Healing Horsemanship Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 charitable community organization founded in honor of Marilyn Cohen’s vision that horse assisted services be available to people of all walks of life regardless of their ability to pay.

All gifts to the foundation are tax-deductible.

The Foundation’s role is to raise funds and develop resources to support the services outlined below, whether that be monetary or in-kind donations, volunteer recruitment and training, Community Care Days or a myriad of other ways programming can be supported.

Bob Cohen-Wichner, Mel Cohen, Marilyn Cohen, Nikki Cohen-Wichner (2004)

What’s In A Name?

Healing Horsemanship Foundation, Inc., as a community organization, got its name from the therapeutic program, Healing 

Horsemanship™. Nikki and Bob started this program in 2003 as a private clinical practice once Nikki attained licensure as a Marriage & Family Therapist.

As a program, Healing Horsemanship™ is nationally renowned for its effectiveness in using the power of nature and animals to help people heal from trauma and regain one’s sense of self often lost in the myriad of systems that can take over one’s life when challenged by mental health issues. This reputation adds credibility to the Foundation’s efforts to develop resources.

I’m Confused… What’s The stay in Foundation’s Relationship With Interstate Horse Center?

IHC was established in 1989 as a partnership between Mel & Marilyn Cohen and Bob & Nikki Cohen-Wichner. (It’s now owned solely by Bob & Nikki.) All programming supported by Healing Horsemanship Foundation, Inc. is offered at Interstate Horse Center with animals and facilities maintained and financially supported by Bob and Nikki.

The long-term vision includes the Foundation eventually purchasing part of the IHC property to build an alternative school for youth whose emotional and behavioral challenges make it impossible for them to succeed in a traditional school setting. Programs like Strides For Success serve as a role model for such a vision.

What Services Does The Foundation Support?

Your investment supports therapeutic and educational services provided by highly trained professionals at the Interstate Horse Center (est. 1989). In a natural setting, horse-assisted activities provide powerful tools for building self-esteem self-awareness, appropriate boundaries and a sense of responsibility.

Professionally guided interactions incorporate the power of the horse, the education/training skills of a licensed educator (in Horse Assisted Learning) or the clinical skills of the therapist (in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy), and the hopes, dreams and challenges of the participant(s).

Horse Assisted Learning programs extend well-beyond the limits of learning horsemanship skills via traditional riding lessons into the realm of learning life skills via a range of unique activities. HAL looks as different as the participants involved: 1-on-1 lessons, small or large groups of unrelated participants in a workshop or perhaps colleagues gaining new skills via a Staff Training Retreat. Many non-profits have enjoyed Leadership or Membership Retreats while gaining refreshed vision and hope for the future.

Equine Facilitated Family Therapy is a systems-focused, strength-based form of psychotherapy provided by licensed mental health professionals with the assistance of animal colleagues. EFFT can help individuals, couples, families and anyone in a relationship they would like to improve, strengthen or heal.

Bob and Nikki work with individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations. Since 1986 they have effectively guided thousands of lesson students and HAL participants (at IHC and at farms across the country) as well as hundreds of EFFT clients on their journey of personal growth.