Walk By Faith Therapeutic Riding - Veterans, horses share some time and space, to the benefit of both
Crookston Daily TimesJan 17, 2019
"These mustangs come to us with no experience of being handled by humans; we take them in and they have to learn to adapt to a new life. That makes it hard for them to trust us at first," explained Schwarz, co-founder of Walk By Faith Therapeutic Riding in
With those potentially parallel challenges in mind, Schwarz and her husband, Travis, spent several hours on Saturday in the
In the middle of the arena, the veterans, one at a time, worked with Hunter and Shenandoah, trying to break down barriers and establish trust while running the horses through exercises such as "lunging," in which the veterans controlled a rope while the horses ran in circles around them. As needed, Kristen and Travis joined the veteran and horse to help strengthen the new bond being forged.
"We want to reach those that need us; they form bonds with these mustangs that often lets them see things differently," Kristen said. "The only human interaction that these mustangs have before us is seeing people in the park and through the capture process where they are prepared for pickup. They really have to learn to trust in a big way."
Hunter and Shenandoah are still relatively small in stature and, in addition to having very little close contact with humans, they also aren't used to having any weight on them. Given that, Saturday's goals in the
"Shenandoah's only had a saddle on her a few times, so we're working to getting her used to carrying it," Kristen explained.
But with Travis and veteran
"I can't believe it," Kristen said while watching the mustang, her husband and Guzman make their way around the middle of the arena. "Look at what they're doing!"
Walk By Faith's next veterans program is set for
About Walk By Faith
Walk By Faith Therapeutic Riding is a faith-based therapeutic activities program founded to help others feel independence and belonging through the use of horses. In its Children's Program they service individuals with special needs in hopes to show them the love and freedom that their horse partners have to offer. Through their Operation Hunter's Heroes team, they help veterans/active service personnel get a second chance at hope while giving the mustangs a second chance at life.
Walk By Faith is located at the Schwarz home in
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