Our Mission

HEART OF HORSE SENSE EDUCATES, TRAINS & FUNDS TRAUMA-INFORMED EQUINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY AND LEARNING FOR SURVIVORS OF TRAUMA.

Our vision is that every survivor of trauma has access to the therapeutic opportunities horses offer. 

To achieve this, we educate, train & screen, and then fund professional, trauma-informed equine services for survivors of trauma. We educate and train internationally; we screen and fund Western North Carolina.

Who do we serve? Active duty, Veterans, National Guard, First Responders, as well as their families and caregivers. We also serve children who have been abused, neglected or underserved, as well as people recovering from the trauma of domestic violence, sexual assault, and survivors of human trafficking.

Why Screen? And How?

There are many wonderful ways that horses support growth and healing, and it's important that those services be offered in an ethical & safe manner, by well-trained and qualified professionals (both horses and humans). Too often programs with good intentions don't have the ability or the experience to offer the services our veterans, youth and other trauma survivors deserve.

Heart of Horse Sense fills the need to screen equine service providers in Western North Carolina and the surrounding area to meet the specific and unique needs of Veterans/First Responders, At-Risk Youth, and other survivors of trauma.

To be funded, programs must show their staff have training and experience in:  

• Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning

• Trauma-Informed Treatment

• Natural Horsemanship

• CPR/First Aid

• Cultural Competency in specific populations, such as Veterans or Domestic Violence