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Free equine therapy program helps nurses through hard days
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
Sr Digital Curator
Free equine therapy program helps nurses through hard days
it's farrier day at saddles and service, which means the Alpine Ranch is busy with the sounds of hooves being hammered and filed, soul deaths being meticulously adjusted. I will do whatever you all want me to do to Local nurses have come here for a different kind of soul adjustment. There arguably two of the most important measures of horse and human health and wellness. I think for me the, the initial interest here was like a horse's, oh, I can do that. And um then I'm finding that it's helping with just the way that I've been feeling at work. Honore Homes works in the burn unit at UCSD, where she says Byrne, that's real, very real for Elena Burgio as well, who works in the ICU at Sharp Grossmont describes some truly dark nights during the covid search. My unit, the medical issue was designated covid units. At one point, they were all covid patients. Most all of them are on ventilators. That night brought Elena to her knees. She gradually realized she was dealing with post traumatic stress. You're on your feet, you're not eating, you're not drinking. And by the time you do get to sit down, you're just a big volunteers. Elena came to saddles in service to their decline therapy program for veterans and first responders. Her first day she was grooming bo horses are so hypervigilant to their surroundings. When the tears started and the release of all she had seen and done came spilling out. I'd say after I cried when I was grooming Both for that 30 minutes and stuff. I feel like that helped us bond a little bit and uh he relaxed, I relaxed and it just got out that that emotion for honoring and Elena being out in the arena, feeling the connection of spontaneous circling and ultimately stepping up into the saddle. It has all been healing. It's like a nice stress reliever. It's a nice, um, like get away from everything. Both women feel their time here has made them better nurses job, which is, after all, fundamentally about helping others get better, which is also the mission of saddles and service. They offer the program two groups of veterans first responders and to anyone dealing with post traumatic stress. It has helped thousands of heroes of all kinds. Although Elena Box at that term, I would say the majority of my coworkers, like we often don't even care to hear the word hero because we're doing it because we love this job. Anyway. I think it's a blessing to find a career that you're so passionate about and when you are passionate and you do love it. It kind of doesn't matter how many hard days you have a good job. Mary McKenzie abc 10 news keep coming.
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Free equine therapy program helps nurses through hard days
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
Sr Digital Curator
There's no question that the past year has been tough on nurses. Some have sought peace from an interesting source: horses.Saddles in Service is a nonprofit organization in San Diego that provides free equine therapy for first responders and veterans. Honore Holmes, a nurse in a hospital burn unit, told KGTV how interacting with the horses helps ease her stress."I think for me, the initial interest here was like, oh, horses, oh, I can do that," she told the station. "And then I'm finding that it's helping with just the way that I've been feeling at work."Alayna Burgio works in an intensive care unit, where COVID-19 hit hard. "My unit, the medical ICU was designated COVID unit," she said. "So at one point, they were all COVID patients. Most all of them were on ventilators."Burgio said she realized she was experiencing post-traumatic stress. "You're on your feet, you're not eating, you're not drinking," she said. "And by the time you do get to sit down, you're just a big ball of tears."Coming to Saddles in Service helped Burgio open up about what she was feeling. On her first day there, she remembers grooming a horse named Beau."Horses are so hyper-vigilant to their surroundings," she said. "I'd say after I cried when I was grooming Beau for that 30 minutes and stuff, I feel like that helped us bond a little bit. And he relaxed, I relaxed, and it just got out that that emotion."Both Burgio and Holmes say they'd recommend equine therapy to other health care heroes, although many shy away from that title. "I would say the majority of my co-workers, like we often don't even care to hear the word hero because we're doing it because we love this job anyways," Burgio said. "I think it's a blessing to find a career that you're so passionate about. And when you are passionate, and you do love it, it kind of doesn't matter how many hard days you have."
SAN DIEGO (Video: KGTV via CNN) —

There's no question that the past year has been tough on nurses.

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Some have sought peace from an interesting source: horses.

Saddles in Service is a nonprofit organization in San Diego that provides free equine therapy for first responders and veterans.

Honore Holmes, a nurse in a hospital burn unit, told KGTV how interacting with the horses helps ease her stress.

"I think for me, the initial interest here was like, oh, horses, oh, I can do that," she told the station. "And then I'm finding that it's helping with just the way that I've been feeling at work."

Alayna Burgio works in an intensive care unit, where COVID-19 hit hard.

"My unit, the medical ICU was designated COVID unit," she said. "So at one point, they were all COVID patients. Most all of them were on ventilators."

Burgio said she realized she was experiencing post-traumatic stress.

"You're on your feet, you're not eating, you're not drinking," she said. "And by the time you do get to sit down, you're just a big ball of tears."

Coming to Saddles in Service helped Burgio open up about what she was feeling. On her first day there, she remembers grooming a horse named Beau.

"Horses are so hyper-vigilant to their surroundings," she said. "I'd say after I cried when I was grooming Beau for that 30 minutes and stuff, I feel like that helped us bond a little bit. And he relaxed, I relaxed, and it just got out that that emotion."

Both Burgio and Holmes say they'd recommend equine therapy to other health care heroes, although many shy away from that title.

"I would say the majority of my co-workers, like we often don't even care to hear the word hero because we're doing it because we love this job anyways," Burgio said. "I think it's a blessing to find a career that you're so passionate about. And when you are passionate, and you do love it, it kind of doesn't matter how many hard days you have."