While Traveler was being evaluated by our Equine Director as a possible donation to our equine therapy program at ROCK (Ride On Center for Kids), it was discovered that he had a breathing problem that would require him to have a tracheotomy. Due to the cost of the procedure, we had to turn him down as a donation.

Much to our surprise, family members of his owners donated money so he could have the procedure. We were then able to accept him as a member of our herd. He has been making connections to provide healing in our Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapy program ever since.

Traveler is able to connect with our children with special needs through his own story. He is different than the rest of our herd, but the herd members accept him anyway. Our staff is able to talk about Traveler’s special needs and challenges with our participants and make connections with them. Traveler is the #righthorse to help our staff accomplish our mission of improving independence and life skills in partnership with the horse at ROCK.

What #RightHorse means to me

The #RightHorse is all about finding a new purpose for a horse that may not be able to continue in their current job. Our therapy horses, most of which are donated to our program, are able to make connections that provide healing to our participants, who in turn provide healing back to the horse through the offering of a new job. The #RightHorse can give veterans renewed hope and provide a listening ear after a difficult day, strengthen the bodies of children and adults for better breath, speech, and muscle tone, and teach social skills to young adults. Please consider donating your #RightHorse to a therapy center near you.