people of all ages, and nationalities.

In 2014, Patrick and Sarah embraced new challenges as a therapy team. Patrick visits schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and therapeutic programs. Seeing him come out of the elevator brings a smile to not only the patients, but hospital employees as well.

Most of the patients at the Kindred Healthcare Clinic where Patrick and Sarah visit regularly will never be able to leave the hospital again, and many are non-verbal. Sarah said, "When a large smile crept across the face of a man who is in the deep grips of ALS and paralyzed from the neck down, I realized that it is our duty to brighten his day, and that Patrick was his bright spot. This is why we visit patients--to be able to see a smile on the face of a person who has nothing to smile about."

Through his heroic therapy work and promotion of the miniature horse breed, Patrick has inspired thousands of people to reach for their dreams with their miniature horses, and shown that Minis may be small in size but they have the heart and talent to rise to any task.