Therapy horses help firefighters manage stress during active wildfire
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Mini therapy horses are offering support to firefighters battling the "Aspen Acres" blaze, helping them decompress and alleviate stress. The horses are based at CSU-Pueblo, which serves as the "Firefighter City" home base for fire crews actively fighting the wildfire.
The two mini therapy horses, named Baylee and Pearl, are part of an organization called "Forever Homes Happy Hearts Mini Therapy Horses". They provide emotional support and a distraction from the frontlines for the fire crews stationed at the university.
“They just bring so much love and happiness,” Tara Holmes, the owner of Baylee and Pearl, said.
Holmes says the horses and firefighters are always excited to get to some face-to-muzzle time.
“They'll get down and get right in their faces. But men, women, they love them like they'll jump out of the trucks, they'll come running over, they'll give them hugs. It's very uplifting,” Holmes said.
Norah Cook, Holmes' daughter, is the co-handler of the mini therapy horses. Cook observed the emotional response from the firefighters.
“Just all these, you know, grown men and women just loving on these minis and just getting so many smiles and just seeing all the emotion; it makes us so happy to be able to help bring a positive heart and some smiles in a dark time,” Cook said.
The therapy horses help calm any mental or emotional strain experienced by the firefighters.
“These just kind of take that away from you and just kind of help you release that and put that in something fuzzy, cute and positive,” Cook said.
Beyond their work with firefighters, Forever Homes Happy Hearts Mini Therapy Horses also visit kids and disabled people. Holmes noted the horses' ability to sense who needs their comfort.
“They will often gravitate maybe to somebody who's hurting or somebody who they can tell really needs to be uplifted, and they'll scratch on them, or they'll just stand to be petted. They're just very tuned to human feelings,” Holmes said.
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