Heroes and Horsemanship Initiative: Horses Helping Heroes

Parelli Foundation’s Heroes and Horsemanship Initiative is a grant program supporting non-profit therapeutic organizations serving veterans, active members of the military, first responders and their families, or as we like to call them, heroes helping heroes.

The Parelli Foundation has a mission to help those who protect our country by extending their access to horses and natural horsemanship education. It is well established that Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) has been helpful to many veterans and first responders as they deal with the extreme conditions associated with armed conflict and their careers. These American heroes should have the opportunity to heal and cope through EAT. The Parelli Foundation is stepping up to fill this need.

In addition to its regular Therapeutic Horsemanship grant cycle, the Parelli Foundation will offer a special grant cycle each year to support non-profit Therapeutic Horsemanship organizations currently providing innovative and industrious ways to pair veterans, active military, first responders and/or their family members with horses using natural horsemanship methods. Grants will assist recipient organizations reach their full potential in helping these individuals through their proposed projects, which can include things like:

• Funding to train your staff and volunteers in natural horsemanship
• Providing therapeutic horsemanship opportunities for free or lower cost to veterans, active military, first responders and/or their family members
• Extending veterans’ access to equine therapy when Veterans Affairs funding has run out
• Certification of staff members or volunteers by natural horsemanship related organizations
• Public outreach through natural horsemanship education

To be considered for a grant an organization must meet the following minimum criteria:

• The grantee organization must be a non-profit 501c3 organization.
• The grant request must fall within our mission: “Helping create a better world for horses and humans through Natural Horsemanship education”.
• The grant application must be properly and completely filled and received on or before the advertised deadline.
• Applicants must commit to natural horsemanship.
• Applicants must have an existing therapeutic horsemanship program supporting veterans, active military, First Responders, and/or their family members.
• Applicants are required to hold some certification/accreditation, such as, but not limited to: Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International(PATH International), formerly the North American Handicapped Riding Association (NAHRA), or Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA).
• Applicants must provide access to behavioral health/referrals to mental and behavioral health programs.
• Applicants must provide multiple therapeutic program options for students. Ex: Groundwork, therapeutic riding, retreats, group or individual sessions.

The application period for grants is now closed.  Be sure you are signed up for our newsletter to be notified of grant and scholarship award periods and other Foundation news and announcements.

“I got out of the military after serving eight years as a section leader in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.  I deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq.  I received a purple heart and was medically released from service. When I returned home from deployments, I thought my war was over, boy was I wrong. My fight was just beginning.  Since returning to the civilian world I have struggled in a lot of ways I never thought would be a problem because I was just going to live my life like I did before the military. I soon found out I can’t go back to the way I was before because I have changed.  I struggled in life because I lost my sense of purpose and felt like I was “broken”. Pride and stupidity kept me stuck in a perpetual freefall of negative and destructive behavior. Basically, I was a nuclear bomb and the countdown was at zero.  When I finally talked to another military veteran, he introduced me to Stephanie Cirasa, the founder and Director of Waypoint Ranch. Her vision and leadership was and is what I longed for, which is purpose and direction. The relationship with horses and how the wounded veteran can benefit from that and also the horse benefits too. I was raised in California on a thousand-acre cattle ranch. My idea of horsemanship meant put your boots and saddle on and try to not fall off. Since returning from 4 days with Nancy Slater and seeing her incredible display of what the Parelli Natural Horsemanship model is all about completely changed my idea of what my purpose and direction was. Nothing could prepare me for when I experienced a horse named Jewel lowered her head and yawned. She trusted me. I have been shot at, blown up, jumped out of airplanes and although the reality was that in the military that was my purpose. Nancy, Stephanie, and the Parelli Foundation and a horse named Jewel showed me what my purpose is and that is to be a role model to other veterans that we have what it takes to live productive lives again. That was only possible by Stephanie and Waypoint Ranch and her team to reaching out to the community and showing people like me that there is still value and meaning in life. “Rangers lead the way” is my unit’s motto and natural horsemanship and Waypoint Ranch has proven to me that I can lead and now others need to see it and experience it.”  – Veteran Army Ranger, Kris

Parelli Friendly Therapeutic Centers

This listing is provided to recognize and honor those who use natural horsemanship principles to enhance the mental, emotional and physical health of their herd and to provide a tool to help these centers find and network with one another. [See list…]