Horses in Hookstown help veterans heal and grow

By Megan Shinn

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    HOOKSTOWN, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — In Hookstown, you’ll find horses at Unbridled Performance and its founder, Amy Foster.

She’s on a mission to help horses and military veterans, for free.

“I feel like we’re answering God’s call,” said Foster.

This calling uses equine therapy pairing horses with veterans, like George.

“It’s really gratifying to have (George) him come here, and you can just feel them relax and just open their hearts,” Foster said.

Those hearts open through accomplishing different exercises, overcoming obstacles, and seeing them come alive together. Since starting in April even, George is just one of the veterans who’s come out of his shell more, by interacting with horses. Foster told George, “(The horse) he didn’t hesitate to follow you, at any point.” With a high five, she said, “Nice job”. George responded, “Thanks.”

Foster said this entire experience was made possible by the non-profit, Outdoor Immersion.

“It’s so peaceful here, and this is the thing that’s missing for a lot of our veteran military community is a sense of peace,” the founder of Outdoor Immersion, Jim Skal, said.

In this space, veterans gain more than just a sense of peace.

Through the non-profit’s work, military vets restore resilience, increase connection, and find purpose for their future. That’s all part of Outdoor Immersion’s mission.

“It brings something out of the veteran, opens them up relationally, which helps to increase resilience, which is what we are really all about,” Skal said.

The animal and human connection brings service men and women out of their shells.

Military veteran Mike Stanislow also volunteers with Outdoor Immersion at Unbridled Performance.

“The change I’ve seen in him (George) in the past few months has been night and day,” he said.

While at the equestrian facility, veterans do service projects too.

“We’ll walk and we’ll work on the electric fences together, or walking, we will clear the path together.” Stanislow said, “It helps them to give something back, so they don’t feel like they are just taking.”

After all, they are at a horse sanctuary.

“These horses are abused and neglected, so we take them and rehabilitate them right, so it’s a lot like we as vets feel sometimes right, we are a tool,” said Foster.

Those veterans find a sanctuary here, too.

“So, watching them bring these horses back to life. It’s a mutual exchange,” Foster said.

The strength, the speed, and the grace of a horse help to heal our service members, back to a peaceful place.

To connect with outdoor immersion’s equine therapy with Unbridled Performance, you can attend a monthly community day at the equestrian facility. The next one is on June 21st, at 1 p.m., and then, you can schedule a one-on-one with the horses for free. There are no equine veteran programs in Allegheny County or Beaver County. So, this fills a void, and it’s open to other first responders, like police and firefighters.

Outdoor Immersion provides a wide range of outdoor activities for veterans.

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