Project Comeback: Open House

583 Adams Street,Holliston MA 01746

27 August, 2022

Description

Project Comeback Open House Please join us for the Project Comeback Session 2 Open House, where currently serving Military and Veterans work directly with rescue horses to learn relatable life lessons while helping these horses readjust to back into the horse community. This Open House is the opportunity for potential participants, supporters and other interested persons to meet the horses, speak with program staff and develop a greater understanding of the program itself. There is no obligation to enroll in the program by attending the Open House. Eligible military and Veterans may enroll in the program at no cost (limited space available), which will be held over six weekly sessions beginning in September. Participants will be taught all that they require to participate. Priority for sign-ups will be given to those who attend the Open House. Additional slots will be published if available (Session 1 filled completely during the previous Open House). Those interested in enrolling in Project Comeback should plan on attending each of the six sessions and bring their DD214 stating Honorable service or unexpired CAC. Space is limited and is available on a first come, first serve basis to qualified individuals. Actual weekly session time will be determined based on staff and participant availability during the Open House. Read more on the program below: This structured 6-week program brings rescued horses and Veterans together to find healing. Through classroom instruction, direct observation and one-on-one interaction, Veterans are educated on basic horse psychology, communication, anatomy and herd dynamics. Each Veteran is provided with a history of prior trauma that each horse is working through and the actions needed to assist in their readjustment into a herd. “Just like the horses, we needed the time to trust them as well as they needed the time to trust us. And to trust ourselves, too”. – Marine Corps Veteran, Global War on Terror As the course continues, participants choose (or are chosen by) a horse to work with one-on-one to successfully learn a task that assists the horse with their reintegration into the herd. These vary based on the specific history of the horse and the Veteran. “When they started talking about thoroughbreds being raised and trained to “run fast and turn left” and then being thrown away when there weren’t profitable anymore, I almost lost my composure. That’s pretty much what it feels like the Army did to me and a lot of us. That’s what made me sign up for the project. I picked Blue to work with because he’s like me, big dude with a messed up back, trained to run fast and turn left. He has shivers, I have a fractured L3, we both have mobility issues”. – Army Veteran, Iraq Over the course of six weeks, Veteran and horse bond and work toward the completion of their specific task. On graduation, the Veteran and horse function as a “herd of two” and demonstrate the progress they’ve made to the group. “On March 31st 2021 I had decided I didn’t want to live anymore. Unresolved and unaddressed traumas from my deployment to Afghanistan and return home had piled up and I didn’t want to continue going through life in pain and exhausted. Luckily, a battle buddy helped me get to inpatient mental health treatment that literally saved my life. Through this program the pain I have gone through is given purpose. It made me feel so amazing to know that through some shared experience as living things, my horse and I both saw the survivor and fighter in each other”. – Army Veteran, Afghanistan Throughout this process, participants discover insights on their own journey back into civilian life and build relatable skills that they can apply to their personal lives. They also grow their personal networks by establishing friendships with other participants, gain the confidence that comes with stepping out of a comfort zone and meeting a new challenge, and develop a greater bond with the natural world. This Project Comeback Veteran activity is sponsored by MassVeteran.com, a program of Easterseals Massachusetts. Visit www.MassVeteran.com for details on this and other activities.