“We’ve had parents in tears going, ‘We don’t see our children act like this. ... They’re so withdrawn and nervous,’” Nordic said. “They come out here and they’re ... with the horse, just happy.”
What you need to know
Equine-assisted services fall into three categories—therapy, learning and horsemanship, according to the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. PATH International is an organization focused on advancing the equine-assisted services industry, Communications and Marketing Coordinator Sara Conant said.
“Anything that involves partnering with an equine to assist humans and giving a therapeutic benefit falls under equine-assisted services,” Conant said.
Providers can vary in their services and client bases. Serenity Equine Services works only with youth, while a majority of the clients at Henry’s Home Horse & Human Sanctuary are veterans. Henry’s Home Horse & Human Sanctuary—like Sunny Creek Ranch and Unbridled Hope—is also all groundwork, meaning no clients ride the horses.
“You move [the horses] through your own energy,” said Darlene Gagnon, interim CEO of Henry’s Home Horse & Human Sanctuary. “You don’t put a harness on a horse and pull them. ... It really is emotional regulation in order to engage with the horse where they’re at to get them to do what you need them to do.”
At Sunny Creek Ranch, equine therapy includes checking in with the horses, using props and trying to complete a task representative of issues such as boundaries within themselves and with others. Afterward, clients will talk through the exercise with a mental health professional.
Meanwhile, programs at Henry’s Home Horse & Human Sanctuary include Self Care Saturday, a six-week introductory program; men’s and women’s groups; and Gallant Strides, a program for clients with traumatic brain injuries or other physical limitations.
The impact
Local officials said they believe that emotional regulation is among the biggest benefits of equine-assisted services.
“If you’re around a horse, even within 5 feet of them, you’re regulating with them,” said Shannon Novak, founder and director of Sunny Creek Ranch. “Your heartbeat is going to slow down whether you know it or not. So there’s a lot of magic in just being around them.”
Other benefits include building confidence, lowering anxiety and promoting focus, officials said.
“Some of the commentary that I’ve heard from our veterans is, ‘I’ll be here till the day I die,’” Gagnon said. “I’ve heard women veterans tell me, ‘You gave me my life back.’ I’ve heard their children tell me, ‘You gave me my mom back.’”
Marla Neely, a licensed professional counselor at Sunny Creek Ranch, said she believes the social aspect of the therapy is also beneficial.
“Many of [the veterans] have a tendency to isolate. ... When they go out there, the typical population has no concept of what they’re living, what they’ve lived, what they’re experiencing,” Neely said. “But in here, they can say what they want because they know everyone here understands. ... And for many, this is their only opportunity to get out and mingle.”
Improvement in children’s self-esteem, decision-making skills and academic performance are benefits Kendall Serrato, co-founder of Serenity Equine Services, said she has seen in clients.
“It’s so incredible the transformation that you can see in such a short period of time,” Serrato said.
Also of note
Between 2017-23, the number of facilities in the U.S. that offered equine-assisted services grew 81.6%, according to data from the American Horse Council.
Scott Harper, president of the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, owns a ranch on which Unbridled Hope leases its space. He said that as the Conroe and Montgomery community grows, so too does the need for equine-assisted services.
“Equine therapy has been used in so many different ways to assist in rehab, adaptive therapy and also recreational activities for those with special needs,” Harper said. “There are just limited resources for those families and seeing the growth of [the Unbridled Hope] program shows that.”What they’re saying
Capt. Doniel Flores, a combat veteran who flew helicopters during his time in the Army, said he was broken and suicidal after multiple deployments. The equine-assisted therapy program at Sunny Creek Ranch kept him alive, he said.
“It breathed life into me to give back to others,” he said.
Kody Wall, who served in the United States Marine Corps and now works at Sunny Creek Ranch as the veteran outreach coordinator, also said he believes veterans learn how to be less mission-driven as they work with the horses to accomplish various tasks.
“We have a lot of tasks that we’ll have our veterans do that we then question, ‘Was that a failure or success?’” Novak said. “Through veterans’ eyes, they’ll often say, ‘Well, that was a failure. We didn’t get the horse in the square.’ From my eyes, as the equine specialist, it was a success. You all worked together, no one lost their temper, the horses are safe, you are safe. ... Reframing life into what is a success and failure ... is a benefit.”
Dig deeper
Operating their respective entities is essentially a 24/7 job, between day-to-day operations, taking care of the horses and running programs, providers said.
“You have to have a business acumen. ... You are a ranch manager, you are a donor manager, you are a volunteer manager, ... and it is a business that never goes to sleep,” Gagnon said. “It’s 24/7.”
Among their goals, officials said they aim to increase their volunteer and client bases as well as undergo renovations in 2025.