Local horse therapy organization expands efforts to help more people in need
Healing though horses is what Barnabas Horse Foundation in Murrells Inlet has done for the past five years. Now, they're expanding their services.
Founder and director Sue McKinney said they are adding hippo-therapy to their equine-assisted services for the public.
"We will be the only facility within a two hour radius that offers both psychological therapy and the physical therapy."
Barnabas Foundation currently has 14 therapy horses that work with abused and traumatized children and adults.
Equine assisted therapy has people work through their troubled experience or emotional disabilities with the help of horses.
Hippo-therapy helps those with physical disabilities.
People with Barnabas said they've seen miracles happen when clients come out and work with the horses.
"People have tried so many things, medications, therapies whatever, but when you get out here and you lay your hands on a heart beat of an animal that will say to you I want to be with you, I love you and here's why. You can't beat that," said Laurie Johnson, Vice President of Barnabas Foundation. "There is no drug that's better than that."
McKinney said she started the non-profit in 2011 after she experienced how horses can help heal.
She said after five years, they've reached out to more clients than she could have ever imagined.
She said they reached out to children first in 2013. They then expanded to women in 2014 and then veterans in 2015.
"Getting to see the miracles and the healing that happens everyday, when you have a child that's terrified and stutters and can't talk and all of the sudden they are out here with the horses and they're free and they're talking and they're communicating and they have a safe haven to express themselves and they learn how to build healthy relationships, those are the biggest blessings to me," said McKinney.
McKinney said they use a team approach to therapy.
She said they use the horse, an equine specialist, a therapist and a client.
"I work hand-in-hand with the therapist to devise lessons, exercises to help them get something out of their client that they're trying to pull out," explained McKinney. "It could be self confidence, it could be the client's having anger issues and we work on things where they can learn how to express it in a healthy way."
McKinney said it's usually an hour long session for clients.
She said they don't charge for sessions, since they are a non-profit.
McKinney said it's a huge reward just knowing her passion of horse therapy is changing other people's lives.
"We are a family here," said McKinney. "We embrace everyone as family members."
