The Willis Ashley Foley, Jr. Warrior and War Horse program was created by Borrowed Freedom Equine Assisted Therapies to give members of the US Military, Veterans and their families, tools to cope with trauma and stress resulting from combat, long term depression, PTSD and reintegration issues. We help them to reestablish life skills and readjust into civilian life by immersing them into thoughtfully designed, peer-to-peer, equine (horse) guided interactions.
Each day, Veterans of recent conflicts return from service. When they return home they are expected to return to their life before service as if they had never left, while struggling with undiagnosed physical and mental health wounds. It is estimated that untreated mental health problems among returning troops will cost the nation up to $6.2 billion over two years in medical costs, lost productivity, and lives lost to suicide. An estimated 5% of American, more than 13 million people have PTSD.
We help Veterans and their families find their inner power and peace, build self-esteem, battle the effects of depression, improve health and wellness, improve functioning for those with physical special needs, and treat the effects of PTSD. In our peer-to-peer program, with credentialed volunteers, we bring the horses to Veterans, to learn about the horses social and behavioral patterns, which can in turn, teach us about our own behaviors, and assist in the transition to civilian life.
If our goal is reached we can serve 20 Veterans with services in 2015, that meet their needs, including group sessions, private sessions, and 3 day clinics. They will experience improved health and physical well being, including improved daily functioning and a decrease of the challenging effects of PTSD. They will learn techniques that help develop positive relationships after leaving service, and are encouraged to remain as volunteer mentors to new clients and their families.
