War Horse Creek is an immersive transition training program using rescued wild mustangs to assist veterans as they adjust to civilian life.
War Horse Creek, an initiative of Living Free Animal Sanctuary, is a program by veterans, for veterans, assisting with the transition from military to civilian life.
Currently offering 1-day workshops, veterans make their way up the beautiful San Jacinto Mountains to participate in a program that blends the EAGALA model of equine-assisted therapy with our Collaborative Horsemanship training. This approach helps veterans revive essential skills that may become dormant during their military service—empathy, patience, understanding, kindness, and compassion. Once mastered with the horses, these skills can become adaptive habits, enriching relationships with family, friends, and society.
In addition to working with our horses, Veterans will also be able to enjoy a variety of activities offered on the Living Free property. Explore the calming pine forests while hiking alongside Coldwater Creek and take in breathtaking vistas of the National Forest, all while observing the diverse wildlife that calls this area home. And, by engaging in mindfulness exercises amidst these peaceful surroundings, Veterans will feel an enhanced sense of peace and well-being.
Living Free is also home to a unique cat and dog rescue, providing veterans with the opportunity to connect with our many rescue animals. Further, veterans can engage in meaningful projects around the sanctuary, contributing to the ongoing care and improvement of this peaceful haven.
Most importantly, Veterans will have valuable downtime to unwind and connect deeply with fellow veterans, forging bonds and finding support in a community that understands their journey.
Ultimately, the goal of War Horse Creek is to inspire a sea of change in the way we, as a society, welcome our warriors home, and reduce the cost of military service on veterans and their families.
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The suicide rate for veterans ages 18-29 was 86 per 100,000… almost twice as high as other age groups.
— Dr. David Shulkin, M.D., Under Secretary of Health, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. New York Times, July 7, 2016
Equine Assisted Therapy
With Rescued Mustangs
At the heart of War Horse Creek are the mustangs.
Many veterans are reluctant to engage in traditional “talk therapies” for a variety of reasons. It simply goes against the warfighter grain. Stepping into an arena with a wild horse is an entirely different experience, and a challenge well suited to Veterans.
Mustangs are unique in equine-assisted therapy due to their history of living in the wild, which makes them particularly sensitive and intuitive. Their survival instincts enable them to quickly read human emotions and respond to subtle cues, creating a powerful mirror for clients’ behaviors and feelings.
This heightened awareness fosters deep, non-verbal communication, helping individuals develop empathy, patience, and self-awareness. The mustangs’ journey from wild to gentled horses also symbolizes resilience and adaptability, providing inspiration and a sense of connection for those undergoing therapy.
The EAGALA Model and Collaborative Horsemanship:
War Horse Creek incorporates the EAGALA Model, an experiential therapy approach that involves a licensed Mental Health Professional and an Equine Specialist working collaboratively with veterans and mustangs. This hands-on therapy provides emotional safety and real-time feedback, addressing issues such as addiction, trauma, and behavioral disorders. By engaging in non-riding activities that focus on the interaction between the Veterans and the horses, the EAGALA Model helps Veterans develop coping skills and build trust, both with the horses and within themselves.
Additionally, War Horse Creek integrates Collaborative Horsemanship, which emphasizes building a partnership with the horse based on mutual respect and communication. This approach allows veterans to master skills such as empathy, patience, understanding, kindness, and compassion. These skills become ingrained as adaptive habits that veterans can transfer to their relationships with family, friends, and society. The combination of the EAGALA Model and Collaborative Horsemanship ensures that the therapeutic process is both impactful and transformative, offering a unique pathway to healing and personal growth for veterans.
For more information, visit EAGALA.
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“Commissioners agreed that a cross-cutting range of improvements are needed, but most importantly that the VA must transform its delivery model to one that is person- centered, relationship-based, and focused on veterans’ whole health.”
— Creating Options for Veterans Expedited Recovery (COVER) Commission Report, Introduction, 24 February 2020.
VETERANS IN CRISIS
It’s no secret many veterans struggle upon their return to civilian life. Despite billions of dollars in increased spending on veterans’ mental health issues, suicide rates are on the rise, particularly among 18-29 year olds.
The Veterans Administration and Department of Defense generally provide “talk therapies” and medication. But many veterans are reluctant to engage in talk therapies, and pharmaceuticals have their limits, including risk of addiction.
What is needed is a way to get to the root causes of the problems and avoid the alienation and downward spiral that so many veterans experience when they come home.
PLIGHT OF THE MUSTANGS
Mustangs are under siege across the West. Currently about 45,000 wild horses have been rounded up from public lands and now languish in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pens. Recently, an advisory board to the BLM recommended all horses be sold off or destroyed. They rejected the recommendation, for now, but the clock is ticking.
Mustangs are ideal for equine-assisted reintegration training. They are, in effect, highly sensitive 1,200-pound biofeedback mechanisms. Horses respond to a person’s intentions and physicality, mirroring subconscious issues so they may be identified and addressed within oneself.
A SYMBOLIC BOND
Many mustangs were descended from horses bred for the military, and where then turned out when they were no longer needed. Only the strongest survived, due to their strength, resourcefulness and hyper-vigilance – characteristics they share with our veterans.
These traits can create a connection between veteran and horse, often leading to a marked transformation for each.
We want our program to change the public perception of wild mustangs from tragic burden to highly valuable resource. And we believe it is fitting that descendants of the horses which carried our forefathers into battle will now help bring our warfighters home.
“
The suicide rate for veterans ages 18-29 was 86 per 100,000… almost twice as high as other age groups.
— Dr. David Shulkin, M.D., Under Secretary of Health, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. New York Times, July 7, 2016
VETERANS IN CRISIS
It’s no secret many veterans struggle upon their return to civilian life. Despite billions of dollars in increased spending on veterans’ mental health issues, suicide rates are on the rise, particularly among 18-29 year olds.
The Veterans Administration and Department of Defense generally provide “talk therapies” and medication. But many veterans are reluctant to engage in talk therapies, and pharmaceuticals have their limits, including risk of addiction.
What is needed is a way to get to the root causes of the problems and avoid the alienation and downward spiral that so many veterans experience when they come home.
PLIGHT OF THE MUSTANGS
Mustangs are under siege across the West. Currently about 45,000 wild horses have been rounded up from public lands and now languish in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pens. Recently, an advisory board to the BLM recommended all horses be sold off or destroyed. They rejected the recommendation, for now, but the clock is ticking.
Mustangs are ideal for equine-assisted reintegration training. They are, in effect, highly sensitive 1,200-pound biofeedback mechanisms. Horses respond to a person’s intentions and physicality, mirroring subconscious issues so they may be identified and addressed within oneself.
A SYMBOLIC BOND
Many mustangs were descended from horses bred for the military, and where then turned out when they were no longer needed. Only the strongest survived, due to their strength, resourcefulness and hyper-vigilance – characteristics they share with our veterans.
These traits can create a connection between veteran and horse, often leading to a marked transformation for each.
We want our program to change the public perception of wild mustangs from tragic burden to highly valuable resource. And we believe it is fitting that descendants of the horses which carried our forefathers into battle will now help bring our warfighters home.
“
“Commissioners agreed that a cross-cutting range of improvements are needed, but most importantly that the VA must transform its delivery model to one that is person-centered, relationship-based, and focused on veterans’ whole health.”
— Creating Options for Veterans Expedited Recovery (COVER) Commission Report, Introduction, 24 February 2020.
IN HONOR
We work diligently to drive forward our mission in honor of the late Randall Harris.