Mattapoisett Woman of the Year:
Helping Hands and Hooves’ is Julie Craig’s special mission
By John Garcia, Contributing writer | SouthCoast Today
Julie Craig is the 2015 Mattapoisett Woman of the Year. JOHN GARCIA/Standard-Times special
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MATTAPOISETT — Julie Craig has had a special connection to horses her entire life. “They’re very peaceful, they’re very kind,” she said. “As I’m older now I realize how healing they can be to many different people.”
Craig has harnessed that healing power to help those with developmental disabilities, offering therapeutic riding lessons to children and providing that same service to adults free of charge as the co-founder of Helping Hands and Hooves.
That commitment to healing has led to her being named as The Standard-Times’ 2015 Mattapoisett Woman of the Year.
A former competitive rider and engineer, Craig shifted her focus to offering riding lessons at her farm after giving birth to her oldest son Ian 16 years ago.
Craig said she witnessed firsthand the impact therapeutic riding could have through her interactions with Ian, who had been diagnosed with non-verbal autism, and her friend Debbie Dyson’s brother Brendan, who had also been diagnosed with autism.
While giving Brendan riding lessons, Craig and Dyson noticed the impact the lessons had on his confidence, physical abilities, and social skills. “Obviously it’s good for his self esteem, his confidence, his strength. Physically it’s helped him become stronger through his core and his legs,” she said.
Inspired by Brendan’s success, Craig and Dyson founded Helping Hands and Hooves 10 years ago, offering lessons free of charge so that they would be accessible to adults who would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience therapeutic riding. “We were realizing there’s a lot of adults who would benefit who wouldn’t even be considered for other programs because they only take children,” she said.
Students ride on Craig’s 15-year-old horse Teddy, whom she described as “intuitive” and “patient.” “A therapeutic riding horse has to be a very special horse,” she said. Craig noted that many of her students, including Brendan, have gone on to compete in the Special Olympics.
“It’s so great to see these people, they come, they’ve been working for this, they’re all dressed and they all get out there and compete in a healthy manner,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite days of the year, every year.”
Lessons are adjusted for each individual student’s comfort and ability levels, she said.
“I’ve had students who are non-verbal and when they get on the horse they start singing, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “For them, it’s not about learning how to ride, it’s more about the experience of just relaxing and being able to sing.”
Dyson praised Craig’s compassion for both people and animals. “Julie is the most down-to-earth, honest, loyal, genuine person I’ve ever met,” she said. “She is an exceptional human being.”
Craig noted that the success of Helping Hands and Hooves could not have been achieved without the support and generosity of her neighbors and the entire Mattapoisett community.
She shared the story of a sixth-grade student who had cracked open a piggy bank she had owned since birth and donated a portion of it to the organization.
“You just wouldn’t believe the outpouring of kindness and generosity from this entire community,” she said.
Anyone interested in donating to Helping Hands and Hooves or receiving futher information can visit helpinghandsandhooves.org or call 508-758-7517.
