“It’s all about empowering people in emotional pain. Tat’s what a horse is capable of doing.”


spend the day volunteering there, she explains. When Colo- rado Therapy Horses was selected, 50 PDC employees elected to spend the day there, working with children. “It was amazing—and heartwarming—to see,” she


recounts. “Rough-necked guys in their steel-toed boots were being led around by the hand by little kids with autism.” “We want to reinvest in our communities. That’s part of


our culture,” she continues. She is, she says, proud to see others making the same choice. Now several local compa- nies have developed a pilot program that offers a new way to support nonprofits.


In working with the local oil companies, a few years ago


Richard had an idea about how they potentially could help fund his therapy operation and herd. It started with one of PDC’s vendors, Covenant Testing Technologies, which would offer PDC a discount if PDC agreed to make a donation to Richard’s nonprofit organization equivalent to the discount they received from Covenant. Since the amount of the discount—also the matching donation to Colorado Therapy Horses—builds as PDC purchases more from Covenant, it’s a win-win for all three, and each one is enthusiastic about the


for vets and their families. Jobs are a huge


part of veterans’ recovery, Mike reit- erates. And local oil and gas companies have stepped up there too, he says. He is now employed by Covenant Testing Technologies as night supervisor, watching over oil and gas wells. Sometimes, he says, the veterans coming to Richard’s farm make connections that help them find jobs with Covenant and other local companies. “With this work, it’s a similar structure to the military.


Marine Mike Ackelson, his wife, daugh- ters and brother-in-law and his family.


So it makes for easier transitions for vets.” He also explains that the willingness to follow orders and to do hard physi- cal work without complaint are very important in the work he does. Now he’s determined to help as many veterans as possi- ble get the same help he received. “We’re finding different


“We’re finding different ways to ‘medicate.’ Horses and love instead of pills.”


ways to ‘medicate.’ Horses and love instead of pills,” he says. “It can be a long process, but it really works.” Mike is a regular volunteer at Colorado Therapy Horses


and shares Richard’s determination that no veteran in need will be turned away. “The VA is overloaded—it can take months to be seen. We can help in the meantime,” he says. And as veterans recover, “Marine Mike” encourages them


to join him as volunteers at the farm, both to help other vets and to assist with other programs, especially those for kids. The determination to help has changed his life and he wants it to change others’ lives too. “Being around the horses is such a gift. With the horses,


you have to slow down and be truthful—with them and with yourself. I can help other people, and for me now, that’s the most important thing.” And there’s one more benefit. “You feel the pride of


giving back when you can help these kids in need,” he says. “You can be something important again, like you were in the military. It’s the best feeling in the world.” v


Warmbloods Today 25


Frank Garcia


Joe Cox


Joe Cox


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