Horses as Healers Take a few minutes to read this article written by our resident equine-assisted mental health counselor, Lorna Shepardson, and learn how horses have a unique capacity to heal. Lorna beautifully illustrates the ways in which horses reach us at our darkest core, only to draw us into the light. A wonderful, inspiring read!
County therapy program uses animals to build trust and confidence. By Steve Guntli Troubled teens, elders and veterans can find peace and learn to build relationships with Animals as Natural Therapy (ANT). ANT is a Bellingham-based nonprofit that uses animals to help people heal, grow and learn. ANT works with troubled children, seniors, veterans and disabled people to help them develop relationships and build interpersonal skills. Sonja Wingard is the executive and program director for ANT. She started the program 16 years
We were fortunate to have Sarah Eden Wallace from KUOW.ORG Seattle at the farm to cover our EAGLE Vets work. Here is the video coverage and article. Horse Therapy Helps Veterans Heal Invisible Wounds By Sarah Eden Wallace • Jun 10, 2015 Veteran Richard Dykstra leads Abby in a corral for equine therapy as part of the Animals as Natural Therapy program north of Bellingham, Wash. KUOW Photo/Sarah Eden Wallace BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Horses are intuitive creatures. Sometimes they’re so sensitive a veteran’s pain can
Yesterday was the first day of Day Camp 2015. It is such an amazing process to watch the horses and kids pick each other. The Visions girls stood there holding all the horses and the campers wandered amongst them, approaching some with more caution than others, reaching out to be sniffed by the horse and stroke its neck or shoulder. Only occasionally a horse will settle their noses gently into a youth’s chest and you know that’s their kid. Often its more
We are often asked to describe our programs and what we do an ANT. Changing lives is pretty amazing stuff. When said like that it appears easy. This process is different for everyone, and the healing comes in learning, acceptance, kindness to self, animals and others. One way we work with our Visions clients is an egg relay race. The teens identify things important to them and write those things on their eggs; then they and their horse have to safely