Paso a Paso

The Horses. The People. The Connection.

Horses don't know your past. They respond only to who you are in the present moment — your energy, your intention, your honesty. That simple truth is what makes this program transformative.

In a correctional setting, where trust is rare and hope is often hard to find, the horses of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare become mirrors. They reflect calm back to those who offer it. They respond to patience. They reward consistency. And in doing so, they teach participants lessons that no classroom can replicate.

How It Works

Paso a Paso is structured as a five-session curriculum designed specifically for the correctional environment. Each session combines classroom instruction with live horse demonstrations, led by CTA staff and industry professionals.

Session topics include:

• Equine welfare and the Five Freedoms of Animal Care

• Horse body language and safe handling

• Equine nutrition and stable management

• Vital signs, preventative medicine, and hoof care

• Equine dentistry

• Equine retraining — and what second chances look like for a retired racehorse

Each session culminates in a graduation ceremony where participants receive a Certificate of Participation — a tangible recognition of their commitment and growth.

More Than a Skill. A New Beginning.

Participants in Paso a Paso don't just learn how to care for horses. They learn how to care for themselves.

The skills developed through this program — patience, responsibility, emotional regulation, empathy, and trust — are the same skills that employers in the equine industry, and beyond, are looking for. Many of the roles covered in the program — groom, stable hand, farrier's assistant, veterinary technician, equine therapy facilitator — represent real employment pathways for participants upon release.

But the impact goes deeper than a job. Graduates of Paso a Paso leave with something that is much harder to measure and much more lasting: the knowledge that they are capable of earning trust, of making a difference, and of beginning again.

The Story Behind the Program

Paso a Paso began as a vision more than a decade ago, when CTA Executive Director Kelley A. Stobie first began exploring the idea of bringing horses inside Puerto Rico's correctional system. Inspired by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances Program — which has operated successfully across eight states on the U.S. mainland — Stobie spent years in conversations with corrections officials, advocates, and partners, searching for the right door to open.

That door opened in 2025, when Saymara Correa, a chaplain at Institución Bayamón 1072, attended the CTA Equine Academy and heard Kelley's vision. Together with Brenda Couvertier, and with the support of Sr. Raúl Cepeda (Director of the Oficina de Fe), Superintendente Benjamín Velázquez, Dra. Julimar Sáez, Capitán Miranda, and Oficial Torres, the team built the foundation for what would become Puerto Rico's first equine-assisted learning program inside a correctional facility.

The pilot program launched on May 27, 2026, and concluded with a graduation ceremony on July 20, 2026 — serving 47 participants across two sessions.

Looking Ahead

The pilot was just the beginning.

CTA's long-term vision for Paso a Paso is to establish a permanent program inside the correctional facility — one in which participants care for horses on a daily basis, earn vocational certifications, and build a clear pathway to employment in the equine industry upon release.

We are currently in active conversations with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of Puerto Rico about expanding the program. We are also seeking partnerships, grants, and philanthropic support to make that vision a reality.