Animal Therapy on a Large Scale : Camarillo: A pair of rare horses visit senior citizens who are participating in an adult day-care program.

His eyes shaded by a straw sombrero, 93-year-old Strohm Lippert squinted into the afternoon sun at a pair of magnificent Camarillo White Horses and remembered his days as an Oklahoma farmer.

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“We had several horses around the farm. We used some as workhorses, the others for riding,” Lippert said. “We never had anything this fancy, though. These are fine animals.”

In what might be called large-scale animal therapy, about a dozen senior citizens got an up-close look at two rare steeds Tuesday on a lawn next to the offices of the Camarillo Health Care District.

The pair of powerful white horses--a dazzling combination of the breeding of Morgan and Arabian bloodlines--gently followed the seniors around the courtyard in a mini-parade of decorated wheelchairs and walkers.

Clients of “Club Camarillo,” an adult day-care service provided by the district, seemed thrilled to have a look at the horses, which have appeared in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade for the last several years.

“We find that many clients come right out of their shells when we bring animals in,” said Jane Rozanski, the health care district’s executive director. “Normally, however, we do dogs and cats. This is a first, using animals this large.”

Resplendent in his custom-made sterling-silver tack, Diablo nosed around the courtyard looking for tender shoots of grass as owner Priscilla Stuart-Galgas--sporting a red, Spanish-style sequined riding dress--told the assembled seniors about the history of the breed.

“We thought it would be nice to share the beauty and the history of our animals,” said Stuart-Galgas, who was joined by fellow Camarillo White owner Nadine Webb of Ojai, who had Paloma in tow.

“People see them on television during the Tournament of Roses parade and at other events, but they don’t often get a chance to see them up close,” Stuart-Galgas said.

Judy Aronson, who owns two of the horses, said Camarillo patriarch Adolfo Camarillo created the breed by pairing a prized white Arabian stallion named Sultan with Morgan mares.

The effect of the union produced a horse similar in size and color to Sultan, but which had the calmer attributes of the Morgans. The hybrid was found by Camarillo to be perfect for parades, fiestas and other public events, Aronson said.

Camarillo raised the horses from the mid-1920s, making them a nationally known breed. However, following the deaths of Camarillo and later his daughter, Carmen, the horses were auctioned off to the public in 1987.

Two years later, Stuart-Galgas, Webb and others banded together to buy and raise the large horses. To better promote their heritage, the group formed an association in 1992.

Shig Yabu, co-coordinator of the adult day-care program, said he believed that the prized animals had a positive effect on his clients, whose average age is about 75.

“We had a mini-Rose Parade today,” Yabu said. “This is so good for them--their eyes just lit up when the horses walked across the courtyard.”