“To provide emotional healing through equine interaction and to provide safe and restorative homes for retired racehorses”. This is the motto of Modesto based equine therapy ranch Healing Arenas (HA).
Healing Arenas provide equine therapy programs for veterans, first respondents, or people who are going through a rough time in life. To make their program unique they also take off the track thoroughbreds and re-train and re-home them.
HISTORY
Healing Arenas was started in 2014 by Julie Baker, A former exercise rider for the California racetracks. “Healing Arenas started because I wanted to pay back the horses for all of the work,” Baker said.
Baker said, after working for the racetracks until 1994, she had a special place in her heart for all the racehorses she worked with.
After retiring from the racetrack, Baker started taking psychology classes at Modesto Junior College (MJC). While taking those classes, she discovered the Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association (EAGALA).
EAGALA is a certified therapy program. Since 2006, the Healing Arena’s staff and volunteers have been individually certified to assist the multiple programs that HA offers.
HIPPOTHERAPY:
Traditional Hippotherapy uses horses to increase mobility for children and adults living with illnesses such as cerebral palsy, autism, or speech impairment. Amy Conley, a former volunteer for Wiloth Equine Therapy, described the work that she was involved in while working at Wiloth.
“You get to see the kids grow in their confidence, their physical strength and balance increases. You also see patients learning how to speak or be more mobile due to the flexibility they gained from riding,” Conley stated.
The veterans project at Healing Arenas is very different from the type of Hippotherapy used at Wiloth Equine Therapy. “Most veterans we work with have been dealing with PTSD for a long time,” Baker said. Because of the sensitive nature of their injuries, Healing Arenas has chosen to work with the EAGALA therapy.
EAGALA is a very specific type of hippotherapy. Unlike traditional hippotherapy, there is no riding in EAGALA therapy. Instead, the EAGALA model works with military personnel to establish, recognize and understand patterns, build on personal strengths and translate the insight into actions.
The horses are used as stand-ins for people, issues, or challenges in the patient’s life. Through the EAGALA model, clients are led to powerful, emotional and even life-changing breakthroughs.
Because of the highly sensitive clients, staff must be certified through EAGALA to work on cases. “Every staff member is certified through EAGALA training process,” Baker explained.
Unlike traditional hippotherapy, each staff member needs to be certified to work on cases. EAGALA runs a successful training program that gives experience as well as job training for staff who want to further a career in equine therapy.
RETIRED THOROUGHBREDS:
The focus of HA, aside from the main programs, is their partnerships with the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP). The RRP takes thoroughbreds from all over the country and sends them to various rescuers and volunteers. These volunteers then take the time to heal, then retrain the retired racehorses.
“It is important to not rush the re-training process; I usually take about nine months to a year to bring them back,” Baker said. She is currently working on an off-the-track six-year-old gelding, who is coming back from a racing career ending knee injury.
Sheriff Deputy Jessica Graham is one of the owners of Healing Arena’s Get out Happy, a former racehorse. “Happy was the first horse I tried,” Graham said.
Since purchasing Happy, Graham has used him as a mounted patrol horse. “He and I have had many adventures in the year I have owned him,” Graham stated.
GET INVOLVED:
Healing Arenas is a not-for-profit organization located in Modesto, California. They are largely successful due to donations and volunteers. “We always welcome volunteers. If people want more information or to volunteer, they can contact us on our website,” Baker said when asked about their different projects and how people can get involved.
For more information contact Healing Arenas at [email protected] or visit their website at healingarenas.org.
