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Hoof and Harness offers free lessons to people with special needs

The weekly program in Jefferson County features Therapeutic Carriage Driving

There's something about interacting with a horse that is soothing and even therapeutic.

That's the idea behind a new horsemanship discipline for people with special needs. In Jefferson County, a couple offers the program for free.

"We just feel like we were supposed to serve. We feel like that was what we were called to do. We were called to serve," Beth Nelson said.

They are serving with their program: Hoof and Harness. Beth and David Nelson started it four years ago with a miniature horse named Silver.

Horses of different sizes pull carts or carriages. Students use a two wheel easy entry cart or a wheelchair accessible carriage. It's an unusual type of horsemanship called Therapeutic Carriage Driving.

"Most of our students would never be on the back of a horse but they will ride in a cart and in a carriage," Beth said.

Vickie Parks is one of those students who uses a carriage with a wheelchair lift. She always loved horses but as her physical disability progressed her ability to ride disappeared.

"To do it in a cart is pretty different. I know how to do the reins and stuff," she said.

Beth explained, "I am in the cart with them all the time. They have a disengaged set of reins. That's how they learn all the voice commands, the hand motions, and all the instructional activities that it takes to be able to do therapeutic carriage driving."

It's a tool to build confidence and build relationships with the horses and the volunteers.

Each students is paired with a buddy, usually the same person every week, and some volunteers walk along the track with the carriage.

The horses seem to connect with the drivers and recognize their voices.

"We work on their hand eye motor skills. We work on their voice commands and we actually have students who drive independently after many, many, many lessons," Beth said. "It's thrilling. It's thrilling. Right now I have about eight advanced independent drivers.It took me four years with one student but she is now driving on her own. It's a beautiful sight. It's beautiful."

Jonathan Bodine is one of the students who drives by himself.

"I'm supposed to stay whoa and it means stop. So the horse knows that. Yeah," he said.

Hoof and Harness Experiential Learning is free to all the participants so it depends on donations. Right now 10 people are waiting to join.

Seventy percent of the students are male so they need more strong men to volunteer to be buddies.

"You do not have to have any horse experience to be here. You just need to be able to love on kids and students," Beth said.

They are students who love horses.

The weekly lessons include not only carriage driving but also horse grooming and hands-on puzzles and games.

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