Brighter Futures Elite Program Trains Inmates in Advanced Horse Care, Paving the Way to Employment and Rehabilitation

ince the Brighter Futures Elite Program was launched in 2022, 15 inmates have been certified in advanced horse care and have become eligible for employment as grooms. So far, two who have been released from the John A. Bell Correctional Facility have found employment with the help of the warden and equine instructor.

“We help them find work and make sure they are paid fairly,” Chantel Corminboeuf, equine instructor, said.

The program was introduced and is managed by John Bell, Warden Winnie Testamark, and Corminboeuf teaches the course. The therapeutic, vocational program is recognized by the racing industry in the United States.

“Our goal is to make an impact on their lives so that they are better members of the community than when they came in,” Testamark told the Source.

The program includes hours of classroom instruction that consists of equine physical and emotional structure and nutrition. Then they work one-on-one with the horses.

Correctional administrators and medical personnel select inmates to participate in the program so the people selected have a good mindset for the experience.

While the first inmates were being selected for the program, a riding ring and shaded stalls were built and several retired thoroughbred horses were acquired from various owners. A barn will be built next, Corminboeuf said.

First, the inmates learn how to communicate, without talking, with the animal and when both are comfortable, the students will graduate to brushing the animals. Corminboeuf said the course teaches inmates how to connect with other people as well and learn to recognize their own emotions.