The Horse Cure

ASHLEYwas locked in closets as punishment, and physically and sexually abused, resultingin an angry and violent child who threatened her adoptive familyuntil she metCocoa and Radar, the horses that helped her learn to trust again.

BRENDAwas diagnosed bipolar and lived through humiliating domestic abuse,but three horsesDelilah, Wiscy, and Dieselhelped her establish a sense ofself-worth, hope for the future, and ultimately, the will to go on.

NICKwas angry, suicidal, and a veteran with combat PTSD, who now says,Horses literally saved my life.

Inspired by her own childhood trauma when she spent seven days in a coma, awakened to a severely compromised body and brain, and rebuilt her life with the help of a horse, Michelle Holling-Brooks founded Unbridled Change, a non-profit Equine-Partnered Therapy organization that helps match horses to individuals in need. Here she shares amazing stories of the people shes worked with and the horse cure that changed their lives.

Survivors of trauma, loss, illness, abuse, stress, and depression can face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But today, agrowing body of scientific evidence suggests that horses play a crucial role in therapy for those struggling with significantpsychological and emotional challenges. Horses respond to angry, inhibited, heartbroken, defiant, terrified clients in manydifferent ways, often breaking through defensive barriers via their physical presence, or by pointing to areas of psychologicaldistress not immediately apparent. The horses response guides the treatment team, as well as the client, in the healingprocess.