Our Mission:

“To provide access to professionally recognized equine and nature-based educational and therapeutic opportunities to people from all walks of life.”

We want the program of your dreams to come to life. Talk with Nikki to develop a program that meets your budget without compromising quality of services. She may be aware of grant opportunities or other funding that can help bring your dreams to life. Please email or call for pricing details.

Also Email Nikki for an educational package or to assist us as a volunteer! Send for your Free application form at healinghorseman@aol.com.

200+ volunteers have helped Interstate Horse Center donate nearly $200,000 in services to 2,000+ members of the southern Wisconsin community since 2001.

Much to the surprise of many volunteers, you don't need to know a thing about horses to volunteer. There are many opportunities for people with a wide range of interests and skills. You can enjoy time in nature while helping us bring the power of nature and animals to people who often can't afford such an opportunity. A few opportunities for non-horsemen: gardening, carpentry, painting (fences + mural creation and other creative artistry), hay-baling, pasture maintenance, fencing, and more.

Bonus: learn about horses if you'd like to volunteer in horse programming or in the care
of the herd.

BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED: Perhaps the biggest need right now is for 3-5 people to serve on the
board as we transition from a founding to governing phase. Again, no need for you to know a
thing about horses or the work we do. Board members are leaders of the organization committed to developing resources that will allow IHC to continue providing services at low-cost and/or no-cost. Email Nikki for a Board packet.

Aside from on-going maintenance and special projects, IHC will need help with its 2010 programming. Volunteers for half-day to full month programs help make our many special programs possible.

A few plans for 2010 programs include:

CARE Program: It‟s never too early for volunteers to start adapting/creating curriculum & lesson materials for this summer academic enrichment program. This program serves as a pilot testing ground for what we believe is meant to become a year-round alternative school option for youth who struggle in traditional settings.

We would love help from others who believe they are being called to serve the community by helping solve the quandary many youth and families face when students need mental health
services as much as they need an education.

Horses For Heroes™: This NARHA pro-gram will bring veterans and their families to IHC for a
variety of horse-assisted and nature-based learning and/or therapy programs in 2010. The hope is to bring vets from past wars who have an interest in supporting their comrades from the current war together for an experience that will help all feel supported in these challenging times.

Forging Forever Friendships™: Grant applications are just being written to support a new multi-family therapy group that will be open to youth who have experienced trauma or abuse and a nurturing adult who is willing to be a “forever friend” for the youth. It is based on the premise that one healthy relationship with a caring adult can change a child's life.

Make a resolution to help others while bringing the peaceful joy of time in nature to your own life… volunteer at IHC!!!

Email Nikki for a volunteer application at healinghorseman@aol.com.

Animals Are Our Colleagues…NOT Tools Of Our Trade

Words have power. Billions of dollars are spent each year to train management in the finer points of managing personnel. Yet nobody can “train” some-one to treat another with authentic respect. Hierarchy in relationships sets everyone up for a power struggle unless authentic respect is attained. Wow! What managers could learn from an afternoon among the IHC herd… horse and human that is.

IHC staff and volunteers are encouraged to open themselves to a new paradigm of working
with animals. The animals have an inner wisdom that can't be taught by humans. Much of the
process used at IHC is based on allowing the animals to lead the process via their innate ability to mirror the human members of the herd (or pack or flock, depending on the animal being worked with).

To truly allow an animal to lead, facilitators must accept their animal “colleague” as an equal in the process. This is a paradigm that challenges many people until they witness a breakthrough in learning or healing during an EFP or EAL session. (EAL = Equine Assisted Learning) If this sounds intriguing to any of you manager-types, talk with Nikki about organizational/corporate staff retreats available at IHC.

“Nature has always had more force than education.” Voltaire – Life of Molière

This option provides individuals, families, businesses and organizations with customized horse-assisted and nature-based activities. Horse Assisted Learning programs differ from IHC’s “not-so-traditional lessons” primarily in the intention of the programs.

The programs extend well-beyond the limits of learning horsemanship skills into the realm of learning life skills. HAL programs are intended to help participants meet specific personal, professional &/or organizational development goals.

Examples of some of the programs we’ve developed include:
• Field Trips for dozens of schools, day care centers and community organizations such as
Girl/Boy Scouts, 4-H, FFA, Youth Centers, YMCA.
• Badge programs for Boy & Girl Scouts
• IEP & TAG Programming: on individualized basis, to meet goals set by parents, students, educators.
• Retreats &/or Training Programs for businesses and organizations
• Community Recreation Departments have taken programming to a higher level through HAL services at IHC; enriching lives of youth through trust-building, natural leadership and assertiveness training programs.
• Therapists from several community mental health agencies have brought clients out to IHC to enrich and advance their treatment through trust-building, self-awareness and relationship skill activities. This differs from Nikki doing co-therapy with community therapists (ask for details to clarify).
• Individuals have come to IHC for programs developed to meet their unique interests for personal and professional development in areas of assertiveness, self-awareness, and a range of other areas.
• Parents have brought their families to IHC for programs that enrich family life by improving empathy, communication skills, trust-building, personal responsibility for self and more.

We want the program of your dreams to come to life. Talk with Nikki to develop a program that meets your budget without compromising quality of services. She may be aware of grant opportunities or other funding that can help bring your dreams to life. Please call for pricing details.