OTTAWA LAKE, Mich. — Memorial Day is a chance to honor those who gave their lives defending our country. But while we remember those who did not come home, there are millions who did. And among them are millions who can't leave their trauma behind.
That's where Little Blessings Ranch comes in.
Our veterans have endured decades of deployments and exposure to some things that really stick with them. Sometimes the real battle is when they come home. Experts are finding that for many veterans, equine therapy is better than throwing more meds at the problem. The horses at Little Blessings often help more than the traditional medications do.
Jenny Wertz has been in the program for a year. After serving six-and-a-half years in the Navy, she found coming back to civilian life was a struggle for her mental health. Then she heard about the Little Blessings program. Wertz has been going once a week for 50 weeks.
Jamie Paxton is the executive director at Little Blessings. As for how equine therapy works, Paxton says that horses seem to pick up on your stress, stubbornness and hangups and throw them right back at you.
“So when they go home and walk through the door and their family scurries and they all go into separate rooms, all of a sudden that light bulb starts to come on like, 'oh this might be me that’s bringing this energy to the table,'" Paxton said. "And so they learn how to work through getting to be closer to the horses, getting closer to their families and they come up with their own resolution to the process.”
The different stages of treatment begin with learning to trust your horse, diving into trauma with a trained therapist and winding down with time and bonding with the horse to figure it all out.
Paxton believes the healing happens gradually throughout the way.
"Every stage sets you up for the next stage," she said. "Just the way they come into play in each stage just helps the healing process.".
The doors are always open for the veterans and their families. Little Blessings has graduated 15 veterans since 2020. Eight more are in the program right now, and a total of 47 military kids.
For more information, visit the Little Blessings website at this link.