The medical school is working with Heavenly Hoofs, an nationally accredited equine-assisted therapy program in Osceola County, to provide therapy to local veterans and is working to expand the program into a national model.<\/p>\n
Equestrian therapy is a relatively new way to treat psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and to help rehabilitate veterans with amputations and brain injuries from combat. Because the therapy is so new, the College of Medicine wants to develop a national center to conduct the first scientific research on the topic and to design best practices.<\/p>\n
Leading the effort is Dr. Manette Monroe, a lifelong horsewoman who is assistant dean of students at the College of Medicine and also an assistant professor of pathology. In April, she, Heavenly Hoofs and S.A.D.L.E.S. of Umatilla began sessions of Horses and Heroes, an eight-week series of classes and therapy for veterans. They are also working with Osceola County to develop a covered, purpose-built facility near medical city for the therapy. \u201cThis facility would be the first in the nation to be built from the ground up in conjunction with a medical school,\u201d Monroe said. Therapy is currently conducted at space provided by the county at Osceola Heritage Park.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Horses and Heroes demonstrated the program to the media. Eight veterans, including men in their 20s and 30s who were injured in Iraq and veterans in their 60s, who served in Vietnam, demonstrated the team- and trust-building therapies they receive with their horses. The veterans have also formed a horse drill team that they hope will perform in future Osceola County equestrian events.<\/p>\n
Army veteran Lito Santos enlisted at age 17, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. He lost his leg at the hip and suffered traumatic brain injury during a 2005 roadside bombing in Iraq. He was only 19 at the time and his heart stopped several times as he was transferred off the battlefield. Santos is partnered with Seemore, a compact chestnut quarter horse. Horseback riding not only eases Santos\u2019 anxiety, it also helps him improve his core strength and balance. \u201cIt\u2019s been a blessing,\u201d he says of his equine-assisted therapy. \u201cThe whole time I\u2019m here, I\u2019m at peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horses are excellent for this type of therapy because they are so sensitive to nonverbal communication, Monroe said. This trait and their unconditional love help veterans learn to better manage their own anxiety and reactions to stress.<\/p>\n
Equestrian therapy \u201ctakes my mind off the pain,\u201d said Navy veteran Dave Vernaza, who was injured by shrapnel in Iraq. \u201cIt allows me to do something that\u2019s enjoyable, that relieves the anxiety. It gives me an opportunity to create a bond with my horse Jake.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The medical school is working with Heavenly Hoofs, an nationally accredited equine-assisted therapy program in Osceola County, to provide therapy to local veterans and is working to expand the program into a national model. Equestrian therapy is a relatively new way to treat psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and to help rehabilitate veterans with amputations and brain injuries…","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":36172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,12],"tags":[5550,3820,5055],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-36171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-health","tag-manette-monroe","tag-ptsd","tag-veterans"],"yoast_head":"\n