Healing With Horses has created history as Tobago’s first wheelchair-accessible park.
The park in Buccoo is already known as a tranquil space offering interaction with horses and other animals and is designed especially for relaxation, rejuvenation, and inclusion of the differently-abled.
Through a partnership with the Digicel Foundation, the park secured funding under the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme’s “Innovation Challenge for Persons with Disabilities.”
Digicel Foundation Project Manager Kwasi Cudjoe said it supported the initiative in keeping with its commitment to empowering persons with disabilities to thrive.
“But when you engage with them and you give them the opportunity, you see how expansive and creative, and the depth of their knowledge and their commitment and passion.”
Pathways throughout the park were not only paved but also beautifully painted.
A sensory area was also added, which will aid in developing crucial cognitive skills like memory, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Among some of the specially acquired equipment are specially made saddles which will allow the differently-abled to be able to ride the horses more easily.
Director of the Healing with Horses Foundation, Veronica Danza, said the saddles were crafted by a tradesman living with PTSD, who finds peace and purpose working quietly within the park.
“He did this work. He is a great tradesman, and I said, you know, I don’t really want to buy new saddles, let us improve our saddles, and he did an amazing job.”
Ms. Danza said the addition of other recently acquired equipment means that horses can meet people where they are and not just within the park.
“We have now a trailer, we have now a mounting ramp where we can bring the horses to the schools, to the homes, to the orphanages.”
THA Secretary of Community Development and Social Protection, Ian Pollard, endorsed the initiative, saying it reflects a commitment to ensuring every Tobagonian has the opportunity for a good quality of life.
“Development must be holistic and accessible to everyone. These projects validate the creativity and capability of individuals who are often overlooked in traditional innovation space.”
As part of the project, five young people were hired and trained to work with the differently-abled.