Southern Oregon equine-assisted mental health nonprofit selected by Horses for Mental Health as a Charity Partner

Ashland.news staff report

Ashland-based nonprofit Riding Beyond has been selected by Horses for Mental Health as a Charity Partner to participate in their 2024 Seen Through Horses awareness and fundraising campaign this May. The annual campaign helps raise awareness and critical funds to support nonprofit organizations incorporating horses for mental health and personal growth services.

Seen Through Horses is a peer-to-peer awareness campaign in which people, nonprofits, mental health specialists, celebrities, influencers and businesses help to increase awareness and public engagement and raise funds to improve access to these valuable programs. 

The campaign is set to run the entire month of May 2024. At the end of the campaign, 100% of funds raised (minus credit card fees) will go directly to the organization that made the contribution.  

Riding Beyond has responded to the epidemic of breast cancer and the difficulties following the rigors of treatment with life-transforming experiences with horses since 2013. While physical after-effects are the focus of the medical team, Riding Beyond turns its attention to the many emotional and spiritual challenges. In many cases these challenges are unanticipated and women often feel unprepared for how to find restoration and rejuvenation.

Riding Beyond opens doors to improved physical and mental health for participants by using research-proven therapy practices utilized for war veterans, along with multicultural elements of music, story-telling, creative expression, and body-based practices that reconnect participants to family, friends, community and self. In the past two years Riding Beyond has expanded services to people experiencing stress from the pandemic, wildfires and other debilitating mental health challenges. 

Premier partners supporting the Seen Through Horses campaign include The American Horse Council, American Psychological Association’s Section on Human-Animal Interaction (APA HAI), Arenas for Change (ARCH), Black in the Saddle, Equine Network, EQUUS Films & Arts, EQUUS Television Network, Horses & Humans Research Foundation​​, Institute for Human-Animal Connection, Natural Lifemanship, New Trails Learning Systems, PATH International, Polyvagal Equine Institute, Rural Minds, Temple Grandin Equine Center (CSU), The HERD Institute and U.S. Equestrian. 

To learn more about how Seen Through Horses is showcasing the incredible impact horses have on mental health, visit horsesformentalhealth.org/campaign.

About Riding Beyond

Riding Beyond began in 2013 with a gathering of people who recognized the life-changing benefits of a heart-to-heart relationship with horses through programs for women experiencing the after-effects of breast cancer treatment, largely unattended by medical care. Riding Beyond builds wide-spread community awareness of the needs of those requiring help with trauma recovery, as well as how a relationship with a horse as a sentient being can promote profound healing.

Riding Beyond joins with the medical profession’s expansion from curing cancer to include wellness strategies post-treatment, through personal and conference presentations.

Riding Beyond also trains professionals in equine assisted therapies around the world in the Riding Beyond model.

To learn more about Riding Beyond, visit ridingbeyond.org.

About Seen Through Horses

Seen Through Horses is a peer-to-peer campaign composed of individuals, nonprofits, mental health professionals, influencers, and businesses to increase awareness and public engagement and raise funds to improve access to programs incorporating horses for mental health and personal growth. 

Horses can make a much-needed difference for the mental health challenges so many in the world face. Seen Through Horses aims to convene a community, empower nonprofits, and share stories of transformation to illustrate the positive impacts of incorporating horses into mental health services and programs. 

The campaign is composed of mental health and equine professionals who have dedicated their lives to supporting both horses and humans. Seen Through Horses Campaign is made possible by its title sponsor, Zoetis, and executive producer, Horses for Mental Health. 

Those interested in making a donation can do so until May 31 by going online to horsesformentalhealth.org/campaign.

Information obtained from a news release from Riding Beyond. Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.