AIKEN, S.C. — An Aiken nonprofit called the Leg Up Experience is giving people who spend their days caring for others, including first responders, a day with horses meant to help them deal with the toll of trauma.
The group works with partner agencies to bring in small groups for a single session. Members of the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office took part recently, getting a break from work that can be risky and emotionally heavy.
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Each day opens with teaching and safety rules, then time with smaller horses and drills that build up to working with a horse in a round pen. The focus is on groundwork and learning to read and talk to the animal, not riding.
The organization says groups run four to six people. It is a 501(c)(3) charity, and class fees are currently $600 per person, which donors can cover.
Its founder says she has more than 30 years of experience sharing horses with people, starting with therapeutic riding, and she started the nonprofit on her own property with horses she already owned.
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