Proudly providing equine-assisted services to recovering service members and Veterans.
Cloverleaf Equine Center offers 12-week programs for recovering military personnel and Veterans. Our program combines therapeutic riding and equine-assisted learning, while focusing on relationship building between the participants and the horses. Horses are non-judgmental partners who thrive on positive teamwork and relationships – this low-pressure environment encourages individuals to develop the valuable the skills needed to create positive bonds with humans and horses.
Formal program for recovering service members and Veterans begins thanks to a referral from the USO to a major local military installation.
Number of sessions offered begins growing steadily. 304 sessions for recovering service members and Veterans were completed.
Surge in number of service members and Veterans self-referring since the onset of COVID. 236 sessions were provided despite a total shutdown for three months, and a phased return to service.
Over 650 sessions are projected, a 115% increase from 2019.
662 sessions provided to a total of 44 unique Veterans and service members.
Cloverleaf pilots a newly reformatted military program.
A rapidly growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of equine-assisted services helping military personnel and Veterans restore their confidence at their own pace.
Horses are animals of prey. Much like recovering service members recovering from PTSD, they are hypervigilant. Trust must be earned.
Horses are extremely intuitive. Clients must come from a calm and controlled space in order to successfully work with a horse.
Horses provide honest, non-judgmental feedback to every client. This dynamic of trust and honesty allows Veterans to let their guard down and be authentic.
“…the sessions [at Cloverleaf] incorporate the issues I have with anxiety, depression and being around new people… it really shows me the vibe I am giving off. I think I’m saying, ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you’ and then the horse doesn’t want to come next to me. I recognize that I really need to work on what’s inside”.
