“About two years ago my wife and I had the privilege to go through the program under the instruction of Maurette Hanson. In 2003 and 2006 I was deployed to Iraq as a Navy combat corpsman attached to a Marine unit.  Upon being discharged from active duty military, I had a hard time transitioning back into civilian life and especially a hard time with transitioning back into my family life. My wife and I had gone to much counseling through the VA but it was not until we were invited to attend this wonderful program that our lives and marriage changed for the good.

 

The program was not like anything I have ever been a part of.   Unlike conventional counseling this program utilized horses and horsemanship training to help my wife and I heal in a way we could not have imagined.  The horses had a magical effect on our lives just by learning how to take care of them.  The horses did not judge us, they did not reject us, they just loved us unconditionally.  The horses allowed my wife and I to take the lessons we learned about the horses and apply them to our lives.  This was a life changing experience that no textbook or classroom could ever teach.  Through Maurette's compassion and professionalism and the love from the horses, my family life and marriage have grown more than we could have  imagined.  I wish that every man and woman returning from Afghanistan or Iraq would have the opportunity to be a part of this life changing program.”

Toby Catlett

Navy Hospital Corpsman

Iraq 2003 and 2007

 

“My time at Healing Horse Therapy Center has been more than I could have asked for.  Maurette is not only exceptional with horses, she’s exceptional with people.  I’d recommend this center, and often do, to anyone who is interested in improving their horsemanship abilities while sharpening their life skills.  HHTC is not only a center for learning, it’s a center for healing.  For that and so much more, I am grateful.”

Julie Frame                                

 

" I am the Grandmother of two children aged nine and six . Evan, the older child has been diagnosed with Asberger's Syndrome while Savanah has not.  I love the joy of watching these children when they both ride and spend time working with the horses in the stable together.  I feel this brings the children closer together through a bit of friendly competition.  There have been instances where I have overheard them discussing amongst each other making sure  of dressing properly, to holding the reins, to sitting up in a proper posture, and even which horse they will be grooming and riding today.  At times Evan just enjoys watching and photographing his sister during her ride in order that he can present the photos to her later.  I feel these two children, and many like them, would greatly benefit from sharing this common interest together versus a solo experience.  It seems to open a great line of communication and bonding as siblings, not only while riding at the barn, but throughout life's day to day experiences."

Cherie Reese

 

"I am Deb Rass and my horse Polaris lives and works at Healing Horse Therapy Center. He is involved in many of the programs from Natural Horsemanship to riding lessons for children with special needs. One of his favorite programs is helping with the Horses for Veterans program. There is a group of Veterans that come from the VA Hospital that are part of the Blind Rehab Dept. There was a Veteran that had been coming and had been experiencing grooming with Polaris. He enjoyed being around horses because he had been with horses when he was younger. He had a connection with Polaris, and Polaris knew it. Horses have instincts that they know and understand people’s needs and their energy’s connect together. Saturday morning our Veteran got to ride Polaris and the feeling that he had, you could read by the huge smile on his face. Even though he could not see, Polaris knew it was his job to take over and make his wish come true. As a horse owner and a volunteer at the program I get as much if not more out of helping people have experiences that changes their life and become healthier and happier because of the programs that are all part of the Healing Horse Therapy Center."

Deb Rass

 

 

"Healing Horse Therapy Center has a wonderful program, custom-fit for children with special needs.  Maurette Hanson has developed a program in which not only the child with the special needs can participate in but it includes the siblings of the child as one of the most important parts to it's success.

 

My 13 years old son has Aspergers and his father and I wanted him to try interaction with horses to help with his social/emotional self.  When I spoke with Maurette, she explained that her program would be particular to his needs and that she wanted to include his brother in the program with him.  She explained that it helped when children do this with their brother or sister as it adds tremendously to what they can take home after.  As siblings, they can communicate, share, anticipate, etc with each other and thus add to the richness of the experience, reaping much more as far as beneficial  and therapeutic results.

 

We noticed amazing results after the very 1st session!  From the beginning they shared in anticipation for the class, then as the session went on there was a higher level of confidence especially with my child with Aspergers, and then of course after, there was much sharing of experience.  With Aspergers often, as with my child, there is much fear and trepidation and the one person in the family who understands this probably more than anyone else is his brother.  There was no fear or anxiety that I usually see with experiencing new things, and I am convinced that it is because his brother was there, side by side with him.

 

This program works wonderfully, and on so many levels, but it also goes right to the heart of therapy and deals with the emotional healing that is so important for individuals and their families."

Kimberly Larochelle