[Ag-eq] Saratoga Warhorse - horses helping veterans

Tue Jun 11 14:00:07 UTC 2019

I know in Kentucky there's a program for prisoners to work with retired
thoroughbreds and rescues.  I think they work with the horses to get them
ready to do something other than race.    I think there are similar programs
in New York and Florida.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm via
Ag-eq
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2019 9:49 AM
To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
Cc: dogwood farm
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Saratoga Warhorse - horses helping veterans

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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