FORT EUSTIS, Va –
From its earliest days, the horse has played an integral role in the U.S. Army. From horse regiments in the Civil War and mounted reconnaissance units in World War I, to today's Caisson Platoon of the Old Guard, horses have in one way or another served the American Soldier. Today the Army has a new mission for horses: heal its Soldiers.
In 2007, a movement took root within the hippotherapy community: use horses to help heal the nation's wounded warriors. Hippotherapy, or equine assisted treatment or therapy, uses horses to help address physical, occupational and learning disabilities in individuals.
Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center in Toano became a part of the healing process for Soldiers June 18 when Soldiers from the Fort Eustis Warrior Transition Unit began a free 10-week EATT session. Spec. Emily Gordnier, a WT at the Fort Eustis Warrior Transition Unit, was one of the first to saddle up and begin her ride on the trail to recovery.
"When Mr. Gaines first told us about it one morning in formation, I said to myself, 'I've got to do this,' " Gornier said in a recent interview.
Clifton Gaines is the WTU Family Readiness Support Leader.
Every Thursday, Gordnier and a WTU cadre member drive nearly 30 miles for Gordnier's one-hour session with her therapist, Winston, a 14-year-old, chestnut-colored Tennessee Walking horse with a white blaze on his face. After greeting Winston, Gordnier and Dream Catcher instructor Kim Wendell begin to prepare the horse for the session.
Watching Gordnier and Wendell, retired Army Col. Denny McSweeney, a volunteer at the center, shares his thoughts about the program.
"When they (Dream Catchers) said they were going to start focusing on helping the Soldiers, I immediately asked if I could participate in the program," McSweeney said.
McSweeney, a wounded warrior himself, shared his appreciation for the way the Army has expanded its approach to healing wounded warfighters with alternative programs such as hippotherapy.
"There's just something magical about animals; animals by themselves are therapeutic. The Army spends a lot of effort on the physical part, but what about the mental side? I think one of the ways to go is with animal therapy," he said. "I've seen where someone gets on a horse and it's like they come alive and what I'm seeing with the wounded warriors is that it helps them cope with whatever they're coping with just being around the horses," he added.
Bridled and saddled, Winston is led to the indoor corral for Gordnier to mount up. Seated and ready, horse and rider -- accompanied by Wendell and center volunteer Judy Salken -- walk out to an outdoor corral for the day's lesson.
Nancy Paschall, the center's executive director, came out to watch the morning's session and remarked on the effect the therapy seems to be having on the Soldier.
"She is really doing well," Paschall said of Gordnier. "This is her third week out here and you can really see how it's helping her."
Salken agreed.
"Working with Emily, I've seen how this is helping her. She was more quiet in the beginning, now she's sharing more, talking about her family and herself. This is a good program and it's just amazing to see how people come out of themselves," Salken said.
Gordnier, who has endured surgery on her back and both feet, says the therapy has benefitted her emotionally and physically.
"It's an alternative therapy and to me, it's a very good therapy. It relieves stress and it takes my mind away from everything else," Gordnier said. "Since I had surgery on my feet, I couldn't run but when I'm here, it helps because it gives me a chance to get off my feet and feel like I'm running. I feel free," She said.
Stress relief is just one of the many benefits of EATT.
The partnership with Dream Catchers and Eustis' WTU is due to the efforts of Sgt. 1st Class Donald Jackson, an instructor at the NCO Academy who is also an NARHA-certified instructor.
Jackson, an Army Reservist, has been a certified hippotherapy instructor since 1998 and was the assistant program director of an NARHA facility in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., when he was activated in January 2007.
"Right after I was activated, I came here to Fort Eustis and got involved with Dream Catchers. I helped with a yellow ribbon event and started thinking about how equine assisted therapy may be something the WTU might be interested in," Jackson said.
Jackson began the legwork, speaking with WTU leadership and Dream Catchers about integrating equine therapy into the WTU's program for the Soldiers.
"I thought, 'Why not? Why can't we get this program going?' " Jackson said in a recent interview.
Jackson, acting as a liaison between the WTU and Dream Catchers, helped get the program kicked off in June. A few Soldiers have participated in the program, but due to varied schedules and appointments, the participation level ebbs and flows. Another reason may be doubts WTs may have about the intrinsic value of hippotherapy or their ability to participate because of their injuries or disabilities. Jackson counters that idea, stating that one of the benefits of EATT is that nearly anyone can participate regardless of the ability or disability of the rider.
