Month: April 2026

By Cameron Polom

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — After surviving leukemia and undergoing a stem cell transplant, Allan Jones is now volunteering on the very same floor where he once fought for his life. Known by staff for his kindness during treatment, even handing out snow globes to nurses, Allan has returned to offer comfort and connection to patients facing the same diagnosis.

Now, he spends his time visiting rooms, sharing his experience, and offering something uniquely powerful: perspective from someone who’s been there. For patients like Marc Geyer, that connection can make all the difference, turning fear into hope and uncertainty into possibility.

Allan’s journey has come full circle, inspiring others not only through his words but through his presence, proving that sometimes the most meaningful support comes from those who truly understand.

In the video player above, ABC15’s Cameron Polom introduces us to the survivor turned volunteer, shows how he’s making an impact on the same unit that once cared for him, and highlights the growing need for volunteers who can help patients feel seen, supported, and encouraged.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Maggy Wolanske

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    NORTHGLENN, Colorado (KMGH) — There’s no denying that fans in the Mile High go all out to cheer for their Colorado teams. With both the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, one local hair salon is buzzing with excitement, literally shaving team logos and even Nuggets MVP “Joker” onto the back of customers’ heads.

Scissorhand Design Studio opened in 2015, with a priority of serving the community and giving confidence through unique hair designs and styles. TeJay Mora, also known as Scissorhands, said they have customers from all over, from Castle Rock to Fort Collins, but the majority come from the Northglenn and Westminster area.

He has been a barber for the past 17 years, carrying on his family’s roots in the hair industry.

“I never thought I would be a barber,” said Mora. “My mom’s a barber. My grandma was a [cosmetologist], so I kind of just followed in her footsteps, and now it’s great to see the legacy, because now that I’m doing it and have been doing it for a while, I see all my kids also in this industry, in this craft, doing what they do. It is a blessing, it is amazing.”

With several of Mora’s children working inside the salon, it is an opportunity for each of their talents to shine, and while not everyone is related by blood. Mora proudly calls all the employees part of his family, all best supporting each other.

“We’ll help each other out,” said Mora. “There are some people here that are strong in other areas, where there are other people with strengths in other areas, and we just come together, and we’re a big family here.”

Mora’s daughter introduced herself as ‘baby scissorhands,’ proudly incorporating her father’s nickname into her own. She has been braiding hair for several years and remembers coming to the salon from school and being put to work.

“It’s like the best thing ever. I mean, working with your family, you’re a big family, you kind of grow up and everybody has their different lives going on, but then you get to come to work every day, and you get to hang out together and play with hair,” baby scissorhands said.

On the walls, clients can spot posters from the Nuggets’ 2023 championship run. Now that the Nuggets are back in the playoffs, stylists are getting creative to bring some wild designs to life.

I will say the hardest thing about it, like a logo, is just keeping it proportionate and making sure everything is like it’s supposed to be,” Adrian Takhashi, one of the barbers, said.

Having one home team in the playoffs is exciting, but having two is even better. Anthony Oviedo, one of the barbers, was hard at work on an Avalanche logo, spraying the perfect shade of maroon and blue onto his client’s hair.

“I’m all about just kind of showing what I got,” said Oviedo. “I really want to show people what I can do on this show, and that Denver does have a lot of talent. Not just the teams, you know what I mean.”

If you want to have a special up-do for one of these playoff games, Mora said to call them ahead of time for an appointment or to check them out on social media.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Mike Castellucci

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    DENVER (KMGH) — The unexpected pelicans of Colorado hold a special meaning for an award-winning wildlife photographer.

Places like Sloan’s Lake are an oasis for wildlife, generally protected and left alone. While visitors on a morning walk might expect to see red-winged blackbirds or geese, they might have to squint to believe the white birds on the water are pelicans.

“I’d say, aren’t they by the ocean?” Mystica Flurry said.

Flurry is visiting from the California coast.

“I feel like I’ve seen them, but then I say, ‘Why, there’s no ocean?!'” Flurry said.

When it comes to capturing wildlife, Wendy Shattil is one of the world’s best. She’s won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, a global award.

“You can see the teeth marks from a beaver. It’s nice that the park leaves things like this because it’s very natural,” Shattil said.

Shattil and her husband, Bob Rosinski, started shooting pictures together 30 years ago. They clicked.

“We lived wildlife photography 24/7,” Shattil said. “The way we photographed together and our points of view, that was unique enough for us to pay the bills and be pretty comfortable in a field that is difficult to depend on for your income.”

