ACTHA Monthly December 2015 | Page 36

ACTHA Charity of the Month

ACTHA Monthly | 36

because it takes him on a journey that he may not otherwise experience as a person with a disability. It is less about this student’s diagnosis than is it about his specific needs and the skills he can accomplish; skills that may be imperceptible to those who are able-bodied but mean so much to a person with disabilities, regardless of age or the severity of the disability. Perhaps the accomplishment is to use the reins to steer through a cones course or to learn that saying “gee” tells the horse to turn right; perhaps the objective is simply sensory or environmental – to calmly experience the movement and breeze as the horse-drawn carriage trots around the arena. It is an experience that promotes self-esteem and confidence and, most importantly, happiness. This is the magic of carriage driving for the disabled.

Montoya family

Catherine Koon Photography

experience by fitting helmets and practicing commands or hand movements. Each participant is escorted into the arena to first greet his or her volunteer team, but the greatest excitement is in greeting the horse. Prince, a 1900-pound draft horse driving the wheelchair-accessible carriage, turns and lowers his head a scratch on the nose. As his student is situated in the carriage, Prince attentively listens to whatever verbal or physical commands his student can achieve, interpreting his student’s needs and the skills that will be learned today. This student, like most, prefers “come up” versus “whoa” severity of the disability. Perhaps the accomplishment is to use the reins to steer through a cones course or to learn that saying “gee” tells the horse to turn right; perhaps the objective is simply sensory or environmental – to calmly experience the movement and breeze as the horse-drawn carriage trots around the arena. It is an experience that promotes self-esteem and confidence and, most importantly, happiness. This is the magic of carriage driving for the disabled.