ArabianRescueTherapy

Who am I? Why this? And how?

I am a survivor of mental, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and I struggle with self-injury. My mind and body bear the scars of a lifetime of pain. I have been crippled with knee surgeries since age eight, and know all too well the stigmas and challenges faced by disability. My own experiences have been my teachers, along with my family and friends, a couple of amazing therapists and - most of all - my beloved Arabians.

Eleven years ago, in addition to the breeding, training, and showing of horses I had done since I was a child, I began helping Arabians who were in need, and discovered I had a knack for it. Some call it horse-whispering, and others call it magic. Horses advised for euthanasia were saved, and are now healthy and happy. Horses that were untouchable have now become pocket ponies. My answer is there is no magic - but a lifetime of equine experience; countless hours of observation; and an equal number in caring for the horses primarily by myself for more than three decades.

When the volunteers who were helping me showed as much improvement as the horses, I took note. The idea of ART took shape. I always knew that my horses had saved me innumerable times, and that they still continue to ground me in the here and now. When suffering from depression and other mental illnesses, it is easy to become lost in anxiety and hopelessness. PTSD robs one of reality. Suicidal ideation can all too easily become completed suicide.  The horses were always my method, my anchor in a world where I often felt alien and unhappy.  As the past four years have unwound and my own therapeutic journey has unfolded, the dream of ART took focus and is coming true. These horses who were considered hopeless but have recovered; horses who have suffered as I and so many others have suffered - have come out on the other side, and  in ways we humans can only envy. These horses now serve as healing instruments in equine psychotherapy, a process as old as the horse/human bond, but which is only now being "rediscovered" as a powerful tool in mental health.

But don't take my word for it. Come see for yourselves. Contact us and we will show you the "magic" of Arabian Rescue Therapy.  

We are a registered non-profit with both the State of Texas and the US government.  All donations are tax deductible.

Rebecca Boardman

** Please see my published articles on self harm - links to the left **