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Traumatized The Wounded Human Project developed out of Richard’s work with veterans suffering from physical injuries and post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He also links the Wounded Warrior program to his more general therapy practice. “All of us are wounded in some way,”Richard begins to explain. “Per- haps you were bullied as a child or by your boss in the work place. You may be a survivor of domestic violence or a sexual assault. You might be battling your way back from an addiction to drugs or alcohol or be a child of an addict whose life has been shattered by being forced away from your family and into the foster care system. Maybe you’ve witnessed a crime or tragic death that haunts you or the loss of a loved one that you just can’t
get past. For someone else, it could be dealing with a chronic illness or recovering from a severe trauma. Each of us has our own challenges to cope with and manage—and we have dis- covered the horses can help!” Richard says “Natural Humanship Training,” a term he
coined, helps individuals realize they can get their power back and conquer the demons that are beating them down. That’s a glorious accomplishment, but it doesn’t come easily, especially when someone is trying to get there on his or her own or in a counselor’s office. But when patients walk out into God’s country with the McMahans’ “staff”—their Trakehner herd— those fears that they can easily hide from people seem to rise to the surface, where they can be dealt with and released.
First Steps Back After being welcomed to the horse farm, attendees, a.k.a. trainees, learn about equine safety from Troy, the farm’s trainer. He selects Annie, a 16.1 hand “staff member,” to dem- onstrate the danger zones to be aware of when working with a horse. Each of the equine staff mem- bers has a distinct personality. For example, Annie (out of Cameo, a Magnus Arabian mare, and sired by Trakehner stallion Ibsen) loves the humans who are loners, just as she is. When the herd comes in at night, she is usually the last one in and she does not engage much with the rest of the herd, choos- ing to spend most of her time with one other mare. Because of Annie’s gentle patience with Troy, many trainees are eager to partner with her. The pairing process is de- termined by the horse, however, not by the trainees.
The McMahans’ goal is to teach through love, so the hu- man can learn how to manage their fears. This is why they feel it is so important to slow things down and allow the human to engage with the horse at ground level, not on horseback. Trainees halter, lead and groom their horses. They also learn some basic natural horsemanship tech- niques. By building a trusting relationship with the horse, each person learns a positive and powerful way of being in control of a huge animal. This can be the first step in recov- ering personal power. Personal power is more than positive self-esteem; it is
feeling ‘big’ in one’s own body, mind and heart. Successfully managing a 1,500 pound animal is, Richard says, a wonderful way to reclaim that power. Horses are flight animals—as are so many traumatized humans—and as a result they are always vigilant. In addition, there is both a pecking order and family structure in how the herd members protect and interact with each other. There is much that a person struggling with fear and sadness can learn from them. As the trainees cautiously go into the paddock and mingle with the horses on a hot Colorado morning for the first time, the animals begin to engage and examine these two-legged beings that entered their domain. As the smell of fearful humans dissipates, the horses come closer and single out the person they wish to get to know. Once matched, a lead rope and brush are given to each person as they proceed with the relationship-building process with their four-legged therapist.
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OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: Trakehner stallion “Moose” bonds with an attendee in a Wounded Human Project ses- sion. OPPOSITE, INSET: Richard and Judy McMahan. THIS PAGE, THREE PICTURES: Attendees learning about the horses and building trust.
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