Healing Beyond Words: Friends of Firefighters Expands Equine Therapy for 2027
Members of our Aaron Clark Peer Support Team recently gathered at Stand Fast Equine at Rising Starr Farms for an immersive equine-assisted learning day, experiencing firsthand the powerful restorative benefits of equine therapy. Horses possess an innate sensitivity to emotional state and physiological stress, offering firefighters a unique, non-verbal environment to ground themselves, regulate stress, and rebuild trust outside the pressure of the firehouse. The feedback from our peer support leaders was unanimous: equine assisted learning is a transformative, culturally competent tool that meets first responders exactly where they are.
“StandFast Alliance has partnered with Rising Starr Horse Rescue to create StandFast Equine — an equine-assisted program rooted in healing, resilience, and second chances.
By pairing Rising Starr’s rescued horses with StandFast Alliance’s expertise in resilience and preparedness, StandFast Equine offers powerful, hands-on experiences for veterans, active military, first responders, and their families in a safe, compassionate environment. Through guided interaction with horses, participants build leadership, emotional awareness, confidence, and connection — while giving rescued horses renewed purpose.
Horses offer valuable lessons in communication, energy management, and situational and self-awareness — skills especially crucial for those in military and first responder roles. No prior horse experience is necessary, and most activities are done on the ground.
We also bring our mini horse ambassadors — Army, Navy, and Mayday — to community outreach events, allowing the broader community to experience the benefits firsthand.”
Regular Equine-Assisted Learning Events Launching for 2026–2027 Building on this success, Friends of Firefighters is officially adding regular equine-assisted learning events to our core 2026–2027 schedule. Facilitated through the Aaron Clark Peer Support Team, these events will empower our peer leaders to bring fellow active and retired firefighters, as well as first responder peers, into a dedicated therapeutic setting designed for real connection and healing.
Peer-Led Experiential Healing: Provides active and retired members a low-pressure, supportive space to step away from operational stress and process the cumulative weight of the job alongside trusted peers.
Integrated Pillar of Support: Equine assisted learning events will function alongside our existing peer support initiatives, including sober living resilience, suicide prevention, grief counseling, and critical incident debriefs.
Confidential & Accessible: In alignment with our founding mission, these sessions provide complete privacy and independence from department oversight, giving members full peace of mind.
We extend our sincere gratitude to StandFast Alliance and Rising Starr Farms for welcoming our team and partnering with us on this effort. By expanding our peer support toolkit to include regular equine-assisted learning, we continue strengthening, and expanding, the sanctuary of care we offer to firefighters and their families.