Minnesota equine therapy center helps kids, veterans

RICE, MINN. – Brooke Belair thinks about a horse named Buck a lot, at least every day.

Just the thought of being with Buck at Sandy Knoll Farm relaxes her, the 13-year-old said.

Buck became a regular part of her life last fall, when Belair started equine-assisted therapy for anxiety and depression.

"It was kind of like love at first sight," Brooke said. The program "gives you a feeling of hope, and it makes you happy."

Three years ago, the equine-assisted therapy center Gaits of Hope started serving veterans and children with mental health issues. It's Jodine Rothstein's labor of love.

Rothstein, 53, lives at the Rice stables with her daughter's family on 40 acres that used to be part of her parents' farm.

On a sunny day in late June, her palomino, Maverick, grazed around a swing set while Pepper, a kitten Rothstein had rescued from a ditch, climbed around her shoulders.

Weeks after she learned equine therapy existed, Rothstein started training. At the time, she helped veterans with simple tasks at home and wanted to do more. She started holding workshops with veterans and horses.

"It was just something God put on my heart, to say, 'This is what you need to do,' " she said. "That's my mission."

Rothstein is a certified equine specialist with the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association, or EAGALA. She watches how horses react to people for insight into their problems. Folks who let a horse push them around may have boundary issues, she said.

"My job is to ask questions," Rothstein said. Clients groom the horses, walk them through obstacles, and sometimes groups of kids observe and discuss the horses' behaviors with Rothstein.

Horses are good therapy animals because they're social and sensitive to their environment and nonverbal cues, according to the EAGALA website. The size and power of a horse is also part of the equation.

Rothstein has about 13 horses, including two mares who work well with women who are managing sexual trauma.

Two minis named Murdock and Pudgy are less intimidating than larger horses for some kids. They also visit senior living centers, she said.

Annie, a white horse, works well with children with autism. One boy was shut off, with his hood pulled up. When he finally put a hand on Annie, the horse lowered her head to him. "She just wraps herself around them and loves on them," Rothstein said. "She stands like a statue while they pet her."

Eric Goodrich takes his daughter, Heidi, to Gaits of Hope and has for three years. Heidi has a close relationship with the white horse.

"She talks about Annie often, almost like she's a friend," Goodrich said. "It's made her life more enjoyable, something to look forward to."

She'd been in the mental health system since she was adopted at age 3, Goodrich said, and the horses aided her improvements.

Goodrich has worked in mental health for 30 years. It's heavily regulated, and he thinks it has lost some of its compassion and connection.