November 11 marks Veterans Day, when we honor all U.S. military veterans — living and deceased — who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. The date commemorates the end of World War I when the armistice with Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

While all veterans are considered heroes for their service, many return home with invisible emotional wounds caused by the horrors they witnessed during their military careers. This trauma can manifest as PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, or as an inability to adapt back to civilian life. While medication and varied forms of therapy can ease these symptoms, it has also been found that equine assisted therapy can be highly successful in treating veterans to help them find emotional stability. For many veterans, horses are the untold heroes who finally help them find peace.

Several of USEF’s Community Outreach Organizations offer veterans’ programs that literally change the lives of the military community. They shared stories explaining the powerful way that horses can heal emotional wounds that other treatments cannot. 

Cloverleaf Equine Center

“There is a little bit of magic that happens when horses and humans come together that helps build confidence and trust,” said Shelby Morrison, development director and Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning facilitator at Cloverleaf Equine Center in Clifton, Va. She explained that one of the challenges the military population faces sometimes is leaving their home, as that becomes a safe space for them.

Morrison recalled a client who called and said she was having a bad day and didn’t think she’d make it out to Cloverleaf. “I told her, ‘Those are the days when you need to be here the most,’” she said.

She took the client to a secluded back barn where she would feel safe and introduced her to a horse in there eating his hay. “As soon as she walked in, he stopped eating and just stood there. He was present with her that entire time ... he knew exactly what she needed,” Morrison explained. “Sometimes it’s about providing people with that space where they can just be accepted for who they are.”

Morrison said one of the most notable benefits for veterans is a decrease in stress levels. Clients undergo a stress survey (on a scale of one to 10) when they arrive at the center, and again when they leave, and they on average improve by two or three points during their time there, according to Morrison. That is due in part because horses force you to be present and in the moment — as opposed to worrying about the past or future. “It is in their nature as prey animals to be present, as they are constantly scanning their environment for anything that can be a potential threat to their safety,” Morrison said. She went on to explain that when people work with horses and develop a bond, they know it is authentic.

Melissa Lewis, a veteran who now works for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has been part of Cloverleaf’s military program for five years. During that time, she has created a strong bond with an APHA mare named Taffy. “She's very patient with me and helps me understand how to breathe,” Lewis said. “She brings balance to my soul and to my heart, and she allows me to love her so that I can fill my cup up and go forward with the rest of my week.

“Oftentimes when we’re called to duty or deployed, we have to do things that may cause moral injury — not just physical injury — or see things that don’t in align with what we grew up with. We carry that and it becomes toxic,” Lewis went on to say. “When you come to Cloverleaf and you work with a horse, you shut that overthinking down. It's like a power grid ... all you think about is keeping her safe. It's not just about what she can give to me, but what can I do for her? It gives you that sense of purpose and connectiveness.”

Phyllis Stalensky is a Marine Corps veteran who fought in the Gulf War and started suffering from severe anxiety after she retired. “I actually felt like I was going to have a heart attack. The feeling was so overwhelming that eventually I regressed to a point where I stopped traveling outside of my home,” she said.

Stalensky began taking antidepressants and going to group therapy but found that talking about her experiences made the trauma worse. After reading about the benefits of equine assisted therapy, Stalensky discovered Cloverleaf — and said the experiences there have changed her life.

“The staff explained how horses are hypervigilant, which I could relate to having PTSD,” she said. “I learned that in order to have the horses be calm, you must be calm yourself. It was like a mirror to me. When I could see the horse getting antsy and upset, I knew it was me and they were reflecting what I was feeling. As soon as I calmed down and was at peace, they listened to me and followed along with me. Immediately, my heart rate came down, my breathing slowed, I gained focus outside of those thoughts that had haunted me.”

Stalensky was so impacted by Cloverleaf that she is now a volunteer and helps with both the veterans’ and children's programs. 

HorseSensing

HorseSensing in Shelbyville, Ky., offers nine residential programs for veterans and men in recovery from substance abuse. Army veteran Chris Carl is a graduate of the residential program and is now the education director at HorseSensing. 

“When I came here, I was scared to death of a Rocky Mountain horse. I thought that thing was going to kill me!” Carl recalled, but now after spending time with the horses, he realizes how soothing they are to people. Going through the 12 Step Program brought up a lot of traumatic memories for him, but working with the horses helped him get out of his head. “You have to care for something else, and at the same time, care for yourself,” Carl said. “It creates a peaceful journey to face some serious things.”

Carl was paired with a horse named Lukey, who had visible PTSD himself. “Since working together, Chris’ PTSD has improved immeasurably, as has Lukey’s,” said Dr. Sally Broder, executive director and founder of HorseSensing. “This shows the true bond that can be formed between horses and humans on an implicit unconscious level, and the psychological value of that bond.”

Prancing Horse

Prancing Horse is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International) recognized therapeutic horsemanship center in Southern Pines, N.C., which partners with the Wounded Warriors program. “We get referrals of active duty and veterans from the military who can come out to Prancing Horse and participate free of charge,” said Susan Price, director of veteran services and a certified therapeutic riding instructor. 

“Most of our veterans come with symptoms of PTSD — anxiety, depression, etc. The most common thing we hear is that people are looking for something different to mainstream therapy,” Price explained. “A lot of people come having no experience with horses whatsoever, so we start with the basics.”

The veterans learn how to get a horse from the field, put on a halter, lead it into the barn, groom it, and other activities. If they wish, they can then graduate to riding lessons.

“Not everyone wants to ride, and they learn quickly that just being around the horses provides them with that sense of calm that they are looking for. Learning horse skills adds another layer of confidence that they can take with them into their lives,” Price said.

Prancing Horse also works with local military support organizations including The Station Foundation and Solider Recovery Unit, whose participants come as groups with focus on focused on relieving symptoms of PTSD, mild traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain.

“Horsemanship is part of the experience that introduces the participants to the services that are available working with horses. They can either go home and find a center near them or come back to us to participate in a longer, more extensive program,” Price said.

The Healing Power of Horses 

Jon Kreitz, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired), said that centers like Cloverleaf, HorseSensing, Prancing Horse, and other equine assisted programs that serve veterans are touching lives in a positive way that only horses can achieve. “As a nearly 38-year veteran, I can tell you that it means a great deal to take care of those who served our nation,” Kreitz said. “I am incredibly thankful that USEF has the Community Outreach Fund to help programs that assist — not just veterans — but all underserved and underprivileged communities by exposing them to the healing powerful and wonder of horses are, and the positive  difference they can make in people's lives.” 

Kreitz explained that frontline troops and veterans have seen horrors that they often aren’t comfortable talking to other people about for fear of being judged, but horses don’t judge what you say. “They judge who you are inside, they listen, and they are very forgiving,” he said. “Veterans can connect with horses in ways they can’t connect with people.”

Kreitz recalled a story of a Vietnam veteran who had not spoken since coming home from the war. He began visiting an equine assisted therapy center and after a year of weekly interactions with a horse, he started talking to the horse. A year later, he began talking to people again. “People were trying for over almost 50 years to help him shed his demons from got in the Vietnam War. A horse, understanding and nonjudgemental, did what people were unable to do and helped him finally work through his personal trauma,” Kreitz marveled.

For more information on the USEF Community Outreach Program, please visit usef.org/about-us/community-building/organizations-program. If you would like to learn more about the veterans programs or donate to these worthy causes, please visit usef.org/about-us/community-building/organizations-program/opportunity-fund-week.