Veterans Struggling With Mental Health Turn To Horse Therapy To Help Them Heal

It can be extremely hard for veterans to adjust to civilian life, but one Texas non-profit is helping struggling veterans heal through equine therapy.

Restoration Ranch, which was started in 2016 in Bastrop, is “a safe-haven for equine learning and development that nurtures the well-being of veteran families through the gift of the horse.”

According to their website, the ranch provides “access to a rural way of life that embraces holistic health, sustainable agriculture and community-building program aimed at restoring the physical vitality, emotional and spiritual health of all involved.”

“There’s something special about horses that I believe God gave them to help us,” Army veteran Derek Knapp, who runs the ranch, told KXAN.

The non-profit has helped nearly 1,000 veteran each year and is open to all veterans and their families. The horses are also rescues, so the program benefits them just as much as it does the veterans.

One of those veterans is Richard Carson, an Army medic who did a tour in Afghanistan, and retired in 2010 after he was hit by an IED explosion.

Carson says his close connection with Lily, one of the riding horses there, has helped him when he was struggling with his PTSD, and has helped him deal with some of the things that he’s seen and done in the military. Thanks to this wonderful non-profit and their incredible horses, he is living a much healthier and happier life.

Learn more about Restoration Ranch on their website and in the video below.