BELDENVILLE – Beginning this month, Lost Creek Ranch in Beldenville is offering free riding scholarships to eligible veterans, thanks to grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs.

According to Lost Creek Ranch Board member Jackie Berg, equine therapy is increasingly recognized as a transformative treatment for veterans facing transition challenges, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“Many of our nation’s service members, who faced intense and often traumatic experiences in service to our country, face unique challenges upon returning to civilian life,” said Berg in an email to the Journal. “The Veterans’ Association reports that 30% to 50% of veterans recently deployed may experience PTSD, which can lead to isolation, hypervigilance, anxiety, and detachment.”

Traditional therapies can effectively help veterans living with these conditions, but they don’t always work for everyone. Sometimes, someone might feel more comfortable bonding with an animal than a person.

“Some veterans find it difficult to open up in clinical settings, making equine therapy a compelling alternative,” Berg wrote. “Working with horses provides an approachable hands-on, nonverbal experience. Horses, naturally sensitive to human emotions, create a unique bond with veterans, echoing the trust and loyalty formed within military units. Through therapeutic riding, grooming, and presence with therapy horses, veterans establish healthier connections—with themselves, others, and the world around them.”

Many research studies show that equine therapy helps reduce symptoms like anxiety, hyperarousal, and emotional numbness. Veterans often report improved sleep, stress management, and emotional resilience, Berg said.

Lost Creek Ranch’s program will provide free equine therapy for veterans living with transition challenges or PTSD and a supportive environment where families can engage in their loved one’s healing journey. The programs range from introductory to more intensive six-week therapeutic riding experiences.

Board member Cathy Moeger said when Lost Creek lost a big chunk of its funding for its at-risk youth programming, she joined the board to help the ranch continue the good work it’s known for.

“That’s what’s exciting about this veterans’ program,” Moeger said, “The experience of Ruth Harper, Jacqueline Stumpf, about working with kids and seeing the benefits of that and being a able to apply it to veterans who need that same kind of support and emotional support to the horses.”

Moeger, who has been riding at Lost Creek since 2017, said one of their strategies has been to look for grants that would help Lost Creek continue complimentary programming to those in need.

“What we’re trying to do is focus on areas where we know we have strength and apply that into other kinds of clients,” Moeger said. “Working with at-risk kids, veterans who have emotional support issues, seemed like a logical extension.”

Moeger said if the program is successful, they will continue to apply for the grant.

“We have to prove ourselves, that people are getting the benefit that they need,” she said. “The emotional connection with the horse, the ability to learn new things, being outdoors, it’s all good for mental and physical health.”

Lost Creek has been working with local veterans’ organizations at UW-River Falls, the American Legions in Ellsworth and River Falls, and the Pierce County Veterans Service Office to make people aware of the opportunity. The six-week lesson package alone is worth $275 normally.

Riders would participate in small groups of no more than five at a time. They are hoping to provide up to 25 veterans with the opportunity to try six-week lesson packages.

“We can start people at any time,” Moeger said. “They would ride once a week, but they can certainly come out more often if they want.

“We also have committed to host 25 veterans for ‘try it’ mini lessons, a one-time lesson where people get to interact with the horses, have a lesson and see if they’re actually interested enough to continue on for the next six weeks.”

This means 50 veterans in total have two ways to access the horses and their associated benefits. Moeger’s husband is a retired U.S. Marine and he visits the LCR.

“My husband enjoys the interaction with the horses, even though he doesn’t ride,” Moeger said. “He likes to go out and catch them, walk with them, groom them. Because I've seen the success LCR has had with youth by improving their mental and physical health and making new friends of all ages in our barn community, I'm looking forward to seeing those same results with Wisconsin veterans.”

Veterans are welcome to bring their families along. The facility has an indoor arena with a heated tack area.

“I love it, because I can get out of the house and have fun playing with the horses no matter the weather,” Moeger said. “And that means we can start providing the free lessons for veterans at any time, even though winter is coming.”

For those interested in learning more about the program, they can contact Ruth Harper at 612-229-2760 or visit lostcreekranchwi.org for additional details.