Programs
Come as you are. Leave a little more yourself.
Full days and half days for first responders, veterans, and the helping professionals who carry other people’s pain.
You do not need horse experience. You do not need to have language for what you carry. You need a day, a pair of boots, and a willingness to stand still long enough for a horse to decide you are here.
Upcoming
Next days on the ranch
Saturday, October 3
12:30p–5p
Living Courage: First Responders
An afternoon with the herd for first responders. Donation-based. Small group, mostly outside.
Friday, October 9
9:30a–5p
Living Courage: First Responders
An afternoon with the herd for first responders. Donation-based. Small group, mostly outside.
Friday, October 16
9:30a–5p
Living Courage: First Responders
An afternoon with the herd for first responders. Donation-based. Small group, mostly outside.
FIRST RESPONDERS & VETERANS
Living Courage
Partners in Freedom
We often take on the identity of our profession. Living Courage is a place to set that armor down, without anyone asking you to explain the call, the deployment, or the thing you cannot unsee.
Horses live in the present. They do not care about rank, years of service, or the story you tell about yourself. They take all of you as you are.
- Who
- Firefighters, police, EMS, veterans
- Length
- Full day 9a–5p, or half day
- Cost
- Free to participants; donation-based
- On the ground
- About 85% of the day with the horses
HELPING PROFESSIONALS
Living In Courage
Compassion is not an unlimited resource. Nurses, teachers, mental health professionals, and veterinarians spend their days inside other people’s pain.
Living In Courage is built for the schedule you actually have. Full-day intensives and half-days for teams. The work is not a lecture on self-care. It is time in the presence of horses who still live from the heart.
- Who
- Nurses, teachers, clinicians, veterinarians
- Length
- Full day or half day for teams
- Cost
- Free to participants; donation-based
- Focus
- Burnout, compassion fatigue, reconnection
The shape of a day
A full-day intensive
9:00 · Arrive
Coffee, a slow walk of the property, and a chance to let the drive fall off.
9:30 · The herd
We begin with the horses, not with a worksheet. Observation, presence, and the first honest conversation of the day.
12:00 · Table
Lunch is provided. The work does not stop at the barn door; it just changes chairs.
1:00 · The work
Ground sessions, round-pen time, and the particular horse who seems to have been waiting for you.
4:00 · Close
We gather what the day taught, name what is coming home with you, and leave the ranch quieter than we found it.
Questions
What people ask before they come
Can a department or clinic book a day?
Yes. A full day or a half day can be held for a crew. Tell us how many people are coming and which dates you are holding, and we will see whether the ranch can take you.
Do I need any horse experience?
No. Equine-assisted work is effective whether you have been around horses your whole life or have never stood beside one. The horses do not require you to know the language. They require you to be present.
Is this riding?
Not primarily. Most of the day is unmounted, on the ground, in relationship. Some sessions include mounted work when it serves the person in front of us. This is not a riding lesson.
Who is it for?
Living Courage is for first responders and veterans. Living In Courage is for helping professionals — nurses, teachers, clinicians, veterinarians.
What does it cost?
Programs for first responders, veterans, and helping professionals are free to participants and funded by donations. Counselor workshops, with a professional fee, are on the Education page.
How long is a day?
Full-day intensives run 9a-5p. Half-days run 9a-1p or 1p-5p, which is often the right shape for a department or clinic team. About 85 to 90 percent of the day is with the horses and outside.
What should I wear?
Closed-toe boots or sturdy shoes, long pants, layers for Colorado weather, and clothes you do not mind getting dusty. We will be outside most of the day. Leave the dress uniform at home.
Is this a replacement for therapy?
Our intensives are therapeutic days on the land with horses and a licensed clinician. They are not a replacement for ongoing therapy, and we are not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 988 or 911.
Where is the ranch?
Morrison, Colorado, in the foothills west of Denver. We will send exact arrival details when you are on the calendar. The ranch is reached by a quiet road; GPS gets you close, and we get you the rest of the way.
Programs are free to the people who serve.
Donations keep the herd fed, the table set, and the gate open. If you cannot come, you can still send someone who needs to.