Easy Going

Peggy served in the United States Air Force from 2007-2011, serving as a perimeter security forces member stationed in Bagram, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. After retiring, she settled in with her family and discovered Guiding Reins through Facebook.

Having never participated in a veteran support group before, Peggy was drawn to the program's approach. "Many veterans are wary of talk therapy; I was drawn to Guiding Reins because of its outdoor setting and the hands-on tactical work with horses."

Her small group represented every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and over time, they came to know each horse just as well. "Each horse had a different personality; one was low energy, one was stubborn, one was older and set in their habits. They were very much like people in their personality traits."

At the outset, Peggy avoided working with the one female horse in the group, assuming she'd perform better with one of the males. But over the course of the program, she bonded with a horse named Beatrice. "She was so easy-going, and we just clicked. If I hadn't given her a chance, I never would have discovered how well we worked together."

Working through tasks with the horses, both individually and as a group, brought some important lessons to light. "One of the biggest things I learned is that you have to have patience, you can't make these horses do anything they don't want to do, you have to learn how to work with them, not against them." She found the experience to be a powerful parallel to working with people and navigating different personalities.

“After being part of Guiding Reins, my hope is that others like me will just try it. One of the biggest hurdles is just showing up." After completing the program, Peggy has returned as a volunteer and looks forward to continuing her involvement with Guiding Reins.