Incorporated in 2011, Hoof and Harness began accepting students thru the Therapeutic Riding Academy of Knoxville, (TRAK). This facility relocated in 2014 and we then moved to our new facility, located in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee.
David and Beth Nelson, founders, lead and guide the organization, receiving referrals from area schools, doctors, therapists and parents who have seen the benefits of our program. Both founders are certified Carriage Driver Instructors through SpiritHorse International, based in Corinth Texas. We have witnessed the power of physical interaction with horses to enhance quality of life with our students. We have watched the delight on the faces of our students as they experience the sheer joy of touching our horses and even witnessed a 24 year old student speak her first word from the carriage.
Mission Statement:
The objective statement of Hoof and Harness Experiential Learning, Inc. is to promote and enhance the quality of life experiences for physically, emotionally and mentally challenged individuals through safe and effective physical interaction with equines. We achieve our objective by providing Equine Assisted Learning to include horse grooming instruction, literacy and cart driving lessons, plus we provide trauma informed Equine Assisted Therapy.
Cowboy Carnival 2026
We will be kicking off the 2026 lesson season at Hoof and Harness with our eighth annual fundraiser – Cowboy Carnival! In conjunction with Citizens National Bank, H&H is excited to present an immersive farm experience that! Check out the video at the bottom of the page for a taste of what to expect! We would love for you and your family to experience the “Cowboy Carnival” Saturday April 18, 2025, 11:00am-3:00pm (opening ceremonies start at 11:15 and gate opens at 10:45). This is a fantastic event for families! You will be able to...
read moreGIVING TUESDAY 2025
Hoof & Harness provides safe and effective Equine Assisted Learning to physically, emotionally and mentally challenged individuals in East Tennessee. This year students worked with our four experienced lesson horses to complete 880 personalized therapy sessions in our program. Each week, 50 volunteers give their time, talent, humor and love to each student in our program. Throughout 2025, we’ve also offered 200 mental health sessions — at no charge — to our individuals. Since forming in 2011, Hoof and Harness has provided nearly...
read moreLessons in Full Swing
Our program year is rolling thanks to all your donations and all our wonderful volunteers. Our therapeutic carriage driving program is seeing great success this year! We are so proud of our students! “Bear” is pictured here with one of our students and one of our volunteers. Bear is one of our main therapy horses and he’s having a great summer in our program! As always, many thanks to everyone for their continued...
read moreCowboy Carnival 2025
We will be kicking off the 2025 lesson season at Hoof and Harness with our seventh annual fundraiser – Cowboy Carnival! In conjunction with Citizens National Bank, Coca-Cola, P4 Physical Therapy, Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, Mossy Creek Mercantile and Outdoor Power Plus. H&H is excited to present an immersive farm experience that promises to be the best yet! Check out the video at the bottom of the page for a taste of what to expect! We would love for you and your family to experience the “Cowboy Carnival” Saturday April 12, 2025,...
read moreTHANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We had a large ask this week for Giving Tuesday and thanks to your generosity we were able to meet and exceed our fundraising goal! Thank you for your support once again! As a reminder, students and their families are never charged for our services. Our program simply wouldn’t exist without your support. We have given over 9,000 comprehensive lessons over the last decade that include therapeutic carriage driving, literacy training, sensory integration and social and cognitive development. Thank you for your...
read moreGIVING TUESDAY 2024
Last year your Giving Tuesday donations helped us raise over $10,000 to sponsor student lessons for the year! This is our 10 year anniversary of providing therapeutic carriage driving, literacy training, sensory integration and social and cognitive development. 10 years, six horses, over 50 volunteers, 40 students per week. To date our program has provided over 9,000 individualized lessons, all funded entirely by donations. We are a no charge, donation only facility. All our services are provided free of charge to our students and their...
read moreCOWBOY CARNIVAL 2024
We will be kicking off the 2024 season at Hoof and Harness with our sixth annual fundraiser – Cowboy Carnival! In conjunction with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, H&H is excited to present an immersive farm experience that promises to be bigger and better than ever! We would love for you and your family to experience the “Cowboy Carnival” Saturday April 13, 2024, 11:00am-3:00pm (opening ceremonies start at 11:15 and gate opens at 10:45). This is a fantastic event for families! You will be able to park and walk around the...
read moreTHANK YOU
We had a large ask this week – $5,000 to fund equine therapy for four students for the year. Thanks to your generosity we not only met our fundraising goal, we exceeded it! Your contributions raised over $5,100 this week. With our matching grant of $5,000 we brought in over $10,000 – all thanks to you! As a reminder, students and their families are never charged for our services. We are funded solely by donations and couldn’t exist without your help. Thank you for your giving spirit this year. You funded many...
read moreGIVING TUESDAY 2023
Last year your Giving Tuesday donations helped us secure funding for the initial construction phase of our trauma focused therapy building! We plan to add regular therapy sessions to our program as soon as possible. The building is in place, walls and windows are up! We’re getting close thanks to you! To date our program has provided over 8,400 individualized lessons, all funded entirely by donations. We are a no charge, donation only facility. All our services are provided free of charge to our students and their families. Our goal is...
read moreCOWBOY CARNIVAL 2023
We will be kicking off the 2023 season at Hoof and Harness with our fifth annual fundraiser – Cowboy Carnival! In conjunction with Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial, H&H is excited to present an immersive farm experience that promises to be bigger and better than ever! We would love for you and your family to experience the “Cowboy Carnival” Saturday April 15, 2023, 11:00am-2:00pm (opening ceremonies start at 11:15 and gate opens at 10:45). This is a fantastic event for families! You will be able to park and walk around the...
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