One of their early shots stuck with both of them.

“[We] considered it the only dancing pelican in the world and so special that’s what our website was named after,” Shattil said.

When Denver7 found Shattil, we had already seen her work. What we didn’t know was how much what pelicans meant to her, until she took us to Cherry Creek Reservoir and a short walk to a bench.

“Every time I come to Cherry Creek I stop for a bit, ’cause it’s a nice place to stop anyway, so what the heck,” Shattil said. “This is Bob’s bench. One of his favorite places to shoot at Cherry Creek. It’s too long of a story to say why. We were together for 36 years and married a week.”

This is where Rosinski’s friends gathered for his memorial 11 years ago after he passed away from prostate cancer.

“He did not like going to the doctor,” Shattil said.

His bench has a plaque featuring their dancing pelican.

“It seemed quite appropriate to put his favorite pelican photo in part of it. It’s a happy pelican as well,” Shattil said.

Shattil can find pelicans in Colorado from lakes to reservoirs.

“I scouted this yesterday and check on the areas I expected them to be,” Shattil said. “They’re pretty lazy.”

But sometimes, stories change. In this case, it shifted from trying to find pelicans in Colorado to knowing where the most important one is for Shattil.

“I can guarantee we’ll see a pelican anytime of the year, because of the one on the bench,” Shattil said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMGH verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ethan Carlson

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    WESTMINSTER, Colorado (KMGH) — The City of Westminster is asking residents to help locate and report road damage during its third annual Pothole Palooza.

Street operations superintendent Brock Hufford is overseeing the event, relying on the watchful eyes of the people who live in the city to track down potholes before they become bigger issues.

“If you left a pothole alone, it’s going to keep growing and getting bigger and larger and cause more problems,” Hufford said. “Our goal is to get all the potholes filled so we’re caught up for the season to where we can put our efforts towards milling, paving streets, and other road maintenance that needs to happen.”

Westminster City Councilor Jack Johnson said the four-day pothole purge aims to save money by tackling the road damage from last winter all at once.

“We have bulk purchased the materials to fill all the potholes, so they’re saving in bulk purchasing,” Johnson said.

He also said a major goal of the event is to urge the residents of Westminster to report any and all potholes they come across.

“We get the calls here and there, especially if it’s in front of your driveway, but there are plenty of roads that people drive where they don’t even think about reporting it to the city,” Johnson said.

Residents have until Thursday, April 30 at 2 p.m. to report any potholes. Requests can be submitted online at Access Westminster or through the Access Westminster app for iPhone or Android. Every resident who reports a pothole will be nominated for a drawing to receive a personalized street sign from the City of Westminster.

The city’s goal is to fix potholes within 24 hours of being notified, long after Pothole Palooza ends.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things about being on council,” Johnson said. “People say… where it’s ‘I have a pothole’ or ‘I have a leak,’ or whatever it is… as a city and as a council, we’re able to just immediately respond to their needs.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMGH verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Pat Parris

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — What do Sonoita, Arizona, and Napa, California, have in common? A lot more than you might think.

Sonoita is one of the fastest-growing wine regions in the country, although it was once devoid of wineries.

“Wow, why (are) there no wineries in Arizona,” asked Lori Dutt-Reynolds, owner and winemaker of Sonoita Vineyards.

That is the same question her grandfather, Gordon Dutt asked more than 60 years ago.

A soil scientist at the University of Arizona, Dutt focused his research on growing wine grapes in the Four Corner states of the desert southwest. The results helped prove the soil is perfect for growing grapes.

“The Four Corner states all have wine industries because of grandpa,” said Dutt-Reynolds.

Her grandpa is often called the father of Arizona’s wine industry.

In 1973, Gordon Dutt’s research took him to Sonoita and the Babocomari Ranch.

“Grandpa came down here and took soil samples, and went back to the U of A to test them; and was blown away because it was a 99% match to Burgundy, France,” explained Dutt-Reynolds. “He was like, ‘No way!'”

Dutt and his partner Blake Brophy, planted an experimental vineyard in 1973 and it was a success.

They proved the nearly 5,000-foot elevation was suitable for growing grapes and that the nearly identical soil to Burgundy made for intense color and acidity.

“You get this beautiful essence to Arizona wine, especially in the Sonoita (American Viticultural Area), and that’s just the terroir we’re in; and it’s one hundred percent the soil,” Dutt-Reynolds said.

Terroir is a French word for soil, used to describe how the environment shapes wine.

