1. Non-Judgmental
Horses provide a safe space for emotional expression without fear of judgment. Horses don’t hold biases, which offers a supportive environment where individuals can freely express themselves.
Experience the Healing Power of the Horse
Healing with Horses Ranch provides multiple equine-assisted programs for people experiencing learning, behavioral, mental, emotional, and physical challenges.
While each lesson is unique, building the bond between the equine & the individual anchors everything we do. By modeling healthy forms of communication, choice, self-awareness, and acceptance, we help individuals develop new tools that can help them overcome challenges in the real world.
We also pride ourselves on ensuring all equine-assisted activities are rooted in research & science. Each of our evidence-based programs allows us to address an array of challenges & diagnoses from a trauma-informed approach. We are constantly refining our treatment programs to set a standard for the entire industry with the quality of our services.
What is the science behind the healing power of horses?
Click through to discover how working with equines transforms lives & why we are passionate about sharing this work:
2. Emotional Connection
Just like many of our beloved pets at home, their gentle nature offers comfort & companionship, which helps individuals ground & regulate their bodies.
3. Mirroring Behavior
In the wild, horses are prey animals that rely on subtle communication to avoid alerting predators. This instinct has made them highly attuned to the emotions & body language of those around them. When interacting with humans, horses reflect their feelings & actions, acting as mirrors that help individuals gain insights into their own emotional states. This mirroring behavior fosters self-awareness & enhances emotional regulation, making horses effective partners in therapeutic settings.
4. Stress Reduction
Interaction with horses lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) & increases oxytocin (the bonding hormone), promoting decreased anxiety & improvement of overall well-being.
5. Physical Benefits
Riding horses engages core muscles & enhances coordination, benefiting physical health & rehabilitation.
6. Neurological Stimulation
Working with horses stimulates cognitive processing & enhances neural pathways by promoting the development or refinement of motor skills.
7. Trust & Communication
Horses require clear, consistent communication, helping individuals develop social awareness & trust-building skills.
8. Social Interaction
Horse care requires teamwork, promoting collaboration & positive social interactions in a safe setting.
Our Programs
Adaptive Riding
Through our adaptive riding program students with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges improve independence & functional life skills all while learning to ride. The rhythmic, three-dimensional, and symmetrical movement of the horse provides physical benefits. The connection & communication with both the horse and the community of the Ranch foster social skills, emotional management, self-awareness, sensory integration, language skills and more. It is a fun, safe, and social environment, centered around interaction with the horse.
Equine-Assisted Learning
Our equine-assisted learning (EAL) program is an experiential learning program that promotes the development of life skills for educational, professional, and personal growth through equine-assisted activities. With a focus on veterans & at-risk individuals, EAL creates an environment for creating new toolsets for individuals to overcome challenges in the day-to-day.
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is an interactive process where a licensed mental health professional collaborates with a PATH certified Equine Specialist & appropriate equine(s) to address psychotherapy goals established by the mental health professional & the client. Sessions can be conducted individually, in groups, or with families, focusing on various aspects of mental, emotional & psychological wellness.
Unbridled Warriors
Our Unbridled Warrior program offers no-cost weekly group sessions that utilize strategies from our adaptive riding & equine-assisted learning programs to support veterans, current service members, and first responders. Participants develop a bond of partnership through horsemanship & riding, focusing on improving communication, reintegration techniques, and coping skills.
Who We Serve
Healing with Horses Ranch provides multiple equine-assisted programs for people experiencing learning, behavioral, mental, emotional, and physical challenges.
At-Risk Youth
Resilience
At Healing with Horses Ranch, we use the power of the horse to build resilience in individuals who have suffered from emotional & physical harm, often leading to complicated challenges in their future.
For individuals who are particularly vulnerable to internal and/or external triggers, interactions with horses provide a non-competitive, non-judgmental setting to build their capacity, while providing the individuals with relationships that are both caring & consistent.
For this population, we focus on building self-awareness, enabling the individual to work through unexpressed emotional pain and learn how to recognize, verbalize and regulate their feelings. This is the imperative first step in the emotional recovery process and has improved psychological healing in remarkably short periods of time.
Veterans, Active Duty & First Responders
Transition
Many veterans return from active duty with physical and/or emotional wounds. Horses assist these individuals through the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life.
In the lessons, the bonding activities require the horse to look up to the rider for instruction and safety. As a result, the veteran focuses on their relationship with the horse by practicing a subtle form of communication that is based on sensitivity & patience. This type of bonding facilitates a quicker recovery or adaptation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and related conditions.
Together, the horse & veteran work on relaxation, memory skills, patience, confidence, physical wellness, and focus that translates to life beyond the Ranch.
People with Disabilities
Independence
Adaptive riding lessons improve independence & functional life skills for riders with Down Syndrome, ADHD, Autism, Cerebral palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, and many other diagnoses.
Because horseback riding rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often improve in flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and range of motion. In addition, due to the non-verbal communication between a horse & human, individuals learn to be sensitive to other’s needs, heightening their social awareness.
Our program improves physical & cognitive skills that spark new independence within the rider that they can then carry over into everyday life.
A Standard of Excellence
Healing with Horses Ranch is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) International center that provides evidence-based, trauma-informed services led by certified professionals. PATH certifies and accredits centers, instructors, and equine specialists based on field-tested standards to ensure safety, ethics, and effectiveness in the equine-assisted services industry. To become certified, instructors must complete workshops, fulfill student teaching requirements, and pass both written and practical exams.
Founded in 2011 as a PATH-compliant center, we underwent a voluntary peer review in 2018 and successfully met the accreditation requirements to become a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center. This designation allows us to be recognized in the community for upholding PATH’s highest standards and enables us to train other centers.
Meet Our Herd
Healing with Horses Ranch is a PATH International Premier Riding Center. Our instructors & equine specialists, all of whom are PATH certified, believe deeply in the transformative power of the horse-human connection, and the ability for individuals from all backgrounds to improve their emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities.
A central part of our team is, of course, the horses – our true teachers. We partner with a variety of breeds, shapes, and personalities of horses to meet the needs of our riders.