Equine Therapy
What is Trauma-Informed Equine Therapy?
Trauma-Informed Equine Therapy is the use of horses to assist in teaching residents how to properly form trusting relationships. As one can imagine it is very difficult to have a quality relationship after having trust bonds broken by trauma. Our girls ask the horses to do simple tasks in a small pen without any physical connection. This allows the horse the ability to ignore, resist or cooperate with what is being asked of them. Just like a person can do in a human-to-human relationship. This allows the residents to learn how to gain the trust and understanding of a large animal to form a healthy relationship. These skills directly correlate with how they form relationships with other people.
Meet the Horses
Anthem
Anthem is a Mustang who was once wild on the range of Nevada. She was originally trained for the Youth Extreme Mustang Makeover in 2016. Anthem is the boss lady of the herd but is a sweetie at heart. She loves to smile and enjoys belly scratches. She is the most outgoing horse in the herd but if you make her upset she can hold a grudge. Anthem joined our therapy team in 2020.
Ace
Ace is a Shetland pony that was rescued from a kill pen in 2016. He had a significant amount of trauma to deal with. Being a therapy horse has helped Ace as much as it has helped the girls who get to work with Ace. Today, Ace is a social pony who loves treats and the girls’ attention. Ace joined our therapy team in 2020 and has been a great addition for the girls who are nervous around the big horses.
Reya
Reya is a Mustang who was also once wild on the Nevada ranges. She was trained alongside Anthem for the 2016 Youth Extreme Mustang Makeover. Reya can come off with a guarded personality but once you gain her trust you have a friend for life. She is very sensitive and because of this, she is an amazing therapy horse. Reya joined our team in 2021.
