program for two years, he describes it as the most positive therapeutic setting he’ s experienced.
“ You need to show up with a clear head and positive energy because horses can pick up on your mood right away,” Gardiner said.“ If you’ re not in the right frame of mind, it’ s hard to connect with them. This has carried over to my life as a husband, dad and in my career.”
He also spoke to the power of shared experience.
“ It works in two parts. Sometimes it feels like it’ s just you and the horse, having to build trust fast through the activities. Then, when the group comes together to talk about what happened and how it relates to real life, you see that everyone is dealing with similar stuff. It helps you feel less alone.”
Gardiner said the sessions challenge him in a unique way.
“ It’ s just you and the horse which might seem simple but it’ s not easy. This has challenged me more than any other therapy. I’ ve left sessions frustrated because things didn’ t go well, and I’ ve left sessions feeling great and everything went perfectly and it’ s all based off my own attitude.”
The horses used for therapy are either rescued, donated or retired therapy animals. They are owned and cared for by Whitely. She says each one is different and choosing which horse works with which participant is a deliberate process. Matching is based on both the participant’ s needs and the horse’ s temperament.
“ Some horses are calmer and grounded. Others are more reactive. Each pairing serves a purpose,” she said.
Sessions are held in small groups to maintain a peaceful environment and allow facilitators to monitor each participant’ s experience. Veterans aren’ t expected to talk about their trauma. The focus is on observation, interaction, and debriefing. In some sessions, participants simply observe the horses for a time before any guided activity begins, giving them space to calm their nervous systems.
Whitely said many of the same principles used in neurofeedback or cognitive behavioral therapy apply here but in a much more physical way.
“ We’ re helping to rebuild neural pathways through experience, not just conversation,” she said.“ By noticing how a horse reacts to your energy, and adjusting accordingly, you’ re doing the same thing you would in a therapy session, just without words.”
Whitely also noted that this kind of therapy is particularly useful for clients
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