Recruiting Veterans to equine-assisted services (EAS) programs can be challenging and requires planning. It is not as easy as opening the doors one day for business and expecting them to sign up. The staff at Courage Rock, a PATH Intl. Center Member in Monticello, IN, have learned a few lessons over the years about how to recruit and attract Veterans for EAS programs:

1. Be clear with what is offered within your program. Offering Veteran-specific programming, not mixed with other clients or students, is key.
2. It is valuable to have Veterans help run or facilitate any programs or projects offered at your center that are designed for them. There is trust with other Veterans, especially those that are of the same conflict, regardless of whether they have seen battle or not.
3. All personnel involved in your program need to be knowledgeable about working with Veterans. The trust factor is extremely important for a Veteran to believe you’re truly listening to their needs and have an understanding of how they may feel. Knowing the language of a Veteran is critical and must be understood.
4. Always follow through with what you’ve said you will do, be prepared to completely give space, listen, and always carry patience and empathy when needed. For example, you may have a plan written out with specific horses and goals yet end up leaning on a stall listening or sharing stories either about something bothering them this day or something of the past. It is important to listen and try to respond to help them back to the here-and-now or have someone you can call to help them through (if you do not have a mental health professional on staff).
5. Get out in the community to spread the word about your programs. This is often more important than advertising. Introduce yourself to your local VSO (Veterans Service Office) and other organizations such as AMVETS (American Veterans) and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). Also, consider including emergency personnel organizations (fire, police, EMTs), as many first responders are also Veterans.
6. Consider offering events such as open houses. Advertise and reach out to relevant organizations so Veterans can visit with interest and not feel the pressure to sign up for anything. Invite their families so it can be about them and not focus on themselves until they can see what your facility is like.
7. Have a diverse herd of horses available. Horses that come with a less than desirable background seem to attract a purpose for the Veterans that may be making a connection as a way to relate. Having a purpose and goals are extremely important as Veterans have been trained to make the most of a situation and succeed with goals.
8. Courage Rock does not charge Veterans or their immediate family members any fees for equine-assisted services. Some may struggle with having a civilian career or others may be collecting disability and on a budget. At Courage Rock, we see it as our way of giving back.
9. Having instructors or facilitators that have years of experience in training horses of different disciplines and working with people is vital. Seeking and retaining professional certifications for those instructors is important to combine with those years of experience.
10. Offering riding lessons can get redundant as the Veterans seem to want more, like training the equines, or working on something specific such as a horse that refuses to pick up their feet or go in a trailer. Two of the more popular activities Courage Rock offers are horsemanship and mounted drill team exercises. Having the experience to understand both the horse and human is valuable and powerful.

By Kimberly Markham,
Courage Rock