Healing Horsemanship Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 charitable community organization founded in 2007 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.

This organization got its name from the therapeutic program Nikki and Bob founded in 2003 which was the basis for Nikki’s private practice as a Licensed Marriage and 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/or 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.

Programs are offered at Interstate Horse Center (IHC – est 1989) by staff that includes therapeutic horsemanship instructors certified by *NARHA who partner with licensed mental health professionals and/or educators to develop individualized programs to meet specific goals.

Healing Horsemanship Foundation’s role is to raise funds and develop resources to support this programming, whether that be monetary or in-kind donations, volunteer recruitment and training, or a myriad of other ways programming can be supported.

New Organization With a 35 Year-Old Foundation…

Healing Horsemanship Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that is being built on solid ground. Its founders have a lifetime of experience helping people improve their lives through relationship with horses and decades of leadership experience in community organizations. The Interstate Horse Center (IHC) has donated nearly $200,000 in services to 2,000+ members of the southern Wisconsin community since 2001.

IHC and HHF are working together to develop an even stronger foundation by striving toward national accreditation as a Premiere Center of the North American Riding for Handicapped Association (NARHA). NARHA sets national standards for the field of horse assisted activities. HHF’s Founders serve on national committees with NARHA, helping establish standards for the emerging field of equine facilitated mental health.

What Services Does The Foundation Support?
Your investment supports services provided by nationally certified therapeutic instructors 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. Equine Assisted Learning programs extend well-beyond the limits of learning horsemanship skills into the realm of learning life skills. Equine Facilitated Family Therapy is a systems-focused, strength-based form of psychotherapy provided by Nikki Cohen-Wichner, LMFT (licensed Marriage & Family Therapist) with the assistance of her animal colleagues.