“In a time when so many veterans are so hesitant to take another prescription or fear getting addicted to opioids, equine assisted therapy gets veterans outside and allows them the amazing opportunity to work with horses to process their experiences,” said Congressman Barr. “As the Chairman of the Congressional Horse Caucus and someone who cares very deeply for our veterans, I believe increasing grant funding opportunities for evidence-based equine-assisted therapy and innovative therapies will greatly diversify the treatment options available to our veterans.”

On one hand, our demands must increase with time, if we want the horse to become stronger. But, on the other hand, if we take this a step too far, we end up with injuries. This is tricky enough with humans, but with horse’s it’s almost like a lottery. Not only are they not able to tell us when something is wrong, they actively try to conceal it! It is in their nature to hide smaller issues and compensate for pain by adjusting the way they use their body, so often that we don’t even know anything is wrong until something is very wrong. Keeping an eye on your horse’s muscles is a good way to spot any potential issues before they become serious.

Six years ago, Star-Buck was near death. Emaciated and weighing only 400 pounds, he was rescued by Angela Wood and friends. Now, the 10-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding is strong enough to walk across the country with Wood to raise awareness for childhood hunger.