As the ED of a small, western town’s only horse rescue, I’ve understood the use and need of horses in our community and lives. The history of Teton Valley, Idaho, is based on Native Americans, outlaws, and horses, not unlike most western towns. Back in the 1800’s Teton Valley became known as a rendezvous for horse thieves. The Valley’s isolation and proximity to the large cattle and horse herds of the Upper Snake River Valley and Montana made it a perfect place to hide as an outlaw and move stolen cargo to the railroads of Wyoming and Utah.
That isolation still exists today. There are only three roads that connect to our Valley, and in winter, all three can close at the same time. The isolation brought my love of horses into a new light. The weather extremes and isolation make life a little more complicated and can make you stronger or tear you apart.
The isolation can bring a community together. You get to know your neighbors; you attend gatherings, events, and fundraisers together; you rely on your local grocer and mechanic – you get to know them and gain a new appreciation for all they do. So you can become connected.
When the weather gets harder, depression can wash over our community like a wave, and suicide tends to step in. In one year, members of our community felt its touch with ten lives taken. This doesn’t include our families’ and friends’ fatal accidents or medical deaths. Each loss has one degree of separation and profoundly impacts our small, close-knit community.
In 2015 after learning about Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Coaching, our Board Chair, Jennifer Carter, and I became certified to practice in EAP. As fate would have it, Jen is also a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). She understands the value of using horses to help people toward better mental health. Along with the horses that filled our lives, we started working with local church groups, youth groups, individuals, schools, and other Mental Health Programs to bring EAP to our community. We hoped to help the humans and show a different side to the animals that pastured all around us.
Our fundraising goal for the Seen Through Horses 2023 Campaign is to:
SUPPORT OUR EAP PROVIDERS: $10,000
Help pay each team member that provides the services ($2,500)
Help pay for others to become certified ($2,500)
Help pay for more certifications – PATH, Veterans Specific, Masterson ($5,000)
Establish an EAP Schedule within our programming and current workloads
PROVIDE FOR OUR EAP CLIENTS: $15,000
Help pay for local clients to receive the services ($4,000)
Help pay for transportation & housing to bring regional clients to Teton Valley ($3,000)
Establish and help pay for workshops: 2 days / 3 days / Week long. ($8,000)
• Empowering Women
• Creating Connections
• Confidence for Kids
• Supporting Veterans
• Understanding for Couples
Photos: ©LauraAgnew