Miniature horse joins BART passengers in adorable commute

A miniature horse named Sweets was seen riding BART on Tuesday afternoon. A miniature horse named Sweets was seen riding BART on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Louis Rodrigues , @rodrlou Via Twitter Photo: Louis Rodrigues , @rodrlou Via Twitter Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Miniature horse joins BART passengers in adorable commute 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

BART passengers were joined by perhaps one of the cutest commuters the transit agency has seen as of late: a miniature horse named Sweets.

Alameda resident Louis Rodrigues said he first saw the animal when he embarked on a train at 12th Street in Oakland. "From there, I looked on in amazement as this pony rode the train to Montgomery, of all places."

Reactions from other passengers ranged from a mix of surprise to laughter, Rodrigues said. While the expressions worn by most BART commuters are stereotypically stony-faced, a few cracked a smile upon seeing Sweets.

“Just when you think you’ve seen it all on BART, there’s a pony,” Rodrigues said.

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Only in the Bay Area. photo by Erin Kelly. pic.twitter.com/rnPIIhfX8b — Amal Hasan (@AmalKPIX) November 5, 2019

It wasn’t a pure act of horseplay, however. BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost told SFGATE the miniature horse is a service animal. Sweets and her owner arrived at Rockridge station earlier this afternoon and showed her official paperwork to the station agent. The staffer then consulted supervisors who called the legal department for advice on the matter.

Likely to the delight of many, Sweets and her owner were allowed to enter.

“Less delays, more equines, please,” one commuter responded.

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MADE MY DAY! So cuuuttttteeee!

Is it bring your miniature horse on BART day? pic.twitter.com/dx0Zs9Q5Dm — C Fairy Fay (@cfairyfay) November 5, 2019

Under the Department of Transportation Americans with Disabilities Act, Trost explained, transit entities are required to permit service animals to accompany individuals with disabilities in vehicles and facilities. Currently, the language of the law defines a “service animal” as “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.”

“A large animal in the BART system comes with certain challenges and we plan to further investigate interpretations of the law when it comes to large animals,” Trost said.

Amanda Bartlett is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: amanda.bartlett@sfchronicle.com | Twitter: @byabartlett