Committee lays over bill to expand equine therapy program for first responders

A Minnesota House committee laid over House File 261, a measure that would expand a pilot program providing equine-assisted clinical therapy to more categories of first responders, after testimony from program staff, a participant and multiple lawmakers.

The bill, introduced by Representative Kosnick, would extend eligibility beyond active police and firefighters to include active and retired police officers, full-time and volunteer firefighters, ambulance service personnel, 911 communicators and correctional officers. Representative Kosnick said the expanded eligibility builds on a pilot authorized two years ago and on reporting that shows a high retention rate among participants.

The program’s founder, Sally Mixon, testified that Abijah’s — the program she founded and operates at Canterbury Park — has a roughly 98 percent retention rate…