Horsemanship for Heroes
Horsemanship for Heroes was designed specifically for veterans and first responders. It gives them a therapeutic riding experience built around what they carry, and it is meant to improve their lives well beyond the arena.Dr. Leigh Anderson, M.D. · HorsePower Advisor
Who we help
Veterans, active duty military members, first responders and their families. Participation is always free, and the ranch is funded entirely by sponsors and donors.
For people working through post-traumatic stress, depression, trauma and other issues, horses offer a mirror. Participants learn to recognize and regulate emotional responses as they work with 1,000-pound animals whose survival instincts compel them to flee when confused or threatened.
How lessons work
Ground work and barn safety
Everyone starts with barn safety and handling horses from the ground: how to properly approach, catch, tack and groom. Every moment is a chance to observe and connect with the horse.
Lunging
Participants learn to lunge a horse to establish basic communication. They see how every motion they make, even shifting weight from one foot to the other, affects how the horse responds. The point is to be fully present and aware of what you are doing and how the horse reacts.
Riding
Riding focuses on gentle hands, effective cues and a strong seat. With an indoor arena, an outdoor arena, a round pen and 100 acres of trails, participants progress at a pace that fits their abilities and goals.
Small-group lessons
Groups of two to four participants warm up at a walk, review the skills from the previous lesson, then take on a new one and practise it. Time permitting, the group finishes with a short trail ride around the ranch, past cattle grazing in the pastures, horses in the fields and hawks working the tree line, before a quick review of what comes next.
Private lessons
Private lessons cover the whole horse: haltering, leading safely, grooming and saddling, done in sequence. In the arena, participants practise leading, turning, stopping and backing, and everything learned on the ground carries into the saddle. Each lesson is shaped around the participant's own goal, and often ends with a short trail ride and untacking together.