“Horses help us bring ourselves out of our thinking brain and into our bodies,” she says. “To stand in their presence, or by touching or brushing the horses, people begin to feel that relationship build. Their defenses go down, and their bodies and minds relax.” This mental repose leads individuals to gain more insight on their struggle, and provides them the confidence and compassion to move toward a resolution.

Unbridled Way Forward serves older teenagers and adults, and offers monthly guided Herd Meditations that allow participants to interact with the horses, or simply explore the space. Facilitators close the session with a brief discussion of experiences for those who want to share.

Building a Brighter Future at Corral Riding Academy Corral Riding Academy offers farms in Raleigh and Cary to serve girls ages 11–18 years old who are in high-risk situations with low protective factors and resources. Most have faced trauma and have multiple odds stacked against them, yet they hold a capacity for change through a holistic program of equine therapy and education. Corral, founded in 2008, collaborates with referral partners to identify participants and then pairs them with one of 15 rescue horses in its 12-week Join the Herd program. Through its team of licensed professionals, girls spend the majority of the time on the ground developing a meaningful relationship with a horse, a process which is almost identical to how they would foster a healthy relationship with a person.

“For kids with trauma, they have learned a lot of maladaptive relationship skills to stay safe in their environments,” explains executive director and co-founder Joy Currey, who has witnessed 514 girls discover a brighter future through the program’s community-funded services. “If a horse is passive or resistant, the therapist steps in and helps the girls identify the behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that might be inhibiting their ability to create strong relationships. Horses reteach those skills. The work itself is also healing to the horses, who come from difficult situations as well,” she says.

After completing the Join the Herd program, girls can apply for The Riding Academy, a long-term intervention that combines individualized equine-assisted psychotherapy with academic tutoring, vocational training, mentorship and family counseling. Lasting anywhere from one to six years and occupying 17 hours a week, The Riding Academy is where Corral sees real-life change in its participants.

“Kids who enter The Riding Academy usually aren’t doing well in school, but after they have been in the program for three years they typically have over a 3.0 GPA,” Currey says. “Over 75% of our high school seniors go on to college, and of our alumni that we’ve surveyed, more than 90% have participated in college. We’re really proud of the academic achievements of our youth.”