OUR MISSION
Hope for Heroes Horsemanship Center provides a Therapeutic Horsemanship Program to Veterans and Active-Duty Personnel free-of-charge who are suffering from PTSD, Suicidal Behavior, Depression and other wounds of war, while helping other horse centers around the world to offer similar programs.
Our horses are the heart and soul of our organization. They are the ONLY “therapists” that we have on our staff. Their natural horse behavior helps our participants to know when their anxiety is high, and encourages them to re-learn how to self-manage their anxiety disorder. This is EXACTLY the help that our PTSD veterans and active-duty participants need!
Our staff is made up of passionate and dedicated individuals who are committed to helping our participants learn important horsemanship skills. They are all highly trained and experienced in working with horses and people. This helps our participants to be successful with their horse and have an enjoyable experience.
Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization. They help us with everything from cleaning stalls to leading horses. They are all passionate about our mission and are always willing to lend a hand.
Our veterans and active-duty personnel are the reason we do what we do. They have protected our way of life and now they are all facing challenges in their lives, but they are all determined to overcome them. We are honored to be able to help them on their journey.
This program saves lives.
Read their testimony, working our program.
The day I looked up this program, I was close to becoming a statistic that night. I haven’t been to that edge anymore and I have an amazing feeling knowing that I can come on days that have been really crappy and even just sit with these 4-legged miracle workers.
— A. C.
I would tell them (doctors) I was doing great all the time, regardless of whether i had stufff going on or not. I drank more than I should have. I didn’t want to be around anyone. This program helps you to begin to trust, to put trust in others, at first just a horse, but then other people.
-Anonymous
I had a total mental breakdown. My life was very dark, and I didn’t belong anywhere anymore. I didn’t understand what was happening to me, only that I wanted to stay away from all people. As each day passed, the harder it became to leave the house. When I started attending, the only one I would talk to was sweet Miss Abby the horse. There was something about that horse. Somehow she knew what I wanted her to do before I gave her a signal, because I never had to give that horse any commands, just little nudges. The most amazing thing was that during that time I was with her, I was happy. - R. P.
I only entered the horse program becuase I was told I had to do something. At this point I waas very down and thinking about committing suicide, and merely planned on giving he program a halfhearted attempt. I felt like I was the worst medic in the world because therewas nothing I could have done to help my unitt. I was also dealing with my injuries and felt like a burden to everyone. At the start of the program, I was still using a wheelchair while in the process of rebuilding muscle tone to be able to walk. I thought there was no way I’d be able to work with horses. Once in the program, I found very quickly that something changed in me. Working with the horses was very calming and helped me to be able to relax. The horses never asked me what was wrong. They responded only to the emotions that I was holding in and trying to hide. Working with them taught me how to work with myself. If i was angry, the horse would react in an angry manner. If I was nefrvous or scared, the horse would also respond in kind. Since horses are prey animals, they pick up on all of our emotions an body language, and respond accordingly to he handler. I order to get your horse to behave in the manner that you want and to do what you are asking, you have to learn how to control yourself. Both the mental and physical stimulation were very good for my rehab. The program got me out of my chair and woaking around more often, even though I had a hard time with it and had to rely heavily on my cane. HHH also showed me that I was not the only veteran who was dealing with tough issues. Through all of this, Debbi and her staff never asked us about our time in the military. They focused on teaching us how to work with horses and learn how to ride. - R. C.
Just got out of the hospital for an attempt on suicide on last Saturday. I wouldn’t be here without Rio and this program, because I waited to say goodbye to Rio that morning, and people were home and found me in enough time to get me to the hospital to stop the bleeding. Without you guys and Rio I would not have a reason and would have done it on Friday when no one was at home. My wife, family and friends are very grateful to you all. Happy to still be here and learn more about horses. -R. H.
When I feel stressed, I relate to my horse and it brings inner peace. Have really learned to take this new calm to my social life. -M. K.
This place has been a saving grace to my mental health.
-E. A.
