PAWS FOR REFLECTION RANCH
5431 Montgomery Road, Midlothian, TX 76065 www.pawsforreflectionranch.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: To provide a healing, educational, motivational and recreational environment utilizing equine and other animal assisted therapies and experiences to enhance the quality of life for all individuals, and to provide a loving home, whether temporary or permanent, for animals that meet a specific criteria to participate in therapeutic programs. We partner therapists with animals to heal the mind, body, and spirit. We offer the community with animal and equine assisted activities and therapies, including Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Therapeutic Horsemanship, Counseling Services, Special Needs Programs, Educational Programs, and Veteran Programs.

To provide the community with animal and equine assisted activities and therapies, including Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Therapeutic Horsemanship, Counseling Services, Special Needs Programs, Educational Programs, and Veteran and First Responder Programs. Partnering therapists with animals to heal the mind, body, and spirit.

Counseling programs include Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC), Equine-Assisted Counseling (EAC), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Traditional Counseling, and Animal/Equine Assisted Play Therapy. Therapists partner with 35 Ranch animals to meet weekly for 60 minute individual or group counseling sessions. Clients as young as 3 years of age begin in our Play Therapy program. Through the child's natural language of play, the counselor can reflect back to the child and better understand the emotions and concerns of the child. The counselor is able to work with the parent(s) and child to improve their relationship. Through interaction with the animals, the child learns empathy, regulation of emotions, anger management, and coping skills. The child builds confidence and self-esteem and learns how to better communicate at school and at home. In group Play Therapy, children learn how to play together, communicate with one another, and how to compromise and be flexible. As the child moves away from the world of toys, therapists may incorporate activities with the miniature horses, miniature donkey, goats and other barn animals. Activities are designed to encourage sharing of emotions and to reach therapy goals. In 2019, the Ranch contracted with one full time and 3 part time Play Therapists. University Master's and Doctoral level counseling interns have joined the team as well, helping to alleviate the wait list we often experience for Play Therapy. Teens typically participate in Equine Assisted Counseling. As the teen builds a relationship with a horse, they work on activities designed to focus on their therapy goals, improving their confidence and self-esteem as they experience the unconditional love of their horse. With immediate feedback from the horse, the client is able to try new behaviors, change communication styles, and be aware of how body language speaks volumes. Adult clients also typically choose Equine Assisted Counseling. Through building a relationship with their horse, the client learns how to build healthy relationships, try out different communication styles and behaviors, learn coping skills, manage anger and frustration, and more. Activities are designed to assist the client to accomplish their therapy goals as they learn new skills and bond with their horse. In Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, the client is able to train their brain to act in a more neutral manner when exposed to certain triggers that currently produce a dramatic response. Our counselors are trained to utilize this therapy with children, teens, adults, and Veterans. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is trauma focused and shows positive results in the treatment of PTSD, moral injury, nightmares, trauma, abuse, pain, eating disorders, etc. Clients report experiencing results quickly. Many of our clients merge Equine Assisted Counseling and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy together. Counseling clients include youth-at-risk, children, adults, families, Veterans and their dependents, people with special needs, and others who seek counseling. There has been a significant increase in client referrals and personal requests for service. In 2019, we began a partnership with Readiness Group in Fort Worth to provide equine assisted counseling and therapeutic horsemanship for First Responders of nine nearby cities. Services at the Ranch are free to these First Responders with fees being covered by a state grant which will hopefully be provided for more cities in the near future. In 2019, 88 unique clients were seen for Equine Assisted Counseling. With an average of 16 sessions each, these clients participated in approximately 1,408 sessions of Equine Assisted Counseling. Twenty clients were seen for approximately 33 sessions of EMDR Counseling. There were 58 unique clients seen for Animal Assisted Counseling for 351 sessions. There were 86 unique Play Therapy clients for 2019 resulting in approximately 365 sessions of Play Therapy. Traditional and Couples Counseling clients numbered 43 with 229 sessions. Total clients seen for counseling services were 295 in 2019. Expenses include Independent Contractor fees, training, and supply costs. Cost of facility and the use of animals have not been included in these program expenses.

We offer individual and group Therapeutic Horseback Riding Lessons Monday through Friday year around. We provided approximately 2,085 therapeutic riding lessons for 98 unique clients in 2019. We have 3 PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) Therapeutic Riding Instructors. Typically once weekly, lessons may be 30 minutes or 60 minutes in length, individual or group. Clients, ages 4 to adult, include those with special needs, ie. Autism, Down syndrome, physical limitations, and mental health challenges. We also offer riding for Veterans. Riders progress weekly, some needing horse leaders and side walkers for safety, progressing to be more independent. During 60 minute lessons, the rider learns how to retrieve the horse from the pasture and tack up, with the help of volunteers and/or the instructor. Some riders participate in games and activities while riding, working on basic riding skills. Instructors tailor their lessons to help with skills being learned at home and at school. Riding sessions may be held in the covered arena, on the Sensory Trail which is specially designed for the rider to interact with most senses, and on the other Nature Trails. Our herd of 13 horses provides the necessary variety of horse sizes and shapes to match to the rider's abilities. The rider may change to other horses as their riding abilities progress. We continue to partner with HopeKids of NE Texas for weekly riding and events. This organization offers events and activities for families who have a child with a potentially terminal illness. We offer one hour of weekly riding for their group who sign up on a first come, first serve basis. In addition to weekly clients, we served 37 unique individuals in this program in 2019. This service is currently not funded by grants or donors. Riding was also offered during community events in 2019 to provide guests an opportunity to see if therapeutic riding would be a good fit for them and their family. In addition, we host a Ranch Riders Horse Show each year providing an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their riding and horsemanship skills to family and friends. We provide trophies for each rider and t-shirts for each rider and volunteer. Refreshments, games and other activities are set up for family enjoyment. We provide sponsorship opportunities to help with the costs of the show. Expenses for the therapeutic riding program include Independent Contractor fees and supply expenses. Horse expenses have not been included in the expenses.

Therapeutic Horsemanship groups have become a consistent area of service offered by the Ranch. We continue our relationship with two local substance abuse rehabilitation facilities to provide therapeutic horsemanship to their clients. Clients learn about equine dynamics and can compare them to other social groups such as their family, co-workers, military unit, and so forth. As they establish a relationship with their horse, they can explore new habits, new behaviors, and new communication styles. They can compare the reactions of the horse to reactions of others in their life to see what works and what doesn't work in their life. As they engage in activities with their horse, they gain better insight into themselves. Sessions are 90 minutes long and are held twice a week. More than 400 clients participated in this program in 2019. We also provide therapeutic horsemanship to Veteran clients brought to the Ranch by the VA. These Veterans are part of the VA's homeless program where they help the Veteran get back on his feet, find employment, secure housing, etc. Therapeutic Horsemanship helps them develop the skills needed, as well as, show the Veteran their strengths. Over 100 clients were served in these weekly 90 minute sessions. Herd Strong, a group for youth-at-risk, has continued to be an effective means of group counseling for teenagers. Participants are grouped according to age, so that levels of emotional processing will be similar among them. Teens are selected from referrals received from community groups, mentoring organizations, schools, and parents. Through horsemanship activities with their chosen horse, the teens learn about healthy relationships, communication, leadership, coping skills, and body language. They practiced new behaviors with the horse giving immediate feedback. We also have a therapeutic horsemanship group for women in transition, called Mane Inspiration. Sessions of 90 minutes are held weekly for 8 weeks. Expenses for the Therapeutic Horsemanship program include Independent Contractor fees and direct expenses. Horse expenses and facility costs are not included in these expenses.

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