Soldiers Heal with 'Horses for Heroes'

My Fox D.C.




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Updated: Wednesday, 21 Oct 2009, 11:27 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 21 Oct 2009, 11:27 PM EDT


By BETH PARKER/myfoxdc

CROWNSVILLE, Md. - They've put their own lives at risk fighting for our country. Now, a group of wounded warriors is getting something back.

It comes from some four-legged friends-- horses who are helping these soldiers heal in ways they never expected.

Robert Rodriguez says he's "on top of the world" when he's sitting on a horse. It's a feeling that was hard to imagine two-and-a-half years ago when Rodriguez suffered through his eighth IED blast in Iraq.

On the battlefield he says it's "go, go, go." He is recovering from shrapnel and bullet wounds in a very different environment: green pastures and crisp leaves under blue skies.

"It's comfortable," Rodriguez said. "Being in the military, there's a lot of things you gotta abide by. Being out here it just very relaxing, calm atmosphere."

Robert is part of the Horses for Heroes program that began in April at Maryland Therapeutic Riding. The soldiers from Fort Meade survived war, but climbing onto a horse can be intimidating. They learn how to mount the horse and how to hold the reins and before long they're moving.

His boots are firmly in the stirrups, but it's what's on his face that matters most. He's smiling. The soldiers work on stretching and balance.

"I've had a lot of balance issues with getting blown up, and me and Apollo (the horse) have worked through it," said Rodriguez.

When they started the eight week program, organizers thought they were helping the soldiers physically, and they are. But it turns out there's something more.

MTR founder Naomi Parry told FOX 5, "It has lead us to understand how really magical the horses are for helping people heal in a really holistic way. Not just physical, but mind, body spirit."

Some soldiers are now volunteering-- keeping the farm looking good and the horses, too. You cannot measure it precisely, but clearly these recovering soldiers are moving forward.

The soldiers in the program are all members of the warriors in transition unit at Fort Meade. The riding program is funded by donations.

On the net:
Maryland Theraputic Riding - Horses That Heal