Start the day with horses and, odds are, it’s going to be a good day.
Such was the case on our visit to a place called Casey’s Healing Hooves in Hudson.
“I’ve always had a fascination with horses since I was little, and I was always going toward them and gravitating toward them for any problems that I had," founder Paul Casey said. "You know, any bullying or just not feeling that good about myself."
On his website, Casey explains his ranch is a place where horses and humans become partners in a therapeutic relationship that explores abilities and not disabilities.
Clients range in age from 6 to those in their 90s, both civilian and military. Treatment deals with trauma, drug and alcohol addiction and other behavioral challenges.
Equine-facilitated psychotherapy includes "communicating," while person and horse walk over a laid-out course.
"Horses communicate without speaking," Casey says. “It’s their movement and things like that. That’s how they mirror the clients when they’re out here because there’s no talking. They just have to go through their exercises and bond with the horse."
Riding can deal with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders, cerebral palsy and other challenges.
And the stars, of course, are the horses.
"All the horses that we have here, I got from rescue," Casey said. "They were underweight or not taken care of and abused, and we’ve rehabilitated them and got them to trust people again and work with people."
Started in 2012, Casey’s Healing Hooves qualified as a nonprofit in May 2014. Often free or on a sliding scale, fees cover about 15 percent of costs. The rest of the funding comes from grants and contributions.
And as the day winds down at session’s end, you know there’s really nothing like an ear rub to say thanks to a friend.