Luckey, OH - Horses are used for a number of different kinds of therapy. Everything from people living with disabilities to military veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. A local equine assisted therapy program hosted a seminar with a nationally-known expert to help vets here in our region.
McAllen Rivera is right at home with horses but that wasn't always the case. McAllen first came to Serenity Farm reluctantly for a program using horses to help vets heal, "I had a lot of problems adjusting to civilian life and then it got too much and my mom found this place."
McAllen was in the Navy, he served in Afghanistan in 2010 and coming back home wasn't easy, "I had bad PTSD coming home. I was in fights, arguments, police chases you name it. This place has truly helped change my life." Horses are used for a number of different kinds of therapy. Everything from people living with disabilities to military veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. A local equine assisted therapy program hosted a seminar with a nationally-known expert to help vets here in our region.
After just a few visits with the horses, McAllen had a new outlook on life. In fact, he's now training to work with other vets at Serenity, "The horses changed a lot of things in my life. They changed the way I approach things, the way I approach people. They have helped me so much with every day situations."
The focus of the workshop was to help train staff members to help vets and their families. The instructor is Greg Kersten, an Army veteran and the founder of equine assisted psychotherapy. He says he's helped thousands of people cope with everything from trauma to addiction and he does it all with the help of horses, "The actual military experience is herd- like in basic training. The soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines learn to take care of one another and move forward together. That's exactly what horse herds do."
The horses at Serenity Farm have been helping people for more than a decade. Debra DeHoff is the founder, "Horses are a prey animal so they are all about survival. There's a common unity in that philosophy that happens here between people and horses. We learn from the horses to step back together and to move forward together. It's the I'll take care of you, if you take care of me. Philosophy. Horses live in the moment, they don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. They live in the right now."
The program with vets is only a year old, but it's clearly had a profound impact on McAllen, "If I am feeling sad, I just touch the horses and everything seems okay. Everything is better."
Article as published on 13abc Action News.
