North Texas veterans find healing through horse therapy
For many military veterans, the most difficult battles begin after their service ends. As the nation marks National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day on Friday, one North Texas nonprofit is helping veterans heal invisible wounds through an unexpected method: horse therapy.
At a ranch in Denton County, veterans like Tech. Sgt. Jay Mulford are learning to connect with horses—and themselves.
"F-16s don't move when you're trying to get in them," Mulford joked while mounting a horse named Teddy. "They're about the same height, though."
Confidence and connection
Mulford, who is transitioning out of the U.S. Air Force Reserve after more than 15 years, said working with horses requires a similar kind of confidence as flying jets—but with a deeper emotional component.
"These are 1,500-pound animals," he said. "You be calm around them, they'll be calm around you. That helps with my communication skills and feeling my emotions more—and relaying that to my family, like, 'Hey, I'm feeling this way.'"
CBS News Texas
Finding purpose again
One of the hardest parts of returning to civilian life, veterans say, is losing the camaraderie and sense of purpose that comes with military service.
"It was difficult. I mean, it's still difficult now," said Miranda Limon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. "But not as difficult as it used to be, due to going to different therapies and trying to figure out what's going to help me."
Limon said being around horses helps her reconnect with the person she was before her four years in the Marine Corps.
"I feel happy after I leave here," she said. "I don't have to worry about anything else. It's just me and the horses and the veterans that were here with."
Freedom Reigns program
The equine therapy program, called Freedom Reigns, is an eight-week course designed specifically for military veterans. It's offered at no cost through a partnership between the Denton County Military Veteran Peer Network and Riding Unlimited, Stable Strides Farm and GallantFew.
"There are things that they struggle with that you can't see," said Becca Hobby, the network's community engagement director. "What we get to do is bring them together and see them come into community and heal those wounds together."
Fighting isolation with community
Casey Brown, executive director of the Denton County Military Veteran Peer Network, said the goal is to reduce isolation — a major risk factor for suicide and substance use among veterans.
"If we can get them out of isolation, get them around other people, get them on horses, start building that community, then that's going to reduce that isolation," Brown said.
Freedom Reigns is one of the Veteran Impact activities funded by a recent $300,000 grant from Texas Health Resources. Veteran Impact is a collaboration between Denton MHMR and Military Veteran Peer Network to increase access to mental health care, peer support, and long-term recovery for veterans by hosting peer events, providing mobile counseling services, and offering transportation
A source of hope
"Seeing and hearing the stories of the veterans, where they have just completely changed the way they approach issues, or that they don't feel alone anymore—that's what we want to see," said Julie Wright, with Texas Health Resources Community Hope. "It's really about developing a source of hope for the community."
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