Heartstrides Therapeutic Riding And Horsemanship Of Olympia

The Next Mission - The Next Mission is a 6-week recovery-based course offered to veterans and active-duty military personnel modeled off our youth program (EAYPS). Our referral sources include Joint Base Lewis McCord and their Soldier Recovery Unit, Thurston County Veterans Services, mental health providers, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Washington State National Guard. The participants work through a curriculum that focuses on twelve core values which are learned metaphorically through interactions with the horses. We serve 6-8 participants in each cohort and aim to provide at least four cohorts per year depending on funding availability. This program primarily serves participants from Thurston, Pierce, and Kitsap counties, though we are working on expanding to other neighboring counties with their Veterans Courts.

Operation THRIVE - Operation THRIVE is a three-day weekend intensive course that is offered to veterans, active-duty military personnel and first responders suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). During the first day, participants are encouraged to invite their families to the ranch to share dinner and learn about the basics of horsemanship. The next two days provide our participants time to work directly with the horses to develop a partnership based on mutual respect and shared goals. Because individuals with PTSD often have difficulty trusting and feeling a connection with others, partnering with the horses helps them effectively break down barriers encountered with traditional approaches of counseling and PTSD programs. We typically serve 12-15 participants in each weekend clinic. This program serves participants from across Washington State.

Equine Assisted Peer Support (FRC EAPS) - This program is a 6-week recovery-based course modeled off our youth program (EAYPS) and is offered to participants in Thurston County's therapeutic courts (Family Recovery Court, Drug/DUI Court, and Mental Health and Veterans Court). The participants work through a curriculum that focuses on core values, parenting skills, and general life functioning which are learned metaphorically through interactions with the horses. We serve roughly 20-25 participants in this program annually. Heartstrides also offers regularly scheduled programs to adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. This program is modeled off of our youth program (EAYPS) and incorporates core values and horsemanship lessons.In addition to the more regularly scheduled programs, Heartstrides offers team-building activities, corporate and leadership retreats, women's retreats, field trips, and private peer support sessions.