Help active and veteran military with post-combat challenges

Why I Care

My youngest years were spent on military bases (my dad serving in the U.S. Army). At about the age of ten, several years after my dad's death, I became aware of the powerful, positive influences horses had on my mind and soul. Over the past 4+ years of volunteering at the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, I have become aware that these influences were not peculiar to me. Instead, working with horses and learning how to partner with them through horsemanship and riding lessons, can provide benefits as well for active and veteran military men and women working through a variety of post-combat challanges. Please see below for information about the riders and the impact of this prorgam on their recovery.

How You Can Help

NVTRP covers 100% of the cost of lessons for our military riders. And that's where you come in.

We need to raise additional funds in order to continue the military program at its current level. Can you help me reach my fundraising goal? Even a small, tax deductible donation will go a long way. Together, we can help more military riders recover from physical and mental health issues. A small way to say "thank you for your service."

My goal is to raise $2,000 by Veteran's Day, November 11, 2016. Please help NVTRP improve the quality of life for recovering military men and women who have served our country so selflessly.

The Riders

Currently, NVTRP serves military riders who come to the program on their own or through a partnership with Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

The riders are working to recover from a range of physical and mental health issues, including injuries, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injuries. Riding at NVTRP helps them heal in many ways—by rebuilding muscle strength, developing healthy coping and relationship skills, and increasing self-confidence. Repeatedly, military riders talk about the sense of peacefulness they experience at the farm, and the importance of that respite to their healing.

The Impact

One of the recreational therapists from FBCH's Residential Treatment Center sees tremendous benefits to her patients from working with the horses. "We're trying so hard to help them find a way to connect with anything positive, something that gives them a healthy relief from their depression and anxiety. At NVTRP they find a real connection with the horses, and for a lot of them, it's the first they've connected emotionally with anything in a long time . . . they feel peaceful at the farm. Patients are usually extremely nervous to go off post on a recreational outing, since that increases their sense of vulnerability . . . but they can't get enough riding, they keep asking to do it more often."

The Wounded Warrior Project partners with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) to fund therapeutic riding for eligible members. In 2014, the Wounded Warrior Project surveyed participants in their therapeutic riding program. Ninety two of the 119 participants responded; of those, 84% agreed that therapeutic riding helped them to develop a greater sense of self-esteem and overall self-confidence. Eighty-eight percent stated that they will seek other sport or recreational opportunities in the community as a result of their riding.