BETHANYS GAIT INC

Our mission at Bethany's Gait is to rescue, rehabilitate and restore the lives of military, first responders, their families and horses in need. Our primary goal is to provide a place where humans and horses heal together and once again find purpose in their lives.

We rescue horses from abandonment, abuse and neglect and pair them with our clients to create a bond that is based on trust, unconditional love and a keen understanding of what the other has been through. We seek to provide a forever home for the horses we rescue and adopt them out only if it is in the best interest of the horse. We currently provide a forever home for 10 horses.

The primary populations we serve are veterans and first responders. We strive to provide mental health services and relief through interaction with the horses and each other.

An often forgotten population are the family members of military and first responders. They live in a unique culture that is much different than the civilian world. We seek to provide support and resources for spouses and children through work with the horses and other modalities.

We have three different programs at Bethany's Gait to assist our clients and horses:

Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy - We provide group and individual therapy using a unique method called Equine Facilitated Coaching & Wellness (EFCW). This method is based on natural horsemanship and horse communication techniques which makes sense to the horse and teaches the clients healthy ways to deal with the issues they're facing. We have groups for military/first responders, female military/first responders, spouses and children (we work with children as young as 5).

Retreats - We provide three day retreats that allow us to reach out to clients across the nation. These retreats include classroom teaching as well as time with the horses. The majority of our retreats are held in Prescott but we also hold them in other areas of Arizona, as well as outside the state. We have three separate categories - Resiliency Unleashed, specifically for veterans/first responders; Altogether Beautiful, specifically for spouses; and Beautiful Resilience, which is a marriage retreat.

Mentorship - There is a lot of healing to take place in just being around horses. This program teaches clients horsemanship from the ground up. We focus more on developing a relationship with the horse than on riding, although clients do ride. This program is one mentor, one client, one horse, all time. Clients who advance to riding are able to take part in trail rides, camping trips and special horsemanship clinics/competitions. This program is open military/first responders, their spouses and children ages 5 and up.

We are often asked where our horses come from. We find out about horses in need most often through phone calls from a concerned neighbor or family member. Other times we get calls directly from an owner who can no longer care properly for their horse(s). We will first and foremost take those horses that are in poor health due to neglect or in danger of going to auction/slaughter.

STAFF CAPABILITIES:

Our Founder/Executive Director has over 50 years horse experience, along with nearly 15 years of equine facilitated psychotherapy/learning/coaching experience.

We have three licensed mental health professionals on staff who are certified in one or more methods of equine facilitated psychotherapy. Our preferred method is EFCW but some of our staff members are also certified in EAGALA, PATH or other method.

We also have three equine specialists on staff who have a minimum of five years consistent horse experience. They are also certified in EFCW and one or more other method of equine facilitated psychotherapy/learning/coaching.

Our Mentors are all volunteers who must have a minimum of two years consecutive horse experience. The majority of them are military or first responder veterans or family members of such.

Additional staff includes a Ranch Manager, who is responsible for the health and care of the horses, along with a Ranch Hand and several volunteers who ensure the horses are cared for properly. We also have an in-house trainer who evaluates all horses we rescue to ensure they are safe for the program. The trainer also works with all the horses two to three times a week to ensure they stay safe and in shape.

FACILITY:

We operate on five acres that allows us to provide pasture space for all the horses, as well as an arena and round pen for working with clients. We also have a six stall barn to allow for quarantine and rehab of injured/ill horses.

BOARD MEMBERS:

Our Board members are all military/first responders or spouses of these populations. Many have horse experience as well. We also have a veterinarian serving on our Board.

TRAINING:

We provide weekly training sessions for our therapy teams, as well as our mentors. We also sponsor clinics and professional trainings to ensure they have the tools they need to provide a fruitful and safe session for the clients and horses.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Since our inception in 2006 we have grown from offering a mentorship program to also offering equine facilitated psychotherapy and three day retreats. This has allowed us to better meet our clients needs and serve a wider population.

In 2016 we started Lissa's Legacy, a program named for a dear friend who was shot and killed by her wounded warrior husband. The program offers resources and support to wives of military and first responders to help them better support their husbands while ensuring the safety of themselves and their children. In addition to equine services, the program offers on-line support through weekly group video chats and a Facebook page; retreats and weekly in person support groups. We have grown beyond the borders of Arizona to serve wives nationwide.

We have developed strong relationships with two departments at the Prescott VA. This was seven years in the making as we worked through multiple layers of red tape. We are now able to reach more veterans through these programs.

FUTURE:

In 2020, we will begin holding retreats in California. We are currently researching areas on the east coast to do the same.

We are continuing to build relationships with departments at the VA, US Vets, The Vet Center, the 100 Club and local law enforcement and fire agencies.

We are working to find a larger facility to allow us to rescue more horses and serve more clients.