[Ag-eq] Saratoga Warhorse - horses helping veterans

[dogwood farm]

In states like Texas and Oklahoma prison systems, they have programs
for inmates to work with farm animals and even have prison rodios.

Susan
dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com

On 6/11/19, Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I've pasted below part of an article about a program where retired
> racehorses help veterans with PTSD.
>
> AC is the program director, and DP is the interviewer.  The program is
> called Saratoga Warhorse, because it's based in Saratoga, NY, but has
> classes all over the country.  Offtrack thoroughbreds are retired
> racehorses.
>
> I think it's interesting how horses can help people in ways I never thought
> of.
>
> Tracy
>
>
>
> DP: How does working with off-track Thoroughbreds contribute to the
> process?
>
>
>
> AC: Other breeds of horses may be calm, more willing to stand and be rubbed
> on and nuzzle. They may be faster and easier at creating a bond. But just
> bonding
>
> is not what we are looking to accomplish at SWH. We are looking for the
> chemical reaction that happens with the connection between the veteran and
> the
>
> horse in the round pen. The Thoroughbred acts as the catalyst. The
> similarities between the veterans and racehorses are also important.
> Thoroughbreds,
>
> like veterans, are trained intensely for a single result. Thoroughbreds are
> trained to go fast and win. Men and women in the military are trained to
> complete
>
> their mission. They both enter their training at a young age and retire
> young and both have a full of life yet to live. They are both dealing with
> the
>
> after-effects of their careers and they can help each other through the
> transition and the changes that they are feeling.
>
>
>
> DP: Describe how the program unfolds for a veteran in attendance.
>
>
>
> AC:  All expenses are covered by SWH. We take care of everything and that
> is
> an important part of the experience to help the veterans feel secure. On
> day
>
> one, we gather up the participants and transport them to the hotel. We
> introduce everyone and have a group dinner. Everything is geared towards
> creating
>
> a safe, comfortable and confidential environment. On day two, there is a
> farm tour and then a two-part interactive classroom session. The first part
> is
>
> about equine communication, horses in general, and about the herd
> environment. They watch videos and learn to identify the leaders in the
> herd
> and the
>
> interactions between horses. Then, in the second part, the veterans are
> taught about the round pen and learn about what they will be doing in the
> round
>
> pen with their horse. After lunch, they learn, without horses, how to use a
> rope effectively and they practice their rope skills. We do a simulation of
>
> the round pen experience with a person playing the part of the horse. We
> teach them about all the different possible scenarios that they could face
> in
>
> the round pen. For instance, they learn how the horse will move away if
> they
> stand perpendicular to the horse and how to use their body to get the
> desired
>
> result.
>
>
>
> DP: Can you explain how the connection with the horse in the round pen
> happens?
>
>
>
> AC: The situation of being in the round pen with the horse is one that will
> trigger the anxiety and stress responses associated with PTSD. Unless the
> veteran
>
> can take down their energy level and make it through the situation with the
> tools we give them, they won't connect with the horse. The veteran wants to
>
> make the horse willingly come over to him or her and connect. The horses
> are
> not trained to make the connection automatically. They only react. So the
>
> veteran needs to learn how to control their energy and the flood of
> reactions coming from their brain and body and focus on not being a
> predator. It can
>
> take anywhere from three to 30 minutes.
>
>
>
> DP: Does the connection in the round pen help veterans to manage their
> PTSD?
>
>
>
> AC: What happens in the round pen is as much physiological as it is
> emotional. You have to get in the mind set of a veteran who comes to us.
> Imagine a
>
> scenario when you are driving your car and the car in front of you suddenly
> stops. In that one or two seconds before avoiding an accident, there are
> slew
>
> of physiological reactions such as having your heart rate spike, loss of
> breath, a pit in your stomach, and an adrenaline rush of because of
> survival
> mode.
>
> For people without PTSD, if you wait a bit, the symptoms go away. Vets with
> PTSD are in almost constant survival mode. It's devastating. They are
> existing
>
> in a constant series of those one second before you crash increments of
> hyper-vigilance and hyper arousal so that they can't focus on normal life
> and family
>
> matters. While the connection can take three minutes or 30 minutes, the
> result triggers a chemical relaxation response. That is why it is often so
> emotional.
>
> For the first time in a long time the veteran knows what it's like to not
> be
> living in those one second increments. It doesn't mean that their life is
>
> perfect all of sudden but they experience the tools to learn to help
> themselves.
>
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