"When you see the passion on a rider's face once they (WTs) understand that it's not just going out for a pony ride, there is a therapeutic value for them," Jackson said.
Because a horse's gait mimics that of a person's, horseback riding therapy not only hones and strengthens muscle groups it also provides the rider with a sense of independence and control.
The extent of an injury determines the involvement with a horse, but Jackson says that horse therapy, when used with other alternative therapies, can achieve better results than traditional therapy. Patients with amputations, traumatic brain injuries, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and emotional trauma can all benefit from the program, Jackson said.
"When you're on a dynamic moving platform like a horse, you are going to see results that are tangible such as strengthening muscle groups and regaining coordination and balance, and intangible, such as emotional," he said.
With his years of experience in the field, Jackson asserts that equine assisted therapy offers the right balance of physical and emotional therapy for America's wounded Soldiers.
"Horses not only mimic a person's gait, they also mirror their feelings. If a person's sad or tense, the horse senses that and becomes sad or tense," Jackson said.
Jackson said that by seeing their own emotions reflected back to them, patients can face their problems head on and help define their own healing process, emotionally and physically.
"It's not just about their disabilities, but their abilities," Jackson said.
Gordnier's testimony supports Jackson's assertion.
"Before I came here, I had back surgery and at first I didn't think it would help me or that I could do it. Since I started coming here, it's actually helped me. I can sit up straight and it has actually helped my posture," Gordnier said. "I'm coming along and this has been a good, positive experience for me as it will be for anyone who participates in it," she said.
Before beginning equine assisted treatment or therapy, a patient is screened to ensure they are physically and mentally able to participate.
"We look at rider's challenges, physical and mental. We also look at the rider's size and joint issues, if there are any," said Melissa Conner, Dream Catchers operations manager.
Horses used in hippotherapy programs are also put through a screening process. Many of the horses in the program at Dream Catchers have been donated while others are on loan or are owned by center staff and volunteers.
"We have 16 horses for the program in a variety of breeds, sizes, ages and temperament. The horses have to like people, be tolerant and understand their job. Only about one in 15 horses has the disposition to do this work, said Conner.
Conner explained that ideally, a horse and rider stay together throughout the rider's 10-week session. An emotional attachment between a horse and rider is inherent to the healing process.
"They must bond. Like with Emily and Winston, he responds to her as a rider and on the ground and that's beneficial to her healing process," Conner said.
"The thing about horses, they feel your emotions. They feel your anger, your pain, your sadness; they feel everything. When I come out here, I'm excited and when I leave and go home from here, I'm happy. I'm stress free, I'm relieved and I feel like I can take on the world and it carries me through the next week," Gordnier said.
Programs that use horses as a therapeutic tool for wounded and ill servicemembers have taken root in the last four years and in 2007 the NARHA established Horses for Heroes for ill and wounded servicemembers. Since then, many other programs have stood up throughout the U.S. Although the practice is gaining momentum in the military, Fort Meyer is currently the only Army installation with an equine assisted therapy program for Soldiers.
In May 2006, the Old Guard's Caisson Platoon, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment -- known for its ceremonial duties such as military burials at Arlington National Cemetery -- took on an additional identity as the Caisson Platoon Equine Assisted Therapy program.
What initially started as a pilot study became an established working program when the first program participants -- five Soldiers and one Airman, all with lower extremity amputations -- travelled from Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to Fort Meyer in Arlington each Thursday for a riding session with the horses of the Caisson Platoon. Researchers and therapists involved in the study found that, not only did the participants attain the program's goals for improving posture, walking, mobility, balance and gross motor function, but they also found "a whole new sense of control during the program."
Another form of therapy, equine psychotherapy, is also being used to treat servicemembers returning from duty in the warzones of Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD.
"Hampton University is interested in studying the correlation between this and PTSD, if there is any," said Paschall. "We actually have a research staff between here and the College of William and Mary that's also looking at it."
Horses have been used for many years as a treatment strategy for physically, mentally and emotionally challenged individuals and the emergence of equine therapy programs for America's veterans may be a valuable tool to help wounded warfighters find their way back to physical and emotional balance and health.
"We've got to take care of those folks. We can't abandon them just because of a disorder or an injury or physical limitation. Alternate sources of therapy can be found right here at Dream Catchers and I would love to see the military start taking advantage of this, I really would," said McSweeney.