Trace Davis waved with his left hand, then with his right. Guided by several volunteers with the Horses Offering People Encouragement therapeutic riding program, Trace slowly rode and directed his horse, Sam, to the next cone station inside the fenced-in arena at Short Farm in the Goldridge community.

Trace will be 10 years old this Fourth of July. He is one of several individuals with special needs who receives therapy through the H.O.P.E. program.

Trace’s parents are Kenneth and Tammy Harden of Vinemont. They said they first heard about the H.O.P.E. program through Cullman’s autism network.

“He wasn’t even supposed to be alive right now,” Kenneth said. “Now he’s able to get out and do things like this- it’s hard to explain how it feels.”

“It makes me want to cry. I actually did cry,” Tammy said.

Trace suffered from brain damage due to a shunt malfunction shortly after he was born. The malfunction was misdiagnosed as the flu, and the damage put him in a wheelchair, Kenneth said.

“When they put him on the horse, he sat up just like he’d always been on there. I think it’s going to strengthen his back muscles, and possibly he’s going to be able to get back on his cane someday,” Kenneth said.

For now, Tammy said, “he is loving it.”

The H.O.P.E. program was first started in 2007. As it prepares to move to a location on Convent Road in Cullman, it is looking to expand.

H.O.P.E. is now accepting applications for volunteers to help the program aid those with special needs.

Kerri Roberts is the executive director of H.O.P.E. She said that there are a number of roles that can be filled at H.O.P.E.

“If they want to do a lesson, we do mock lessons … so they can get comfortable,” Roberts said. “If they want to do administrative stuff, we can put them on office chores.”

There is also a need for volunteers to help do groundskeeping at the new site, as H.O.P.E. begins building trails and its arena.

The time commitment is at least two hours, one day a week, for an hour-long lesson, Roberts said. Volunteers are required to complete orientation, and most do on-the-job training before officially starting.

The new H.O.P.E. barn is currently under construction on Convent Road in Cullman. There will be an increasing need for volunteer help once the site is ready, Roberts said, likely by the end of August.

Those interested may visit hopehorses.org to find the application forms, which must be printed out and mailed to P. O. Box 625, Cullman, Alabama 35056. For more information, please call  256-615-1001 or e-mail HOPE@hopehorses.org.