As I found myself in the airport, at 4 o’clock this morning, trying to catch a flight home for Thanksgiving, I didn’t have much to do but sit and wait. So, I decided to do a little light reading in Continental’s official in-flight magazine. Amidst the interviews with CEO’s and advertisements for professional matchmaking services, I found an interesting article written by Lora O’Riordan about Donna Thibedeau and her Tranquil Valley Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary, which is located in Idaho, became a pet project of Thibedeau’s after she studied horse therapy in college.
“I learned that horses can heal wounds,” she says. “They are a mirror into souls.”
What first began as a rescue effort for older horses, soon turned into a horse therapy program for wounded soldiers. She says she was inspired by a television show that showed how much post- traumatic stress disorder affects the lives of wounded soldiers after they return home. As a result, she created a special program at Tranquil Valley that involves therapeutic riding for amputees.
“In one hour’s riding each day, we’ve seen improvement in as little as three weeks,” she says. “Some of the soldiers have even started walking again.”
Along with physical rehabilitation, the horse therapy program also provides a unique outlet for the soldiers to vent their emotions to a few good listeners.
“We tell them that they can talk to the horse and whatever they say stays with the horse,” she says.
She says this helps soldiers to let go of combat memories they may not feel comfortable sharing with members of their family.
An exciting new development is that Thibedeau has received permission from the Department of Veterans Affairs to bring miniature horses into the VA hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.
If you would like more information about this solely-donation run program you can go to tranquilvalleysanctuary.org
