Salt Lake City - January 8, 2024 - Horses for Mental Health (HMH) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded the Adaptive Sports Grant for $371,070 by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide essential services for 225 Veterans and members of the Armed Forces nationwide. Through an innovative personal growth and well-being program incorporating horses, the program aims to address symptoms related to post-traumatic stress, depression, and the challenges of transitioning to civilian life.
The grant comes at a critical time, addressing the alarming statistics highlighted in the 2022 report by the VA, which revealed that an average of 16.8 Veterans died by suicide each day in 2020.
To provide these transformative equine-based services, HMH is proud to partner with twelve trained and certified programs nationwide.
The partnering programs include: Acres for Life Therapy and Wellness Center (Minnesota), A Stable Life (New Jersey), Ebenezer Equine (Montana), Forever Amber Acres (Ohio), Healing Strides of VA (Virginia), H.O.O.V.E.S. (Ohio), Hope-thru-Horses, Inc. (North Carolina), Horses & Heroes, Inc. (Kansas), Lowcountry Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (South Carolina), Reboot Hope (Texas), True Grit and JPF Memorial Foundation (Delaware), and Willow Equine (North Carolina).
Developing relationships with horses through professionally facilitated well-being programs can have a profound impact on mental health. Horses provide powerful opportunities for healthy connections in a way that feels safe and non-judgmental. Veterans resonate with horses in their abilities for survival and connection with a social herd, and these parallels open doors for new insights and self-awareness.
Spending time in nature with these magnificent animals has a calming and peaceful effect, serving as a foundation for healing and well-being. Engaging with horses can create emotionally safe spaces for Veterans to work through difficult life experiences.
Research supports the effectiveness of mental health and personal growth programs incorporating horses for Veterans. A summary of peer-reviewed research can be found at https://horsesformentalhealth.org/how-horses-help/.
For Veterans interested in participating in this grant-funded program, please reach out to one of the partnering programs or contact HMH directly at info@horsesformentalhealth.org.
Horses for Mental Health is dedicated to making a positive impact for the lives of Veterans through access to mental health services involving horses. We thank the Department of Veterans Affairs for this Adaptive Sports Grant empowering HMH to make significant strides towards achieving this mission.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/M_Z1B0LP9aM
Horses for Mental Health
Horses for Mental Health is a 501(c)3 organization to increase awareness, public engagement, funds, and access to programs incorporating horses for mental health and personal growth. Horses for Mental Health seeks to partner with philanthropists, ambassadors, companies, governments, and programs to expand the role horses play in personal development and well-being and to realize our collective vision of a world where all mental health needs are met.
Media Contact
Company Name: Horses For Mental Health
Contact Person: Tyler
Email: Send Email
State: Utah
Country: United States
Website: www.horsesformentalhealth.org
