Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce that the next DEI Community Conversation, “Horses and the Military: A Long-Standing Partnership,” will be on Monday, November 7, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. ET via Zoom.
This DEI Community Conversation, held in recognition of Veterans Day, explores the longstanding partnership between the military and horses, with a focus on how horses are supporting military veterans and families today. This relationship has changed over the years and horses are now frequently seen working with service members for therapeutic purposes - physical, emotional, and psychological. Panelists include Dr. Sally Broder, Dr. Prudence Fisher, Dr. Yuval Neria, LCDR Tanya O’Brien, and Lynne Phipps.
The session is free to attend and open to all people. You do not need to be a USEF member to attend the live session.
Can’t make the live session? USEF members will be able to access the conversation on demand in the Learning Center. Join US Equestrian for free by signing up for a fan membership here.
Meet the Panelists
Dr. Sally Broder (Bagdad, Ky.)
Dr. Sally Broder, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in California and Kentucky, as well as the Executive Director of HorseSensing, a USEF-recognized Community Outreach Organization. Broder founded HorseSensing in 2010 to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, now referred to as post-traumatic stress, utilizing the equine-assisted personal development (EAPD) knowledge system. Services are specialized for military veterans, as well as people navigating addiction.
Broder is a lifelong horsewoman and began her career as a professional at the age of 15. She has always felt the healing power in horses and was committed to sharing this with others. Broder embarked on her psychology career several years later in the fields of substance abuse treatment, clinical psychology, and the treatment of trauma. She brings together this knowledge with her horsemanship skills to benefit HorseSensing’s clients.
Dr. Prudence Fisher (New York, N.Y.)
Dr. Prudence Fisher, PhD, is an associate professor of clinical psychiatric social work in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She has authored or coauthored more than 80 articles and book chapters, primarily focused on diagnostic assessment, PTSD, and suicide.
Fisher produced the first-ever treatment manual for providing equine-assisted therapy for PTSD in partnership with Dr. Yuval Neria called the Man O’ War (MOW) treatment protocol, and they recently completed a large open trial on this novel treatment with veterans with PTSD. Two papers from the project have been published and a third is in press.
Dr. Yuval Neria (New York, N.Y.)
Dr. Yuval Neria, PhD, is a professor of medical psychology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Director of the PTSD Research and Treatment Program and the Military Family Wellness Center at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Neria grew up in Israel and participated in the Yom Kippur War and the Lebanon War. His military experience inspired his clinical and research career studying the effects of trauma across different contexts and using neuroimaging research to develop and test personalized treatments for PTSD.
In addition to his work with Dr. Fisher and the Man O’ War treatment protocol, Dr Neria has authored or coauthored more than 200 articles and book chapters and edited four textbooks focusing on PTSD, trauma, and the mental health consequences of exposure to trauma.
LCDR Tanya O’Brien (Tampa, Fla.)
Lieutenant Commander Tanya O’Brien is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where she served for 12 years. A registered nurse by profession, O’Brien cared for injured service members in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2002 through 2012. O’Brien is working towards her Doctorate of Nursing Practice.
O’Brien is a recent graduate of HorseSensing’s veterans program where she had immersive sessions learning how to work with and care for horses. A life-long animal lover, O’Brien volunteers for both a horse rescue and guide dog training organization in her home state of Florida. She is a mother of four, a wife, and a 100% disabled veteran with a service dog named Charley.
Rev. Lynne Bryan Phipps (Charlestown, R.I.)
Reverend Lynne Bryan Phipps (MDiv, IET, LEED AP) is the Executive Director of Beachwood Integrative Equine Therapy, a USEF-recognized Community Outreach Organization based in Rhode Island, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Phipps has spent the last eight years developing Integrative Equine Therapy, a protocol unique to Beachwood’s services for healing with horses. Beachwood provides IET services for people of all ages and backgrounds navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, and more.
Phipps is a lifelong equestrian, mother to two daughters, an award-winning designer, and an educator and healer. She received her Master’s degree from the Andover Newton Theological School. Phipps was the first Interfaith Chaplain at Mount Ida College and the founder of The Compass School.
About the DEI Community Conversations Series
US Equestrian’s DEI Community Conversations series will serve as a forum for raising awareness about the various experiences and issues affecting equestrians from under-represented or under-served communities. The series aims to lift traditionally marginalized voices from the equestrian community, and beyond, while building community across the broad network of horse sport enthusiasts. The series is an initiative of the DEI Action Plan’s comprehensive marketing plan strategy, one of 10 strategies to advance DEI in the sport over the next three to five years.
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