Equines for Freedom president shares his own journey to healing

At this month’s open house at the Equines for Freedom farm in Clarks Summit, visitors got the chance to learn about the non-profit’s mission to help veterans.

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — When retired law enforcement officer William Brennan first arrived at Equines for Freedom, he wasn’t convinced horses could help him heal from the trauma he had experienced.

But at Sunday’s open house at the nonprofit’s farm, visitors got a firsthand look at the programs Brennan said changed and ultimately saved his life.

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“They said, you know, ‘You choose your horse.’ I said, ‘If this program is going to work for me, if this is supposed to be so great,’ It was very difficult. I said, ‘The horse will pick me,'” Brennan said.

Almost immediately, a horse named Tiger walked up to him and hasn’t left his side since.

“Tiger here picked me. Tiger and I have been battle buddies for over a year now, and he’s very lovable and he’s very calming,” Brennan said.

That unexpected connection became the foundation of Brennan’s healing journey through equine-assisted therapy.

At the farm near Clarks Summit, therapists combine horses with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, a trauma treatment that helps the brain reprogram how the body and mind react to difficult memories.

Brennan said horses have the ability to mirror deep emotions, a skill that helps those who struggle to put their feelings into words.

“As a lot of veterans and a lot of first responders and military personnel — we could be dying inside and you ask the question, ‘How are you feeling?’ and we’ll go, ‘Great! I’m OK,’ because we don’t like to show emotion, and to really give up that power and give it to the horse is something totally different,” Brennan said.

Now, Brennan said it’s his turn to help Tiger heal as the horse deals with a newly diagnosed neurological disease known as EMP, Equine Protozoal Myeloencephaliti. The disease affects their central nervous system.

“So, we’re incurring a little bit of unexpected medical bills for him. It’s not something that is going to go away. It’s something that he’s going to have to live with, and it’s about $300 dollars a month, so if anyone would like to donate to the tiger medical fund it is on our website,” Brennan said.

As Brennan finds himself on this journey with Tiger, he realizes what began with skepticism became something life-changing. Today, he’s no longer a client but the president of Equines for Freedom, helping other veterans discover the same hope he found.

“For me, it’s I’ve gotten a piece of my husband back that I was missing,” said Kris Brennan, William Brennan’s wife.

To learn more about the nonprofit, you can head to its website by clicking here.