Horses Helping Heroes
Listening to your horse and what they are communicating reminds me to take a step back and do that in real-life relationships and communication.
About
Established in September of 2016, Horses Helping Heroes (H3) is an Equine-Assisted Activity Learning and Therapy (EAAL/T) program for military Veterans and Service Members at no charge.
Skills you may learn from equine-assisted therapy include emotional regulation, self-confidence, improved communication and relationship skills, mindfulness, and many others. This is not a riding program; we use ground-based horsemanship activities.
Group sessions are led by highly experienced equine horsemanship instructors partnered with credentialed therapy professionals from the VACIHCS support to ensure each participant receives the guidance to explore, process, and solve their specific challenges in a safe and supportive environment.
Program Information
Our Horses Helping Heroes program consists of two smaller programs for our Veterans and Service Members.
Our main program is our Co-Ed program, which runs on Wednesday evenings for six consecutive weeks and serves both men and women in the same session. During their session, participants will experience a combination of ground-based learning, mounted learning, and basic horsemanship. On the last day of each session, participants will experience a carriage ride pulled by one of our draft horses and have a chance to hold the lines and drive.
We are also excited about Horses Helping Heroes' expansion to offer our Veterans Carriage-Driving program. This one-on-one program teaches our participants all about draft horses, how to properly harness and even drive their draft horse partner on the ground and hitched to a carriage. By the end of this eight-week session, our Veteran or Service Member will successfully be a team with their horse.
Registration
Register online by clicking here. Or contact us by email at JPEC_info@polkcountyiowa.gov or by phone at 515-999-2818.
Donate to support the Horses Helping Heroes Program
Working with horses in equine therapy was a positive experience for me. It felt good to have the ability to gain confidence & skill to convince another natural animal to trust me & follow my direction. Communication and body language is key.
Jester Park Equestrian Center strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to participate. If you anticipate needing a modification due to a disability or have questions about accessibility, please contact us at 515-999-2818 or jpec_info@polkcountyiowa.gov.