YOMITAN VILLAGE, Okinawa — Jack Collins sits atop his horse, looking over the hills and out to the ocean.

He’s a short drive from the bustle of the bases and a rush hour traffic jam on Highway 58, but Jack may as well be a thousand miles away.

There are no mundane distractions at Touguhira Toma’s horse farm, and it helps Jack, 3, and other children ride horses with serenity and confidence that many of them never thought possible when they began.

“He used to ride hunched over,” said Heidi Collins, while walking alongside her son Wednesday afternoon. “It’s wonderful to see him progress — to see all of the kids progress.”

Collins is one of 12 children learning to ride horses through a hippotherapy program available to both American and Japanese families on the island, said Terisa Ashofteh, a physical therapist with U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa’s Education and Developmental Intervention Services.

EDIS refers children to the horse therapy program for several reasons. Some children are autistic and need help with concentration, while others have Down’s syndrome and learn to walk better by feeling the horse’s natural gait underneath them. Others may not have such serious conditions, but may need help with coordination.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Byron Speights began bringing his son Matthew, 2, to develop his leg muscles and coordination. He also brings his son Jordan, 6, to improve his fine motor skills.

“I think it’s helping out. This is something most kids don’t get to experience, since riding horses isn’t too common here,” said Speights, who is well acquainted with horses, coming from rural Florida’s panhandle.

Ashofteh, who had assisted with hippotherapy programs since 1985, began the Okinawa program after answering a classified ad from one of Toma’s instructors in 1995. She ran the program for four years until she was transferred off the island. When she returned after a couple of years, Toma wanted to know immediately when they could get started again.

“I’m glad that the horses can help the kids,” said Toma, who donates his horses and land for free. “I’m very happy with the way the kids are riding.”

Children receive help from other EDIS physical therapists, volunteers and parents. Along with physical skills, children learn socialization, language and cognitive skills, Ashofteh said.

“A lot of them are very frightened at first,” Ashofteh said. “They feed the horses, they pet them and get to know them before they get on their backs.”

As an example, Ashofteh praised a girl with Down’s syndrome who was waiting in the stables.

“She used to kick and scream,” Ashofteh said. “Now she is reigning the horse on her own after one and a half years, and doing a great job.”

The program closes from mid-November through February, Ashofteh said.

There is currently a waiting list for the program because of a lack of volunteers. Anyone who would like to volunteer can contact Ashofteh at 926-4002, or ashoftehts@yahoo.com.