Veterans ease post-combat stress with horse therapy


 By BOB MASSEY
 FEELING Firr CORRESPONDENT

 A growing number of combat
veterans in Central Florida are learn-
ing to deal with post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) with a unique and
rewarding type of therapy horses.
 "The idea started out as learning
about a class called 'Medicine and
Horsemanship' that was being taught
at Stanford University," said Dr.
Manette Monroe. "That was actually
used to help medical students with
their bedside manner and with stress
related to medical school. When I
learned a little more about that, I
started reading some more in the
literature about what was being done
in the community with horses and
helping different populations.
 "I started reading about the PTSD
work with the veterans, and it just
made so much sense to me but
there was no research being done.
There were a lot of good stories and a
lot of good results that were out there,
but no one was doing any approved
research."
 Monroe an assistant dean for
students at the University of Central
Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and
a lifelong horse rider decided to
perform an official study, and became
its lead author. The study followed
eight Central Florida veterans who
sustained physical and emotional
injuries through combat in Iraq,
Afghanistan or Vietnam.
 They were the first to go through a
new eight-week Horses and Heroes
equestrian program coordinated by
UCF, Heavenly Hoofs, and SADLES of
Umatilla. The study determined that
the veterans were less depressed and
experienced fewer symptoms after
participating in the new local thera-
peutic horseback riding therapy.
 Equestrian therapy is a relatively
new approach to PTSD. So far little
scientific study exists on the programs
that do exist in some parts of the na-
tion. That's why Monroe is working to
set up a national equestrian therapy
center in Osceola County that would
be properly staffed to document what
works and why and develop best
practices. That way more veterans
could benefit from good programs.
 "Horses are prey animals," Monroe
explained. "They run first and ask
questions later, so they live in this
state of hyper-vigilance. They are
keenly aware of their surroundings,
they tend to overreact. If a car back-
fires, the horse will go (running) in the
other direction as fast as it can. That's
a lot of the same feelings and emo-
tions that veterans with PTSD have.
 "By putting the veterans together
with the horses and the veterans
learning to work calmly around the


I


C'LIPTES, uLISF


A veteran works with a horse as part of the University of Central Florida's Horses for Heroes program designed to help veterans deal with the effects
of post-traumatic stress disorder.


horses and have the horses be ci:,m-
fortable with them they're aictauill\
training themselves to be movie cailin.
work better within their own eniivini -
ment, interact as a team member i i i
another very skittish being, and leiiu ni
self-soothing."
 About six months into the enideav,1:1.
Monroe went before the Osce'lai
County Commission to garnei hi iii-
cial support for the program. Slie
said all the veterans were extiemelh
shy when they started the progiaiin
- even among each other. Yet ;-ill '4f
them showed up to the comni-.ui', n
meeting- and four actually goit up t
speak.
 "These guys would have hai dl\
made eye contact with anyone -.i\
months prior," Monroe said.' Tihe\
knew they were going to be oiin televi-
sion and in front of the entire c:untii\
commission, and it was really ainaiz-
ing to see the transformation "
 As a result, the commission aip-
proved building a $1.4 million tiiei-
apeutic riding center at the co:unt\ii
150-acre Chisolm Park, just mniiiuite
from the UCF medical school The
facility will include indoor areiiai-,,
which would be available for \ eai -
round therapy sessions. It is schied-
uled for completion by spring
 One of the outcomes that hai-.
impressed Monroe is that the ieLutIl-.
last.


 Hei e;iil\ Studv included iIIduti\
taiind;iid test, fi [PTSD aiind depies-
S ,-,01 ;-IS \ ell a, ii-ii-tve ev;ilu;-it,_-,
ith eich f te ach_-he eight \eteiain,
 Be' ,ie tthe equetI ifi ll ie[ tineiit. the
\ets ilneii -,clie -,i BecksE Depiesi,-,iil
Ih dex n;-i, P-' 4 -ithi ai a ;inge ,:,f 4.; t,:,
X. \tei the tieaitmeii., the depiesi, ni
,coie di,,pped to, 8. 5 ;and a-u iige -Af 28
t, Thle in,-,t inpiei l ,ive letult I ;-ir
;I veteia1n 1 It-, began viith ;i c,-_ie ,f
4:;. ildicatmi1g1_,eeieedepieS,_-.o ;-i1nd
ilpilo-ed t,_-, ;-i I; ilnlml ;il depie-
-.111 aiftei the tlieitip\ The rtantiticil
iesultl \\eie backed up bv aioi \ in'm-u
11;-11 cit lve colln nel1ts
 I bhiiughlit thlie itt gitup bick aiftei
_.;i\ months. ald tested them again"
N1Ilie -aid. ind tlie\ haliid iet;-iied
aill', ,t i peiceli-t oh te impil,'ve-
imelt tlie\h liid ma.ide It laist- Irt- not
|utt ;I Baind-Aid "
 hi the futuie, the tud\ will e\paiind
t, deteilinle liethliei eqtueSritl-ii tlieit-
;ip\ ;iids iieuiopla'nthtici\. tle idea
tlhait tle biiia i cliliiiem ai1d atilpliieS
bec-uls e o, el iflo_-, elniiit;il -ircti.
s.uchi ,-is Stless _qhhucli ;-icht,_-,i ch-lge
cellk mn pait -Af the biam that impact


pei-.,inahit\, -elf-iegulati,,n, aingei
alld ilellm_-IV PIevi,_-,tl Stthlles ilave
o-uid tl-it inihiidtfullieh -bhaied rties
ieductio-n i II v_-inmei vtli w clii'-iic
fiatigue -, viidi'-me c;ii iekei,e ,-,lme
blm-iiii ;itoli\ and impil,-ve c,_gn-
tive futiicnli-,Te Tile UC(F (-C'lleg:e '-f
Nlediciiie hope, to -ieplicaite tlihait ,tud\
withl ve1tei-lii- ;-Ild al-so look ;-it lio
equesti 1 talliei;hipe lielps, disabled
\eteialin, pli\,icahll\ lomoe al-,o hlia, a
,1iiit t,- td\ th lie imip.ict oi eqtlueti-
III thlieiaipv o iitltilthic clildieii
 If people aiie -Illing it: clialleiige
tlieml.el\e, ;-ild take ;i cliuice ;Ind dc.
,,ometlil g ,:utltide if t lieii comfl it
zone. then thie\ |ie g,,Ig t:, e;ip a
Ict ,f benehts fom thliat piloceS.-
N Imie -.iaid I liih e people h lii' n,:ii
lihae been tluough the piogia11 aind
lieae g,:ne back to, college I li[ih e one
guv1\ \11o aictualh hali a ,alpilput1to,-,l
xlieie lie lihia l,,It lii, leg ait thlie hip
;-IId liis tiI iied o,,it t,-, be -,'lie f
the leadeis, II out piogiall He liha,
leaiined t -iide ai bhic\cle I aiked him
lit,, lie did tlit. ;iiid lie .iid. e Yo go,-,t
imei o-i l ;i lihi, e S, iaftei tlih 1t.I felt
like I could do,, -imhig '"


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