Further more, check out this news article on the program (thanks to 2-point Bling for sharing this on FB and bringing it to my attention!)
How incredible is that program? As a horseperson, I know (and you know) how incredible these animals are. How they have uncountable ways that they help people through so many life situations. This program is just another facet in the amazing saga of the horse.
From the article:
"The
horses themselves are able to understand what it feels like to have
PTSD because that's how horses live. They're always hyper-vigilant,
they're always anxious of their surroundings and they're slow to relax
and slow to trust," says Mutter. "So I think
for someone with PTSD, coming in and first having a horse that
understands and doesn't judge and doesn't talk back and can't tell your
secrets, is really the first piece to it."
Incredible. Totally not surprising to me at all. I love that there is a program like this out there. And while I know I could never manage running such a program, I would absolutely love to involve myself with such a program one day.
Additionally, aside from the obvious reasons this program is incredible in the way of helping veterans, I love that they lease the horses in the program. It keeps their costs down and provides the horses security of always having a home. If they can't be used in the program, they go home to their owners. Beyond helping veterans, how awesome would something like this be for horses that can no longer withstand "full" work like a strict, structured jumping, dressage, reining, or cutting regime? Horses that may still be capable of light undersaddle work or endless groundwork? Groundwork is the foundation for any work with horses; a program such as this one with lease horses would give horses like the aforementioned ones a new lease on life.
I'm in love with this program in so many ways. How about you?
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