OT power of a horse

Sorry so long but I just had to share this. As some of you already know I am the driving instructor at a farm that offers ridig and driving lessons for therapy and education to people with special needs. We have a group of teenagers from the special ed class at a local school that have been coming for the spring for riding. There was one young man who refused to participate. In anything. He preferred to wear his hoody sweatshirt and hide himself in it with his head down, declaring everything "stupid" and "a waste of time". His teachers bargained with him to get him to do anything.

One of the volunteers working with us is the man who bought the driving horse and leases him to the program for us to use, as his daughter is one of my students. John has been taking driving lessons as well so he can drive with his daughter. John suggested we try to get "Tom" to drive. We started first 2 weeks ago just getting him in to cart without a horse hooked. Then last week I showed up and instead of asking/bargaining with him to try line driving the horse I just asked him to come over while I was line driving him and give me a hand. When he came over I handed him the reins and off we went before he knew what happened. We walked around for a little bit and then I asked him if he wanted to continue. He didn't so I let him be done. I didn't hold out much hope for getting him to do anything this week.

This week I hooked up the horse and John and I went to collect "Tom" He was having nothing to do with it, though he did come outside. As his teacher was trying to convince him I finally asked him why. Why didn't he want to do it? He called the horse stupid and said he didn't like any animals. I asked him what he did like and told him I had heard he liked four wheelers. I told him if it was action he liked come watch me go up the hill with the horse. I then let the horse rip up the short hill we have, something he and I don't ususally get to do. Still not convinced he said he would try it if his teacher did so she got in and went around the barn with me to "Tom's" amusement..

When it came to be his turn he declared he wasn't going to get in with HER (meaning me) Luckily John had been taking those driving lessons so we switched spots and "Tom" got in with John for one turn. The others tried to talk him into going further but I said, "no, a deal's a deal so you can get out." Then I told him I was glad he didn't want to go further and jog because that would mean I would have to run alongside. John and I pulled away and I told John to take the horse around the barn one more time at a jog and i would run alongside, complaining the whole time, of course.

We stopped again to give "Tom" another opportunity, he declined. So we went to unhook. We had only started when "Tom" came down and said he changed his mind, got in the cart with John, and proceeded to learn how to steer, stop and go fast. When we were done and "Tom" went to sit back down I told him I had a lot of other work to do and would he do me a favor and help John unharness the horse and he jumped right up to his teacher's amazment. He spent the rest of the time with John and Skye the horse.

But the best part is before they sat down to lunch the other kids were giving apples to the horses they had ridden. When they sat down to have lunch "Tom" discovered an apple in his brown bag. An apple he insisted on walking all the way out to where Skye had been turned out so that he could give it to him. You know, a stupid horse. And I watched them walk out together, "Tom" with his shoulders a little straighter and his head held a little higher and John walking on cloud nine.