Hoof LIFE D WORDS BY AND PHOTOS BY MARY THURMOND
GROUNDED BY HOOVES
Equine therapy helps local veterans reconnect
Twin Rotors Mission, a Greenvillebased nonprofit, has partnered with mental health professionals and a small group of horses to offer equineassisted therapy for veterans and first responders.
The program serves as an alternative form of support for those living with posttraumatic stress, anxiety, traumatic brain injuries, and other conditions that can follow military service.
The sessions are guided by licensed mental health professionals like Dr. Ruth Whitely, PhD, LPC-S, BCN, NCC, and use the O. K. Corral Certification model, which focuses entirely on ground-based interaction.
Participants don’ t ride the horses. Instead, they perform exercises like leading a horse through an obstacle course or observing the horses’ behavior in a group setting.
“ The horses are never asked to do anything the client doesn’ t do,” Whitely said.“ They respond to your breathing, your heart rate, your movements. If you’ re dysregulated, they reflect that.”
This mirroring effect is what makes horses useful in trauma-informed care.
According to Whitely, horses offer nonverbal feedback that can help individuals recognize their own emotions and develop new ways of regulating them. The environment is intentionally calm, and sessions typically include only a few participants at a time. Each session also begins with a safety overview and ends with a debrief, which gives participants a structured way to reflect on their experience.
Steve Latino, an Army veteran and equine specialist, works as both a horse handler and co-facilitator in the program. He said the sessions help veterans develop self-awareness and build trust, both in themselves and others. Latino noted that his own military background helps him connect with participants in a practical, no-nonsense way.
“ I had one guy who never spoke in group,” Latino said.“ Then one day the horse walked away from him, and he said,‘ I do that too when I’ m overwhelmed.’ That kind of realization doesn’ t always happen in talk therapy.”
For Latino, equine therapy combines the structure of clinical practice with the practical, embodied experience of interacting with a large animal. It’ s hands-on and straightforward, something he says many veterans prefer. Unlike traditional counseling settings, where participants may feel pressure to talk or unpack trauma directly, the equine sessions rely more on presence and physical awareness.
“ The horses are brutally honest. They aren’ t trying to make you feel better or worse, they just react,” Latino said.“ That feedback is sometimes more valuable than words.”
Veteran John Gardiner echoed that sentiment. Having participated in the
8 GREENVILLE LIFE