The Estate News & Blog

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can feel like a dark cloud that lingers long after a traumatic experience, affecting one’s ability to function or find joy in life. Yet, there is a powerful and lesser-known possibility beyond PTSD: Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). PTG is the positive psychological change that occurs as a result of struggling with traumatic experiences. It’s the ability to find new strength, purpose, and appreciation for life. One transformative tool for guiding people on this journey is equine-assisted coaching, where horses play an extraordinary role in the healing process. Soberman's Estate has horses on site and the clients participate in three Equine Therapy sessions per week.

While speaking with my wife via cellphone, I shared with her, “It’s the strangest thing—as I was speaking with you a moment ago, I was petting our horse, Sugar Pine, and he began stomping his front leg. I looked and Sugar had plenty of food and clean water. He looked healthy but continued to stomp his front left leg as if trying to tell me something. Now I’m petting our other horse, Charlie, and Charlie is also stomping his front left leg, even though he has plenty of food and water.”

What qualities are required to be a therapy horse? Inspired by our recent addition, Charlie, I thought maybe we’d take a look into what makes a horse suitable for this important role. Born on June 28, 2003, Charlie, a very handsome buckskin quarter horse, quickly proved his natural aptitude for therapy work during his very first session. His journey offers insights into what it takes for a horse to become a partner during the process of therapeutic work.

As the holiday season draws near, it's a period deeply rooted in gratitude, a sentiment that resonates profoundly with our endeavors here at Soberman’s Estate.