(CALHAN)— An equine non-profit organization in Calhan is using animal therapy to help people manage stress, anxiety, PTSD and more.
The Mustang Ambassador Program now has a new dimension, reaching more people across southern Colorado through their neurotherapy program.
“We’re teaching people how to regulate their central nervous system by providing them with information and real-time feedback on what’s going on inside of the body,” said Alexa Transtrum, a Neurotherapist who runs this program.
The Mustang Ambassador Program rescues formerly wild horses, giving them a new lease on life through equine learning.
“It takes a little bit of time, but it’s amazing to see how you can transform a formerly wild horse into a very willing and able companion and educator,” said Susan Sutherland, Executive Director of Mustang Ambassador Program.
The organization, Mustang Ambassador Program, connects people to horses and themselves with a new focus on animal neurotherapy.
“It’s a very empowering process. It’s really allowing them to get past hurdles that may be holding them back in all aspects of their lives,” said Transtrum.
“And through doing it on a horse, which is therapeutic already, implementing other therapeutic skills and technology, it’s just allowing them to have so much more confidence in their day-to-day life.”
The program aims to help people manage stress, work through trauma and improve their mental health.
“Things like anxiety, depression, people with PTSD, trauma, anything that’s holding people back,” said Transtrum. “I can implement techniques just from my knowledge base as a psychotherapist to really help redirect folks to getting back into the moment and learning what they need to learn from horses.”
The 300-acre ranch east of Calhan is hoping to reach more people in need through this neurotherapy program.
“Taking a rehabilitative approach to mental health care. So we use things like neurofeedback, biofeedback, which is really just allowing individuals to see into their own physiology and things running in the background that may be making things like anxiety, depression, stressors in life more challenging.”
“It is allowing people to learn in the moment of anxiety how to regulate themselves and bring themselves back into focus,” said Transtrum. “We see great improvement in people’s confidence, focus and attention, self-regulation skills that apply to every area of their life.”
For nearly ten years, this organization has been a sanctuary for former wild horses saved from abuse or slaughterhouses.
Mustang Ambassador Program has worked with around 100 kids each year since 2014, building confidence and communication skills along the ride.
Click here to donate to help care for the horses at Mustang Ambassador Program and the organization’s mission.
“Our dream is to have an indoor facility so we can conduct programming year-round and maximize the ability of our horses, our volunteers and instructors to be as impactful on the community as possible,” said Sutherland.
The non-profit hosts Equine Leadership Camps for kids and teens. You can learn about upcoming events, programs and ways to get involved on their website.
