The MASTERSON METHOD sponsored program creates a bond between horse and former soldier.

BY DARLENE RICKER

The MASTERSON METHOD sponsored program creates a bond between horse and former soldier.

Among numerous equine therapy programs across the country, a nonprofit based in Southern California has tailored a training opportunity specifically for military veterans. Unlike other programs that offer counseling in an office setting, with Equine Empowered Therapy (EET), the healing takes place in the barn— and the horses are the therapists. Healing takes place through EET educational courses and training provided by instructors certified in The Masterson Method, an interactive form of equine bodywork upon which the program is based. Rather than doing the work to the horse, in the Masterson program, the work is done with the horse as a participant.

While the method was created to relieve physical discomfort in the horse,

EET students have reported a mutual benefit: helping the horse relieves their own psychological wounds, many of which stem from traumatic experiences in military service, such as PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma.

“The program changed my life,” said Terine Diaz, 54, of Long Beach, California, a U.S. Navy veteran who was deployed twice (to Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War and to Baghdad in the Iraq War). She enrolled in EET six months ago and had no experience with horses. Now, she said, she enjoys them so much that, “When I’m not at the ranch, that’s all I can think about.”

EET provides the program, including education and job placement assistance, at no charge to veterans. The Masterson Method donates instruction by a Masterson-certified instructor.

Veterans are first introduced to safety methods and groundwork with horses; they take riding lessons and advanced training for several months. When the student is ready, they enter EET’s paid equine-apprenticeship program, which prepares and qualifies them for a new career in the equine industry. For veterans who choose a path that requires more academic studies, EET places and mentors them in collegiate equine science programs.

EET students have to learn how to work with the nature and instincts of the horse as a flight animal, which is far different from what they experienced in battle zones.

“Veterans have to get out of that warrior mindset and get eyeto-eye with the horse—a prey animal,” said Kristen Ferrell, operations manager at EET. “They can relate to the horse because they’ve also been prey. In the military you’re a predator and a warrior, but you’re also being hunted. The EET program teaches veterans to be in the moment with the horse.”

Ferrell witnessed veterans in the program, even those who have no experience with horses, explode into tears when they connect with a horse. She said it carries into their personal lives, improving relationships and employment potential.

Unlike programs with a set structure and timeframe, EET is individualized. “We move slowly and focus on one veteran at a time,” she said. “They have very specialized, intensive training to meet their goals and ensure their success when they move on.”

While many graduates prepare for employment on farms or equine rescue facilities, some have gone on to own their own farms. One veteran from the program is in the final stages of becoming a therapeutic instructor. Her goal is to have her property become a therapeutic riding center.