Adaptive Carriage Driving can offer students with physical, mental, sensory, or emotional disabilities the rewards of interaction and control of a horse or pony while driving from a carriage seat or in their own wheelchair in a carriage modified to accommodate their wheelchair.
Adaptive Carriage Driving
Benefits of Adaptive Carriage Driving:
- Learning motor operational skills and planning movements in advance, which could transfer to learning to drive a car
- Improves core strength/trunk control and posture
- Encourages development of bilateral movement, body awareness, and spatial orientation
- Development of independence and increased self-esteem
- Learning cause and effect relationships
- Improves coordination, fine and gross motor skills
- Improves verbal/non-verbal communication skills
- Development of sequencing skills
- Following directions
- Team building
- Speech initiation
- Social skills
- Training for competition
To learn more about this program, please reach out to our Client Program Coordinator, Kelly Alcock at KellyAlcock@EquestCenter.org
What is Adaptive Carriage Driving?
Carriage Driving is a fast-growing sport becoming increasingly recognized for its therapeutic value with large draft horses pulling big carriages down to miniature horses pulling small carts. Carriage driving gives participants a riding alternative, opening up the world of horses to those who may be unable to ride due to weight, balance, fatigue, allergies, asthma, fear of heights, the inability to sit astride, or other issues. It also provides the student with a unique movement experience.
Adaptive Driving offers a unique set of skills and benefits by providing the student with a distinct range of movements and a vast set of motor-sensory experiences. This program is about imparting knowledge of safety, horses, harnessing, and driving skills to children and adults using teamwork. In addition to therapeutic lessons, drivers with a disability who are interested in competing are welcome at traditional carriage driving competitions, such as pleasure driving and combined driving events, where they compete on an equal footing with able-bodied competitors.
The carriage driving program will be run in the indoor arena, outdoor arena, and on the 1 mile+ long Saddle Safari Sensory Trail at Equest Center. This specially designed trail has many avenues to choose from that are enhanced with beautiful foliage, creeks, ponds, fields and one-of-a kind sensory stations.
