Introducing the W.A.R.R.I.O.R. Horse Pack Trip
As part of Operation Equine’s mission to provide excellent equine therapy services for our nation’s Warriors and Protectors, we have launched a unique program called the WARRIOR Pack Trip. This program combines the best of our organization’s talents with the benefits of experiential healing and wilderness therapy by integrating human connection, equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning, and the great outdoors for our Military, Veteran, and Emergency Responder communities.
W.A.R.R.I.O.R.
Wisdom
Acceptance
Respect
Relationships
Integrity
Own Your Impact
Responsibility
This unique, 6-day * experience includes:
Exploring a therapeutic relationship with horses: both on the ground and on horseback.
Facilitation of evidence-based equine-assisted psychotherapy and education, as well as groundwork with the horses (based on the Eagala model and Equine Guided Education).
Gaining and/or refreshing basic riding/horsemanship principles and skills for trail rides to prepare for the the 2-night/3-day pack trip.
Submersion into nature and utilizing its benefits for therapeutic growth: individually and in community.
Collaborating as a team to help take care of the horses, prep and cook meals, and set up camp.
Building and participating in intentionally therapeutic campfire sessions.
Learning and practicing mindfulness skills: both on the ground and on horseback.
The therapeutic skills that we lean into on this trip are intended to cultivate self-awareness and self-regulation skills. This can help lead to reduced stress, decreased anxiety, increased emotional intelligence, and the ability to communicate in healthy ways. By doing this, we work towards improving our ability to communicate in healthy ways and creating a renewed sense of purpose for self, family, and the community.
Participants will experience a lifetime of benefits from the camaraderie that comes from having a shared purpose, which will allow them to better reconnect with themselves, their families, and their communities.
Like our ancestral warriors living in and connecting with nature, we aim to connect today’s warriors with the land to find healing and peace.
The WARRIOR Pack trip is a 6-day program that includes two-and-a-half days of ground work with the horses, and three days and two nights consisting of horse trail riding and camping out overnight.
Attending the retreat along with the participants are the Operation Equine therapeutic team, the staff and horses from A.J. Brink Outfitters, and the staff and horses from Budges Lodge.
Sponsorship and Donation Opportunities
BRONZE DONORS
$10 - Provide snacks and water for a Veteran for the day
$25 - Provide meals for a Veteran for the day
$50 - Provide transportation costs for one veteran to or from the site
$100 - Provide sleeping gear for one veteran
$150 - Provide all camping gear for one veteran (cot, sleeping bag, headlamp, etc.)
SILVER DONORS
$500 - cover the cost of food for 1 trip
$1000 - cover the cost of the Core Pack Trip for one Veteran
$2,000 - Sponsor a Veteran! Cover the entire cost of the 6-day WARRIOR Pack Trip program for one veteran, including camping gear, meals, transportation, the Core Pack Trip, lodging, therapy time, etc.
GOLD STAR DONORS
$12,000 - Sponsor the cost of an entire 6-day program for 6 Veterans!
“The work we did with the horses allowed me to shine a light on areas of myself I needed to pay attention to that I had never realized before…Forming a bond with a horse is more powerful than the average person is aware of. You can learn a lot about yourself and the horse while doing equine therapy, and I have taken the things I learned…and continued to work on them outside of this trip.”
- L.S. Navy Veteran
