What do horses and dogs have in common? The ability to heal minds
Stay calm and pet a horse.
And a dog.
For both have the power to heal.
A Cottonwood-based nonprofit program that uses horses as a form of therapy for skittish and troubled humans is teaming up Saturday at the Shasta District Fair grounds in Anderson with another nonprofit group that trains and provides therapeutic service dogs for veterans.
The two groups began to link up earlier this summer and it seems like a natural connection.
"It's going to be fascinating about what rolls out of this" collaboration, says U.S. Army veteran Bruce Riecke, a Red Bluff resident and founder of Veterans K9 Connections. "I think we will see some amazing things."
So does Joni Maggini, president and creator of the nonprofit DLB Ranch Inc., which specializes in horse assisted therapy and learning for those with mental, emotional and behavioral issues, including families in crisis.
"We do everything," she says.
Saturday's free event at the fairgrounds, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon in Barn B, is designed to showcase both alternative therapies available to veterans.
Both horses and dogs can help tremendously defuse anxieties, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
"It's like a one-two punch to PTSD," Maggini said.
Studies have shown that horse, or equine, therapy, which features a number of specially designed exercises to break down barriers, has been successful in helping patients show improvements in a variety of areas, including emotional awareness, empathy, self-confidence and stress tolerance.
And, Maggini says, the use of horses, as well as dogs, can help veterans and their families move forward and overcome their challenges quicker than traditional therapy.
Her nonprofit has been working for a number of years with at-risk students at Salisbury High School in Red Bluff to help teach them living skills, self-esteem, trust and confidence.
"It gets the kids in touch with their internal insight," Maggini says as seven students went through their paces earlier this week with the horses at her Cottonwood ranch.
Riecke, who was on hand to see how the students interacted with the horses and dogs, said the animals have the ability to keep the teens calm and focused.
And, he said, the same thing can be done for veterans, some of whom may be too reliant on medication as they carry on with their lives.
"These guys (veterans) aren't going to heal if they are drugged up," he said.
Like DLB Ranch Inc., his organization is all about healing.
The Veterans K9 Connection works to find, evaluate and match service dogs with veterans, especially those with PTSD, to help improve their lives.
Additional information can be obtained at http://www.dlbranch.org andwww.facebook.com/veteransk9connectionsnorcal/