Blue Umbrella Official October 2018 issue | Page 18

H ORSES H EL PI N G
H EROES
By: Rebekah V.
In 2014, a group of veterans began a
program with one mission in mind. That
mission was ?to provide a dynamic program
as a powerful alternative for military
personnel, veteran and family members
going through their journey of self-discovery
utilizing the power of the Horse.?
This mission is called Operation Horses
and Heroes and is held in 8 different states:
Illinois, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio,
Wisconsin, Idaho, and Kentucky. It is a 3 day,
non-riding program focused on helping
military personnel through therapy with
horses. I had the opportunity to volunteer at
one of the programs in Illinois, and I had the
privilege of meeting some of the staff
members and helping them with the horses.
Jerry Paulsen, the founder and a former U.S.
Army NCO, was able to answer some of the
questions I had about the program.
1. Wh y did you w an t t o begin t h is? Wh at is
t h e passion beh in d it ?
?This program is to help reintegrate
veterans and active duty military personnel
suffering from PTSD, prosthetics, etc. back
into family and civilian life.? Some of the
benefits of this program include improved
self-esteem, reduction of stress,
improvement of communication, and the
program promotes camaraderie.
2. Wh y h or ses?
?Horses have a unique ability to
identify and connect emotionally with
someone when they have a problem.?
Veterans and active duty military personnel
deal with a wide range of emotions, such as
anger and sadness, and horses are able to
identify that in them. This is helpful when the
veterans are doing different exercises and
are experiencing those emotions; the horse is
able to recognize that in them.
3. How m an y vet er an s do you u su ally h ave
at t en d an even t ? How m an y com bin ed?
?We try and get between 10 and 12 at
an event. Overall, we have had well over a
100.?
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