Equine Therapy for Veterans
By Ryan Garner
“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” — Martin Buber
The night was October 19, 2005, and my Platoon was assigned as Quick Reaction Force (QRF) for the day. It was a pretty easy day until around 8 pm; we received a call that our 3rd Platoon had come in contact with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) outside Balad, Iraq. When we arrived on site, the scene was horrific, not something I wanted to deal with on my first day back in the country from R n R. A HUMVEE had been melted to the ground, rounds were going off from the flames, and only one soldier survived out of the five on board.
Service members experience unprecedented adverse situations in war and are required to prepare for unknown challenges. Thus, In the military, resilience and confidence are two essential fundamentals of a well-rounded capable person. While they can feed and strengthen each other when they are both high, they can also negatively affect other aspects of our lives when they are low. In comparison, while service members feel they can face adversity head-on, many face trauma from combat, injury, captivity, or even sexual assault. Studies have shown that up to 95% of post-9/11 veterans report experiencing attacks, ambushes, or seeing human remains while deployed.
Many scenes, like that October night, play in my head, and in 2010, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and medically retired from the Army. Consumed with PTSD, I felt incredibly isolated and angry, rarely left my home, and was full of hate. Like many others who selflessly traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan, I was confronted with death and horror daily. We survived the unbelievable, only to come home to a life of emotional trauma, broken relationships, paralyzing depression, and hopelessness. For many, the saying is true. The most challenging part of war is not the war; it is coming home. My days often culminated in either thinking of death or looking for a better way to live, knowing that an average of 22 veterans were ending their lives every day. Many who have PTSD are not finding efficacy in standard treatments.
Once home, I hated myself for many things and didn’t trust those around me. Falling apart emotionally, I cried, shook, and hyperventilated often, wondering would life ever be the same. It has taken years to get to where I am today and start a course for a better way: to continue to be resilient and work on my confidence. I want to face the struggles, challenges, and barriers in front of me head-on, not allowing them or other limitations to hold me back. Is it a struggle, yes? But it is better than the alternative.
I continue to seek help through veteran organizations like Operation Warrior Resolution, which has partnered with Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy (SMART), where I have had the incredible opportunity to participate in Veterans Equine Therapy for the last six weeks. Yes, Equine Therapy has been effective in treating veterans with PTSD. According to the Man O’War Project’s clinical research findings, a test group of 8 veterans experienced a reduction in symptoms between 26% and 74%.
I partnered with a horse named Buddy Cassidy on our first day. We started on the ground and learned how to lead our horses around. Many of us, including the horses, were anxious at first, but as I looked into Buddy’s soft brown eyes, I mirrored his breathing as we became in tuned with each other.
Martin Buber, a 20th-century Jewish theologian, wrote, “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” Buber felt that “all real living is an encounter” because it is during intimate conversations or shared experiences that we grow in love, intimacy, and humanity. While animals cannot speak as we do, they have a unique way of listening, responding, and communicating with us.
The horses at SMART provide just that experience for veterans. As prey animals, horses rely on their heightened senses for survival, as veterans do at war. As herd animals, horses communicate through body language, such as pushing, kicking, biting, squealing, grooming, and grazing together. Stepping into their herd becomes about respect and trust, with the horses reacting to and mirroring the veteran’s emotions without using words or judgments. “They listen to your energy and can feel your heartbeat from five feet away,” stated Ilee Finocchiaro.
While riding is not included, the activities concentrate on feeding, grooming, and walking the horse; the goal is to focus your attention and mindfulness on the horse and how each interacts. As a 1200-pound lie detector, there is no hiding how you feel. They provide feedback to the veteran by flicking their ears, widening their eyes, and dropping off their shoulders (head). Letting the veteran know whether or not they are trusting them or are even relaxed.
Equine therapy helps veterans because it is entirely based on trust. “Whether you are anxious or fearful, they are going to know,” per Terri Arnold. “The first couple of days is a trust-building process.” The build-up of trust, confidence, and self-awareness are built between the horse and veteran, and soon the veteran can move the horse backward, forward, and sideways with minimal effort. All the veteran needs to do is stay focused in the present; if your mind is elsewhere, the horse will know and take advantage of that. Both veterans and horses are worried about continuing concerns about trust and safety. Working with your horse, this innovative therapy facilitates bonding, overcoming fear, reestablishing confidence, self-efficacy, self-awareness, better communication, social skills, assertiveness, and boundaries within the veteran.
Buddy Cassidy allows me to bring my guard down and express myself. While Buddy Cassidy did not know me before going to war, he accepts me for who I am. He expected nothing from me except to feel safe as if I was part of his herd. I hope to carry these skills over to my herd, allowing more growth opportunities within my family and community.