I learned that if we take a chance, we may find out we are strong or find out we can do it. Our training was effective and proved that we can do what we’ve been training on. It definitely is a confidence builder. We (Kit and I) both are trusting each other and it feels good.
-C. C.
This place is magical and I love coming here. Looking forward to coming every week and telling people about this place is wonderful. The general ambiance and horses are so healing. -J. S.
I have struggled with PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks for 10 years, without a great understanding of what they were or what was going on with me during those years. Almost my accident I stumbled upon Debbi and Bob’s therapeutic horsemanship program. In the six months I have been riding here, I have had more progress in dealing with my PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks than I have in 10 years. I am very grateful that God allowed me to stumble upon this program, so that I could begin the healing process that I so desperately needed.”
— Anonymous
I would find myself hanging on by a thread. Knowing that Buddy would be waiting for me, and the apple or carrot in my pocked, was the only thing that kept me going. I remember lying in bed one night, thinking how I couldn’t take the physical and mental pain any longer. It needed to stop. My kids and family would go on. I wasn’t needed any longer. The Army didn’t want me. I couldn’t be a nurse anymore. There was no rreason to keep struggling day to day, barely breathing, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep and never wake up. The cold, hard steel of the Ruger barrel in my mouth. All I had to do was pull the trigger and the pain would stop. I hoped God would forgive me. I just couldn’t do this anymore. Then Buddy appeared, almost as if in a vision. He was waiting impatiently in his stall. He was ready for class, ready to be groomed. Ready for that scratch on the neck that only I knew would make him curl his lip as if to say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the spot.’ I took the gun out of my mouth thinking, Okay, Buddy, I’ll be there for class. Lessons continued and Buddy taught me patience, breathing, how to round pen and give commands with the tiniest squeeze of a calf. As we learned to do extreme mountain trail obstacles together, we became a team. I regained confidence that had been ripped away, and began considering a return to nursing. All because of a horse. -K.S.
I came to the horse program’s introduction class and the whole time sitting there, they’re talking and I’m just watching Fred. So after we could go meet the horses, I went straight to Fred. And I fell in love with this guy, because he does these funny things. He pickpockets, knocks your hat off, pulls on your strings - he’s just a comedian, the class clown. So I met him on a Monday. On Friday, my doctor goes, “If you don’t start talking, blah, blah, blah, in six months you’re going to be dead. Dead by suicide or shot by a cop for getting in a fight somewhere.” And I was already suicidal. I had my none-millimeter locked and loaded. I wrote the suicide note, the reason why I was going to do it, and all that stuff. It was pretty much because of the way I felt. Oh well, you’re broken, you’re injured, you’re no good to us. Within two months of working with the horse, I seemed to be happier, smiling more often. There were times when I would ask Debbi if I could just groom Fred or whatever. And she was like, “Yeah, you can pull Fred out.” So I would just spend the day grooming Fred and walking around with him. That was relaxing, it would calm me. That’s when progress started. That’s when my therapist started seeing the change in me. I find it harder to talk about wanting ro kill myself than to talk about when I saw my friend go down. Or when I didn’t take that mission-the one when the convey didn’t come back. That was out of my hands; I had no control over that. Suicide is in my hands. For me to have been considering suicide makes me feel weak, like not a man, you know?
-A.H.
Feel more invigorating and calmer after each week. -D. C.
Ordering has worked for me in the military, but not so much as a civilian. There are other ways to ask for what you want without going off the rails and like crazy lady. I look forward to fostering my training and becoming a better person, internally and externally. -D. W.
I almost did not come today. I am glad I did. Justice changed my mood right away. -T. Z.
Relationships with other people are often quite challenging for those with PTSD. There is no question that animals have been an important part of my process in dealing with PTSD, and therapeutic horsemanship has been a part of that. Working with an animal requires that I be fully present in the moment. It gets me out of myself. The bond created with a horse is special, and the feedback I receive as a horse mirrors my emotions, is illuminating. Horses do not judge; they listen attentively, and they provide quiet companionship when I don’t want to talk to a person about my problems. -S. W.