Horses Help Heroes Heal
Photos by Don Pearsall
Amanda and Nekota. Amanda was a medic in Iraq and has PTSD. Nekota's owner had just died and the horse seemed depressed. The two found each other through the Horses Help Heroes program and have become inseparable. Nekota is protective of Amanda.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
Photos by Don Pearsall
The healing power of horses is real. Just ask the veterans who benefit from Horses for Heroes, a program that utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace.
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Amanda Dove still grieves for the many soldiers she could not save as an Army medic during two tours of duty in Iraq. PTSD has been part of her life since her military days, but she has recently found an unlikely friend to help her bear her troubles.
Nekota, one of the horses of Tranquility Farms in Cape Canaveral also, like Dove, has been grieving since his previous owner died.
When woman and horse met during Dove’s first session with the Horses for Heroes program, it was two kindred souls connecting.
“It was instantaneous,” Dove said. “We are grieving together.”
Horses for Heroes pairs vets with one of the 20 horses at Tranquility Farms. Part of veteran-assistance group Veterans’ Connections, Horses for Heroes utilizes equine assisted therapy to help vets reduce anxiety and stress and find peace. The free program trains vets on all aspects of horsemanship, from pasture fencing to feeding and riding.
The program has been heaven-sent for Dove.
“It gives me a reason to wake up in the mornings,” the Melbourne resident said.
When Nekota spots her, he invariably gallops up to her and puts his head on her chest. If he feels she could be in harm’s way as she mucks around the barn, Nekota is quick to come and put himself between Dove and perceived danger.
“He is so special,” Dove said.
Don Pearsall founded what he calls his equine therapeutic cavalry from past experience using horses to help with PTSD developed from two tours of duty in Vietnam.
“I realize how much horses helped me,” said Pearsall, who has owned horses in both New York and Florida. “They became part of my healing.”
While he no longer has a horse, Pearsall connected with Deborah Gray of Tranquility Farm, which has provided the horses and caisson used for funerals at nearby Cape Canaveral National Cemetery. Caissons, a two-wheeled, horse-drawn wagon, are traditionally used in military funerals to transport the dead to their burial place.
Gray was happy to lend her equines to Pearsall’s new program.
Horses for Heroes offers gender-specific sessions, with Pearsall guiding the men’s group and his wife, Dorothy Walsh Pearsall, leading the women.
“I’ve found that female vets often feel more comfortable with other women,” Dorothy Pearsall said.
Like Dove, most of the vets in the program have little experience with horses. They learn the ropes from the ground up from the Pearsalls.
“I keep a close eye, but let them do their own thing,” Don said.
The psychological benefits of horses for individuals struggling with PTSD make them popular “therapists.” Because horses live in the present, they help vets regain mindfulness. Working with them requires activity, which decreases disassociation and grounds vets so they can better experience the present. These animals are non-judgmental and accepting — traits vets need from friends.
Dorothy Pearsall sees how her husband changes every time he visits Tranquility Farm.
“The weight of the world lifts off him,” she said.
Horses for Heroes welcomes more veterans to join the program, as well as volunteers interested in helping. Tax-deductible donations help the program provide necessary equipment necessary for the program.
CONNECT
For more information about the program and volunteering, email assistance@veteranconnections.com, call 321-313-2444 or visit connectionstoanewlife.com
Donations also may be mailed to:
Veterans’ Connections
4411 Ponds Drive
Port St. John, FL 32927
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