![]() Who could imagine that therapy with horses could provide veterans with the confidence and hope they need to live after trauma, to keep going? As one veteran put it, “If I can make an animal twice my size do what I want it to do maybe I can start to do other things in my life, too.” By her account, she has seen “tough Marines break down in tears in the mane of a horse who stood by their side and held them up.” She has met “wives, sisters, and girlfriends of veterans who come to the farm to meet a horse (who helped their loved one)…only to say “thank you” with hands over their hearts.” CC says there have been letters and postcards sent to the horses with words of thanks for a life changed sometimes months or years after therapy. Years after Spring Thaw’s rescue, in 2007, CC embraced another opportunity to change the course of her life with equine therapy when she was introduced to the EGALA program and has not looked back.Ĭo-Founder of Spring Reins of Life, Christiana CapraĪs the co-founder of SRoL, CC has had the honor to witness the miracle of equine therapy for veterans (and trauma survivors) many times over the past 10 years. Her opportunity to become a horse owner for the second time came when a Central Park horse, Spring Thaw, needed rescue. She experienced the healing power of horses in her own life.Ī horse owner as a young girl, CC went on to enjoy a career as a corporate publicist in NYC yet the pull of horse ownership was far too strong. Often these local heroes need help to cope, to control anxiety and to feel, as one veteran put it, normal again. For a veteran suffering from PTS or other trauma, equine therapy can make the difference in saving his or her life. CC Capra has seen it happen. ![]() At the Spring Reins of Life Program, OP Horse, equine therapy helps a very special group of people – our local veterans. The effects of being near a horse sounds fantastic but the equine therapy is so much more than that. Veterans Start To Feel A Sense of Normal Again With Equine Therapy The program at SRoL is an EGALA certified program meaning that the group sessions include three treatment members – a credentialed, mental health professional, an equine specialist, and the therapy horse. Said another way, the horse’s heart rhythm influences a human’s heart rate like a magnet. It has been scientifically proven that when a person is physically close to a horse, their heart rate will mimic the heart rate of the horse, physically calming the person. ![]() ![]() In a group therapy session, participants complete various goal-oriented activities such as navigating an obstacle course with the horse, brushing the horse, or feeding the horse. ![]() Simply Being Near a Horse Can Lower a Human Heart RateĬC explained that the therapy is derived from simply being near the horse. I assumed that the clients would be riding the horses for the therapy. When I first interviewed Christianna Capra (CC), co-founder and director of the non-profit Spring Reins of Life in Three Bridges, NJ, I was clueless about equine therapy and how it works. Life-Changing Equine Therapy Brings Hope and Healing to Local Veterans ![]()
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