In 1979, Gordon Dutt planted Arizona’s first commercial vineyard. By 1983, he opened the winery. Sonoita Vineyards produced 300 gallons of wine.

Today, Lori Dutt-Reynolds is the winemaker. She and her husband, Robi Reynolds, have roughly 25 acres of vines and produce more than 7,000 gallons of wine each year.

Lori continues the legacy of her grandfather at Arizona’s oldest vineyard.

“It was a passion and it was a love of wine that he had,” said Dutt-Reynolds. “He definitely instilled it in me. I love what I do. I love farming, I love making wine. Just like how I was brought up in the business; my kids are here and the business is, too. So, things have changed, but not a lot.”

They have not changed a lot at Sonoita Vineyards, but the industry in Arizona has changed.

According to a 2025 report, the wine industry generates nearly $5.68 billion in economic activity in the state.

A recent article by Wine Enthusiast Magazine is highlighting wineries in Sonoita, saying the area is vying to become the next Napa.

“It’s just bringing a lot of focus to a beautiful art that we have down here in Southern Arizona,” Dutt-Reynolds said.

She says there are now 24 tasting rooms in Sonoita. That includes Dos Cabazas WineWorks.

“What’s important in Arizona is to get up out of the heat,” said Todd Bostock.

As winemaker and owner of Dos Cabezas, Botock has vineyards in both Willcox and Sonoita.

“It has a spot that nothing else can fit,” explained Bostock. “It can play nicely with all of those other great wines from around the world, but ultimately it’s its own thing. What we do best they can’t do, and what they do best we can’t replicate.”

It would be hard to replicate what Dos Cabezas has done for the past 30 years. Bostock and his wife took over in 2006, moving the winery to Sonoita and opening Dos Cabezas WineWorks.

His operation produces some 5,000 cases of wine and sparkling wine each year. Bostock has watched the industry in Southern Arizona explode over the last 20-plus years, as the wines have matured as well.

“It may not be ours, but if you like wine, there’s a wine in Southern Arizona that you will like,” Bostock said. “Across the board, the quality is high and the wines are delicious.”

Bostock has the added advantage of having a memorable tasting room experience complete with wood-over pizzas. They use fresh Arizona-sourced ingredients, which pair well with his wines.

Like many of the Sonoita wineries, Dos Cabezas has been recognized both nationally and internationally. But Bostock says that doesn’t mean they’re standing still with his winery.

“Trying to move forward, tyring new things, learning, refining and just incrementally getting better.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Claire Graham

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — An essential part of the Tucson Police Department is working to solve a growing problem in a new way.

Zona, the electronics detection K9 and her handler have written a children’s book to help you talk to your kids about staying safe online.

Zona is trained to sniff out a chemical used in making electronics, and she’s become an extremely effective asset in helping the department find and arrest child predators.

“She looks for anything that can store transmit data, such as hard drives, cell phones, micro SD cards, hidden cameras, tracking devices, USB flash drives, you name it. If it can store data, she can find it,” explained Gayle Warren. She’s a digital forensic examiner with Tucson Police, and together the two of them mostly work with the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

Warren says all too often, they’re seeing kids trading inappropriate photos of themselves for online gaming money, not realizing how dangerous that can be.

“Wherever your kids are at, the predators are going,” Warren said. “They’re looking for kids. And so whether it’s Roblox or Minecraft, these kids are vulnerable.”

That’s why she’s using her unique position to do something.

“When I started doing this with Zona, I found we were able to go in and talk to kids and teens, and they want to meet this sweet dog, and they are all online. And I realized we can’t stop going online. we can’t take tell our kids, ‘Nope, you can’t go online. You can’t be on a digital device,'” Warren explained. “So how can we teach them to be safe?”

Now, the literary Zona is spreading the same message in their new children’s book, Zona’s Lab Report: The Birthday Suit Dispute.

In it, three girls find themselves talking to a predator online, who wants a photo in their “birthday suit.” They realize it’s wrong, but send one in a bathing suit. They later tell their parents and police. Zona actually finds the predator’s phone in a shoe, much like she has before in real life.

Through adorable illustrations and funny commentary from Zona, the book tackles layers of lessons. It also includes talking points, tips and questions for parents to get the conversation started.

“I want you to be the little girl in this story who says, ‘Oh, my mom says, “That’s not okay. Our bodies are private. They’re not meant to be shared.”‘ So we start talking to kids like, use your intuition. Start remember the Spidey senses, the hair on the back of the neck, the goosebumps, like something feels wrong.”

