'Diamonds in the rough': Rescued horses training to become therapy animals at CSU equine center

Fort Collins Coloradoan

Helen, a horse in training to become a therapy horse at Colorado State University, has come a long way since being rescued from an abusive situation last summer.

Helen was brought to the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center by law enforcement in July 2020 alongside 29 other horses, most of which were feral and had little human interaction. But it quickly became apparent Helen had some past training and a lot of potential, CSU equine science instructor Kristen Martell said.

Helen gained 100 pounds in her first month at the center and spent the last half of 2020 in rehabilitation. Now, Helen and two other horses rescued by the Dumb Friends League — Scout and Sassy — are being trained as therapy horses.

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Colorado State University students and instructors use a lift to mount a rider onto Scout, a horse in training to become a therapy horse, in the arena at the Temple Grandin Equine Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. on Friday, April 9, 2021.

Scout was first surrendered to the Dumb Friends League in 2018 and brought to CSU for training in 2019 where he was adopted. He returned to the Dumb Friends League in December 2020 when he no longer fit the previous owner's needs. Sassy was surrendered in December 2020 by her previous owner who had a change in life circumstances and wanted her to find a home where she could continue to excel, according to CSU System spokesperson Tiana Kennedy.

Helen, Scout and Sassy spent Friday morning inside the the Temple Grandin Equine Center with students who are part of the Right Horse Program at CSU. Martell said the program is part of the nationwide Right Horse Initiative, which promotes horse rehabilitation and adoption.

CSU's Right Horse Program began in spring 2019. In the program, students are paired with horses and help train them to become therapy horses, lesson horses or personal horses for individual adopters, Martell said.

Students training with potential therapy horses walk the horses through what they would experience in therapy sessions, including sudden movements, people leading or walking on the horse's sides and unexpected noises.

Helen, Scout and Sassy are the only horses out of the 14 in the program that have been identified as good candidates for becoming therapy horses because of their behavior, Martell said.

"Therapy horses are like diamonds in the rough," Martell said.

The characteristics looked for in therapy horses — gentle, tolerant, not easily startled — go against the nature of most horses as prey animals, Martell said.

Sassy, a horse in training to become a therapy horse, stands as students gather around her in the arena at the Temple Grandin Equine Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. on Friday, April 9, 2021.

All three horses from the Dumb Friends League have calm and gentle demeanors, making them good candidates, Martell said, adding that it's surprising that Helen fits that description because of her background of abuse and neglect.

"You would expect as a horse that has gone through neglect (she) would have trust issues," Martell said.

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Samantha Moore, a junior equine science student at CSU assigned to work with Helen this year, said she has been impressed by Helen's ability to open up and willingness to try new things during their weekly training sessions.

"She's such a good horse," Moore said.

Working with Helen has been unique because of her background, Moore said. She's afraid of trucks, possibly because she was chased by a truck at some point before she was rescued, Moore said. Her previous experiences make it a little harder for Helen to relax, Moore said.

CSU student Samantha Moore works to desensitize Helen, a horse in training to become a therapy horse, in the arena at the Temple Grandin Equine Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. on Friday, April 9, 2021.

"Her mind works a lot differently than other horses," Moore said.

Despite that, Moore said they haven't had any setbacks in their training this semester.

There's a stigma around rescue horses — or "horses in transition" — not being desirable because they experienced abuse or trauma, Martell said, but the Right Horse Program helps erase that stigma by rehabilitating and preparing those horses for a second chance.

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Through the program, students get hands-on training experience, horses find new homes and therapy horses are trained to help fill the shortage in therapy horses, Martell said.

Helen, Scout and Sassy will stay with CSU's growing equine therapies program through the Temple Grandin Equine Center, Martell said, though other horses that have gone through the Right Horse Program have been adopted out to other therapy programs.

When the CSU Spur campus opens in Denver, the program will continue with the Dumb Friends League sending horses there for training and rehabilitation.

Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County government and more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.