BELDENVILLE – A couple of weeks after the Pierce County Fair, Dean Marsh took his first horse ride at Lost Creek Ranch. He was hooked.

The Elmwood veteran went to the ranch’s Beer, Bourbon & Bonfire Night, an event meant to introduce veterans to the ranch, horses and other veterans.

“I got to see the place and scheduled a lesson shortly thereafter,” Marsh said.

Lost Creek has provided 58 clinician-led equine therapy sessions with trained horses, ranging from mini groundwork sessions to full six-week riding programs, said Board Member Jackie Berg.

“Designed to ease anxiety, depression, isolation, and PTSD, each experience is customized to the veteran participant to foster connection, confidence, and a deep sense of being seen, understood and truly cared for,” she said.

According to the 2022 Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Veterans Opportunity report, veterans are more likely than non-veterans to suffer from PTSD, depression, and substance use, and are more likely to die by suicide. Numerous VA studies reveal that about 30% of veterans are impacted by PTSD. An October 2025 Yale study found that younger veterans (under 50) are three times more likely to screen positive for PTSD than older veterans (aged 50+). 

Pierce County has 1,957 veterans (5.8% of the population), according to the latest five-year ACS estimate. The number for St. Croix County is 4,451 veterans (6% of the population).  

LCR’s veteran sessions are largely funded by the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs, along with donations from smaller, mission-aligned donors, Berg said.

“Horses are highly attuned to nonverbal cues and mirror human emotions, offering veterans immediate, honest feedback that helps them learn to regulate their own emotions,” Berg said. “The transparent nature of a horse's reactions helps rebuild a veteran's capacity for trust. Caring for a horse requires veterans to focus on the present moment, whether through grooming, leading, or observing. This practice of mindfulness helps interrupt negative thought patterns, reduces hypervigilance, and provides a calming sensory experience.

“A Rutgers researcher noted that traditional PTSD therapies have high dropout rates among veterans (50-60%), making alternative treatments like equine therapy particularly valuable. The non-confrontational, outdoor environment is often more approachable for veterans than a clinical setting.” 

More than 90% of Lost Creek veteran participants surveyed said their interaction with the trained equine therapy horses was relaxing and/or calming.

“Among the 12 mini-session participants whose stated goal was to ‘reduce their fear of horses,’ 100% said they were less afraid of horses following guided interactions, and education on interpreting equine body language and behavior cues,” Berg said. “More than 86% of our six-week lesson participants surveyed said they felt confident in the saddle and their ability to achieve compliance with the 10 verbal, directional and safety commands essential to riders.”

On that note, more than 93% of the six-week riding program participants surveyed reported that their ranch experience improved their mood/mental health, while 100% of participants indicated interest in attending future social events hosted by Lost Creek Ranch (schedule permitting).

Marsh’s experience

About 15 years ago, Marsh and his then wife took care of six horses while the owner was in patent school in Washington DC. They didn’t ride them but were responsible for feeding them.

“They were all different ages, had their own minerals, supplements and meds,” Marsh said. “I had ridden like twice before this, but it had been a long time ago.”

Marsh’s interest in Lost Creek’s program was piqued even more thanks to a TV show.

“I watch the show ‘Heartland’ that I really like and it gave me an appreciation of horses,” Marsh said. “This gets me out of the house instead of watching football and NASCAR in my basement.”

While talking to his daughter, Carol, last summer, he was listing things he wanted to do on his bucket list.

“’Why don’t you?’ she said. It seemed like a dodo move to not try it since I had decided I wanted to get on a horse again, since it was one of my bucket list items,” Marsh said.

While not always up for riding the horse, he tries to do it every week if he can, but sometimes his hips are too sore. He has ridden Boo 4-5 times and worked with Knickers last time.

“He was a good horse, but a little more frisky,” Marsh laughed. “They know when a newbie is on their back. I got him to trot a little bit. I’ve only ran on a horse one time, a long time ago. It was exhilarating and scared the crap out of me at the same time.”

At Lost Creek, participants groom their horses before riding them. Marsh has also learned how to put a saddle on.

“Sometimes they do it for expedience, other times I do it,” he said. “Adjusting my straps is about the only thing I haven’t done, which I can’t because I’m on the horse.”

Marsh likes going to Lost Creek because it gets him out of the house on a Sunday afternoon when he would normally just be home watching TV.

“My body can’t handle much more than an hour before I get a little sore, but it gets better each time. I would like to go on a trail ride too,” he said.

Time in the service

Marsh grew up in Ellsworth. He joined the U.S. Navy as a Seabee in 1986 and served until 2007, when he retired as a Petty Officer First Class. His best friend Brian joined the Navy with him and they ended up in the same boot camp. Marsh spent 18 years in the Reserves in the Twin Cities.

“In 1990 I was deployed as a reservist to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, based out of California, but we were sent to Puerto Rico,” Marsh said. “I was a mechanic.”

Other than the 16-hour workdays, he also performed roving watches. He also got a job as a duty bus driver, driving people from their camp to the Naval Exchange, the gym or to the local bars on the base or just off the base. He was there for 7-8 months just before Desert Storm.

“Ages later, I stayed long enough to be deployed to Bahrain and then to Iraq after that,” Marsh said. “In Bahrain, I was attached to an air cargo unit that took over the warehouse and dealt with the air cargo for the deployment to the Iraq War that was just starting, In 2002, we were the first unit deployed out of Minnesota.”

His group was responsible for maintaining equipment, loading and unloading of helicopters and aircraft, and managing the cargo warehouse, the passenger terminal and the mail center.

“In Iraq, being with the same unit, we got deployed in 2006 and mostly we were attached to a cargo handling battalion that stayed in Kuwait and we loaded ships and cargo and equipment to go all over the Middle East region,” Marsh said. “Twelve of us went to Iraq and we handled cargo and parts for six Marine air wings.”

Shortly after returning from Iraq, he finished a few months of drills and retired after 20 years in the service. He has been a member of the Crain-Ottman American Legion in Elmwood for 21 years. Daughter Carol, a 2023 Elmwood graduate, followed in his footsteps and serves as a combat medic and military MP. She’s currently deployed to Washington DC to help clean up that area before the nation’s 250^th anniversary.

While he awaits his daughter’s return, he will continue his visits to Lost Creek Ranch. He advises other veterans to do the same.

“The trainers are patient and really nice. The horses are very patient and calming. They’re pretty chill, so if you are worried about the horses, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s just really cool to be riding around on them,” Marsh said. “But definitely give it a try, especially if you’re looking to get out of your shell a little bit like I was or looking for something relaxing to do. Once you get used to the horse and trust the horse, just walking around with the horse is pretty chill and that’s why I thought it would be nice to go on a trail ride. I went 20 years ago and want to do it again.”

To learn more about Lost Creek’s program or donate to the cause, visit lostcreekranchwi.org