Much like Zona’s ability to bridge the gap as a therapy dog when needed, this book aims to do that for families, encouraging kids and parents to speak up.

“I want them to feel comfortable and confident to come to us, and I want parents to be brave,” said Warren. “While it’s hard content for parents to talk about, it’s like, how can I make it so you can be brave and have a conversation?”

That conversation could be the thing that someday protects them.

“For me personally, I would have been talking to my kids about this by age seven,” Warren said. “So I would do that all the way up through our pre-teens and early teens. Because obviously it’s a picture book, but the message is still super relevant for them and what they’re doing and what they’re looking at.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Sharon Phillips

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    OWASSO, Oklahoma (KJRH) — Massive bison are roaming just minutes from downtown Owasso at a ranch fighting to save an American icon that was nearly lost forever.

At Dynamite Bison Ranch on Mingo and 66th Street, Tilda Hensley is doing more than just raising livestock. She is helping save a species that once thundered across the Great Plains by the millions.

“A lot of people don’t realize that bison, they were almost extinct at one time and they were brought back with the few that remained they bred them with cattle and the few that remained, most of our herd is going to be 99% per bison,” Tilda Hensley said.

Today, Hensley’s herd represents hope for future generations. Spring brings new life to the ranch, and the owners said that in just a few months, the field will be full of “red dogs,” the nickname for baby bison.

“Hoping to have 90 head of calves this year and we got our first one in three days ago,” Hensley said. “Usually it takes them awhile to introduce them to the herd but she’s already brought hers out and we are excited about that.”

“They call them red dogs because they are born red and they’re little and they look like dogs… hopefully, in a few months, this whole field will be covered with red dogs,” Hensley said.

The ranch has become a weekend destination for curious onlookers, including one devoted elderly couple who make it their Sunday tradition.

“We get a lot of people,” Hensley said. “We are on Mingo and 66th street and on the weekends the street is just lined with cars, people pulled over on the side of the road just watching the bison.”

For Hensley, the ranch is about more than just the spectacle. It is a mission to preserve a piece of heritage for the next generation.

“We can help preserve something like I said that was almost extinct,” Hensley said. “We almost lost the privilege of being able to see these animals and here we are. We get to come out every day and care for them and make sure that the next generation is able to see this.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KJRH’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Rae Daniel

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — Two-year-old Hudson loves to play games with his sisters, Abigail and Evelyn, make silly faces and share a laugh that is contagious.

“He is one of the most curious kids that I’ve ever met,” Hudson’s mom, Hali Rauer said. “He does like his routines, but he wants to explore everything and anything.”

For Hudson, communication looks a bit different. He’s nonverbal and has level three autism.

“This is how he communicates,” Rauer said. “He is learning it quite a bit at Easterseals Midwest.”

Hudson uses his AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device to communicate.

“He has learned colors and his name and family so if he’s missing family members, he can tell us,” Rauer said. “Usually, it’s ‘momma’ to go home.”

It’s one of the reasons why Rauer and Hudson’s sister, 10-year-old Abigail, testified in support of the Purple Alert bill, to be a voice for Hudson.

“Danielle posted in a group saying ‘I’m looking for volunteers, anyone with kids with autism’ so I wanted to go there and be his voice until he’s able to use his own voice with the AAC.

It’s similar to an Amber Alert, however it’s specifically designed to identify missing people with developmental disabilities.

Throughout the hearing in February, many families who testified used the word, ‘elopement.’

“Elopement happens when their nervous system goes into flight mode,” Rauer said. “It can be out of nowhere. So they can be with you, be engaged and then all of the sudden, they are off to the races and you don’t know where they’re going, you don’t know what triggered it and so they can be lost. They don’t know who to turn to because they don’t know danger so they will run towards danger. They really love water, they’re just drawn to it, so if there’s any ponds or lakes or anything around, that’s usually where they’ll go first.”

It’s what Rauer experienced with her son just a few weeks ago.

“I was actually outside with him, playing with a basketball. He was engaged with me, we were just playing and then all of a sudden what I think is he heard a car, because one of his hyper fixations is spinning wheels, he loves them, and then all of the sudden his nervous system went into flight and I feel like they go a lot faster when they’re in the flight response,” Rauer said. “I ran after him, I was able to lunge and grabbed his arm, I fell. Head hit the concrete and I was knocked out and when I came to, he was standing next to me. He really liked the blood on my face, so when I tried to stand up it started going down my face and I got a little dizzy and I started calling for help, and luckily a neighbor came out and knew about Hudson, knew about autism, so she didn’t go and grab him , she just tried to redirect him to go up to the house so I could try and stop the bleeding.”

