serving those who serve
God made doctors to help heal the body. But he made horses to help heal the soul. –Unknown
About Us
The Rescue at Spirit Ridge Farm, Inc. 501C3 is not a large multi-million-dollar corporation. We are a grassroots, family-oriented, local, non-profit that offers Equine-Assisted programs for Veterans, First Responders, At-Risk Children, Persons in Addiction Recovery, and their families here in Madison and surrounding counties. Veterans/First Responders see and experience some horrific things just by the nature of their jobs resulting in PTSD. The effects of that type of trauma can lead to substance/alcohol abuse as well as physical/mental abuse that affects everyone, not just the Veteran or First Responder. Healing only happens when the whole family heals.
Why Horses
Working with horses:
- Builds mindfulness, which counteracts traumatic anxiety, scatteredness, and tension.
- Ignites movement and grounding, which decreases arousal and dissociation.
- Creates connection, which decreases isolation, builds trust, and increases confidence.
- Encourages engagement of the frontal lobe, which improves problem-solving and coping abilities.
Horses are:
- Prey animals instinctively wired to read emotion and intent.
- Non-verbal communicators, giving immediate feedback about actions and body language.
- Non-judgemental and consistent in their responses.
Veteran’s Drug Court Program
The Felony Drug Court provides a non-traditional approach to working with criminal offenders who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Instead of incarceration, the Felony Drug Court offers a judicially supervised, intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program for qualified participants. It is a five-phase program lasting from 18 to 24 months, and consisting of individual counseling, group therapy, education, monitoring, and regular drug testing.
Serving Those Who Serve
Too many Veterans are suffering from PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and are choosing to end their own lives. We often hear the phrase “22 a day,” referring to the number of Veterans that commit suicide daily.