BELFAST — Hercules, Molly and  Colonel Gerry Scott visited the Troy Howard Middle School, in Belfast, where students, including some who were transported over from elementary schools, had the chance to meet a very special 17-hand Friesian and his equally notable yellow lab K9 companion.

The trio represent the group Horses Over America, founded by Saco resident Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Scott,  U.S. Army Reserve-Retired and lifetime equestrian and professional horseman.

“We believe that Horses Over America is the highest impact and lowest cost mental health betterment initiative of this decade,” according to the Horses Over America website. “Never in history has the vast majority of police departments in America had the use of horses to address the increasing mental health issues faced by our nation’s over 17,000 towns and cities. Horses Over America is a creative partnership between our nation’s 17,000 police departments and 17,000 of our nation’s horse owners who volunteer their horses, trailers and time to change the landscape of mental health in these towns and cities. There are 9.3 million horses and 4.6 million horse owners in the U.S.”

The effort was launched in 2020 in Maine and N.H., and in Massachusetts in 2021.

“Our ambitious initiative is to harness (no pun intended) our 50 state’s horses to be used during and after COVID-19 for visiting schools, nursing homes, veterans homes, hospitals, rehab centers, town/city merchants, cancer patients/survivors, Boys and Girls Clubs, assisted living centers, town recreation centers, homeless shelters, military bases, autistic groups, and neighborhoods, especially disadvantaged neighborhoods,” the organization said.

The Belfast Police Department partnered with SAU 71 schools to bring Colonel Scott, Hercules and Molly to the area Nov. 2.

“It is an awesome program which brings members of the community of all ages together to create contagious smiles wherever it goes,” said Belfast Police Chief Robert Cormier.