She said the feeling was terrifying.

“There were two possibilities,” she said. “He could’ve been in front of the car, and it could’ve been the worst day of my life or it could be the second worst day of my life, the car would’ve passed, he would’ve ran, kept running and I don’t know if I would’ve come to in time and it could’ve been just word of mouth, just trying to find him and he wouldn’t of had his words.”

Rauer said without his device, he has no words.

“He can’t say my mom’s looking for me, my dad’s looking for me, I have a family, this is my address, none of that is in his vocabulary,” Rauer said. “He is completely alone.”

“It scares me every single time he runs away,” Hudson’s sister, Abigail said.

She says it’s why she uses her voice, when her brother can’t.

“He can’t stick up for himself so I want to stick up for him whenever I can,” Abigail said.

“He can’t stick up for himself so I want to stick up for him whenever I can,” Abigail said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Amelia Mugavero

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    Texas (KTVT) — A 51-year-old North Texas man was killed when an EF-2 tornado tore through his family’s home over the weekend, leaving his wife and children injured and his daughter grappling with the sudden loss.

Juan Madrid, 51, was one of two people killed in Saturday’s storm in Runaway Bay. His daughter, Jackeline Madrid, said the family was inside their mobile home when the tornado hit.

“He’s gone. And I’m still in shock,” she said.

Jackeline Madrid described her father as playful and devoted, someone who was always there, even in the smallest moments.

“My dad was always playful… kind of annoying in the best way,” she said. “He’d come into my room just to bug me… and now I’d give anything to have that back. I’ll never have that again.”

She said the storm struck suddenly, lifting and flipping their home within seconds.

“Everything happened so fast… it felt like we were lifted and flipped,” she said. “I was trapped. I didn’t know what was on top of me… it was so heavy, and I just kept asking God to help us.”

In the chaos, she said she saw her father run to help her mother.

“I started calling for him… but I didn’t hear anything,” she said.

The family’s home, where they had lived for two decades, was reduced to debris. While searching through the wreckage, Jackeline Madrid said she found a small but meaningful reminder of her father.

“I found his hats, the ones he wore for fishing and for work,” she said. “I’m going to keep them.”

Jackeline Madrid said her father loved fishing and worked as a landscaper, but above all, he was devoted to his family.

“Anything I needed, I always had him… I didn’t have to worry,” she said.

Jackeline Madrid suffered a fracture and required stitches. Her mother sustained more serious injuries, and her younger brother remains hospitalized.

Despite the devastation, the family has received an outpouring of support from the community, something Jackeline Madrid said reflects who her father was.

“He always put others before himself. He loved helping people,” she said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Nick Lunemann

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — On a rainy spring day, residents from Friendship Village of Bloomington, Minnesota, spent time brushing, walking and connecting with horses as part of an equine-assisted therapy experience at Hold Your Horses.

The visit came ahead of Mental Health Awareness Month in May and focused on supporting emotional well-being through mindfulness, connection and hands-on interaction with animals.

For resident Karnie Moesenthin, the experience was calming.

“Calm and very, very happy, because it’s just so nice to be able to touch an animal,” Moesenthin said.

Moesenthin, who lives with Parkinson’s disease, said brushing the horses gave her a chance to do something she cannot easily do on her own.

“This is fun. It’s things that I can’t do on my own,” she said.

Hold Your Horses is a local nonprofit that provides therapy alongside horses and the natural world for people of all ages and abilities. Kenz Becco, its executive director, said the organization works with people navigating physical disabilities, trauma, grief, loss, major life transitions and other challenges.

Becco said horses can help people slow down and focus on the present moment.

“Being present, being grounded with the horses, letting the past be the past, letting the future be the future and just being in the moment,” Becco said.

According to information provided by Friendship Village, more than 5.5 million older adults in the U.S. report frequent mental distress. The World Health Organization also reports more than 14% of adults age 70 and older live with a mental health condition.

For Friendship Village residents, the visit offered a quiet way to connect with animals, nature and each other. Resident Barbara Bartholomew said the experience brought back memories from her years around horses.

“It feels good,” Bartholomew said.

Moesenthin said her favorite part was brushing the horses.

“Oh, it’s very smoothing, very soothing. It’s just, it’s soft,” she said.

Hold Your Horses offers programs for people of all ages, including children, adults and seniors. With its herd of therapy horses aging, the organization is working to bring in new horses to continue providing services in the years ahead.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.