Courageous Hearts helping to connect veterans and horses
When a group of veterans woke up early on a recent Saturday morning, they thought they were going out to help with chores on a nearby farm. What they didn’t know was that they were about to meet some special animals.
But the farm animals are not your everyday horses, cows, donkeys, goats and dogs. And the farm is not your everyday farm.
The animals are part of Courageous Hearts, a small farm in Lincoln where equine and mental health professionals use horses to provide equine-assisted psychotherapy for veterans, families and other groups. EAP horses are extremely effective at helping people cope with emotional struggles. While a horse’s size and power can intimidate anyone unaccustomed to being around them, EAP horses are empathetic creatures that mirror a person’s feelings.
With guidance from EAP professionals, veterans who find it hard to reconnect to everyday life after military service find that interacting with these horses encourages them to let down their guard and confidently face their emotional issues without fear.
Psychotherapist Dr. Rosemary Baughman, executive director and co-founder of Courageous Hearts, said she enjoys working with veterans. “At Courageous Hearts, I’ve watched veterans express words without speaking at all,” she said, referring to how veterans and other clients silently communicate with horses.
“In equine-assisted psychotherapy, our team – a therapist, an equine professional and a wise, honest horse – anchor their humans in the present,” Baughman said. “We find the horses don’t judge, but rather they accept, and in that acceptance, they allow emotional shifts to occur and healing to begin.”
The veterans experienced the positive effects of EAP firsthand when the facilitator asked them to bridle two of the horses, Mr. C and Apple Jack. It took several attempts for one of the teams to gain Mr. C’s trust before he allowed them to bridle him. Until then, he had turned and walked away from the bridle.
Engaging in farm chores can be a therapeutic experience for people who need a mental break from their daily life stressors. At the same time, starting and completing a task can induce a sense of accomplishment, improving self-esteem and confidence. The veterans worked in teams to repair a goat pen, clear debris, and clean barn stalls and farm equipment. They also drove a tractor to fertilize the fields.
“I volunteered to go to Courageous Hearts just to give back and help others, which I genuinely enjoy,” said Makayla Smith, an aircrew flight equipment technician with the Air National Guard. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “This event did help me feel grounded. It was very rewarding to know I helped make someone smile.”
Fellow veteran Jaime Morales, a five-year Navy veteran, echoed Smith’s thoughts. “I like to volunteer, and Courageous Hearts would be a new experience to me,” he said. He said while he did get covered in dirt and spider webs, he also expected things “to get rowdy from the animal sounds.”
In the end, Morales said, he found the experience peaceful. “It was a breath of fresh air,” he said. “Even though I was there to volunteer, just being there was beneficial for my mental health. I gained a stronger bond with my fellow veterans and learned about the wonderful mental health resource of Courageous Hearts.”
As veterans make up only 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent of the United States’ and Delaware’s population, respectively, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 statistics, they often feel disconnected from the rest of society. Working together on chores in a peaceful environment like a farm allows veterans to connect with other people and feel comfortable sharing their military experiences as well as the challenges they face when returning to everyday society. Even small interactions like these help veterans get back some of the sense of belonging they felt while serving.
Delaware Veterans Affairs Secretary Karen Berry, a retired Army National Guard brigadier general and former Delaware Tech veterans advocacy specialist, arranged this activity with Courageous Hearts and invited members of the college’s Veterans Staff Group to volunteer to help with the farm chores.
