Equine-assisted services (EAS) aim to promote long term positive changes in mental health, resilience, confidence and wellbeing through individual and group work. The
use of horses for therapy, mainly through groundwork, can have a powerful effect on those suffering from psychological trauma, whether serving personnel, veterans or civilians.
Within their broader activities, the Armed Forces Equine Charity and the Light Cavalry, HAC facilitate EAS for members of the Armed Forces Community in UK. Alongside other organisations in UK, we recognise the importance of this work to address some of the consequences of conflict.
In advance of the trip, we made contact with several of the organisations in Ukraine using horses to support their Armed Forces Community, and others. Primary contact was through the ‘Union of Specialists in Hippotherapy, Equine-Assisted Intervention, and Adaptive Equestrian Sports’ (UEAT-ARA) and with ‘Victory Center’. The latter coordinates several equine centres to provide a range of rehabilitation programmes for serving soldiers, security services, families, and children affected by the war.
In early February, a conference call was held with 12 representatives of Ukrainian equine-related NGOs, including the two named above. One attendee, a veteran, represented the Phoenix Veteran Project and is an advisor on psycho-emotional recovery. Also on the conference call were psychotherapists, trauma specialists, hippotherapy trainers, and specialists in psycho-emotional recovery. Most are also responsible for the care of horses including recovery and rehabilitation of horses from the frontline. All the participants on the call confirmed that to date there had been no support provided directly from UK.
During the trip I was able to visit three equine locations following meetings with representatives of the Victory Center and the Phoenix Veteran Project in Kyiv. Two of the equine locations were in rural areas West and North of Kiyiv and the third was on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
The first location visited was run by the widow of a Ukrainian soldier and was based on a small farm, with four horses, to the West of Kyiv. This centre hosts small groups of soldiers for short periods during which they develop their resilience and sense of well-being. During this first visit it was made clear that the emphasis was not so much on recovery, or a long-term healing process, but instead on promoting a sense of the ‘now’ and an inner resilience in the face of uncertainty, fear, and stress. The opportunity for the soldiers to work with horses is seen as a valuable way to reduce the impact of anticipation and fear. The soldiers prefer to work with members of their unit and are not pressed to release their inner concerns. This focus on developing inner resilience, in advance of a return to the front, was also evident in my third visit which was to a larger establishment on the edge of Kharkiv.
The second visit was to a quite different establishment, approximately an hour North of Kyiv, which serves as a centre for the rescue and recovery of horses, some injured, from frontline areas. A herd of approximately 40 horses was being cared for at this centre. I saw evidence of the emaciated condition of, and physical injuries suffered by, these horses before their rescue and treatment. All the horses I saw showed every sign of
having been carefully returned to a healthy condition. This second location is actively involved in providing courses for soldiers, security services, and children, using the horses recovered from the front. The scale of this operation is such that they draw on specialist therapists to work with both the horses and the people.
Unfortunately, in the time available and given the practicalities of the convoy I was not able to visit an equine centre near Lviv where disabled soldiers and others were being rehabilitated with the support of horses. I was also not able to visit a centre close to the Black Sea. However, the centres I saw gave me a strong impression of the commitment being made to providing valuable support and gave strong pointers to the potential for material support.
During a pre-convoy the conference call, the centres in Ukraine were requested to provide a wish list for support. I gathered several surplus saddles and surcingles, appropriate for use by disabled personnel, as well as rugs, halters, gel pads, and other items. These items came from the Epsom branch of Riding for the Disabled Association and from the Light Cavalry stores. This equipment was transported in one of the Convoy 22 vehicles and handed over to the Victory Center in Kyiv for onward distribution to two centres in frontline areas near Kharkiv, one in Zhaporizhia, and one near Mykolaiv.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to transport this material to Ukraine.
Other items identified on the original wish list were more substantial, complex, expensive, and/or specialist. They also included a desire to establish communication, mentoring, and other practical support between practitioners in UK and those in Ukraine. Work is underway to prioritise and organise these elements of support.
I was not surprised to hear the valuable part played by horses, supported by specialist therapists, in promoting recovery and resilience. Horses have a well evolved need for mental resilience to cope with a world in which they are prey.
It was impressive to see what was being achieved by those working with horses to address the psychological consequences of the war in Ukraine, despite minimal resourcing and external support. Though hopefully at a late stage of the conflict, the psychological and physical damage is substantial and will be enduring. There is an urgent need for support and we are now gathering items of horse and human equipment to support the valuable work being done in Ukraine.
During the visit it emerged that there was an urgent need for horse transport suitable for using in the frontline area to rescue horses; such a vehicle could also be used for the movement of materials/feed, taking horses to veterinary specialists, and to provide a mobile briefing room/shelter. Were a suitable vehicle to be sourced, it could be used on the outward journey to Ukraine for the transport of horse equipment, specialist feed material etc. and left there in the same way.
There is an evident need for promotion of awareness in UK of the work being done through equine-assisted services and rehabilitation in Ukraine. It is highly likely that therapists in UK could learn from the experiences of those in Ukraine. There is significant scope for the development of a mutually beneficial relationship between equine-based organisations in Ukraine and those in UK. We are exploring the potential for a workshop/conference in UK to facilitate the sharing of experiences and methods with our respective practitioners and to agree on future cooperation.
Riding Master, Light Cavalry, HAC