Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Army veteran and wounded warrior Jacob Legendre poses with Academy-owned horse Stormin Wheat in 2011. Legendre said the Academy's Warrior Wellness program brought him hope and allowed him to focus on reasons to keep moving forward. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andrea Caudill)Army veteran and wounded warrior Jacob Legendre poses with Academy-owned horse Stormin Wheat in 2011. Legendre said the Academy's Warrior Wellness program brought him hope and allowed him to focus on reasons to keep moving forward. (U.S. Air Force photo/Andrea Caudill)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Horse power: Wounded warriors receive healing, support through Academy’s equine-assisted therapyPublished March 15, 2015
                    
                    By Amber Baillie
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
            **U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --**Just as service members come from all walks of life, so do the 30 Academy-owned horses an Army veteran and wounded warrior said comforted him when he took part in the Warrior Wellness program here.
Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Legendre suffers from chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, deafness in one ear and a traumatic brain injury. By connecting with the horses, staff and other combat veterans at the Academy's Equestrian Center, he said he's gained hope and found reasons to keep moving forward.
"The horses don't care how damaged you are," he said. "Some of them had been abused prior to coming to the Academy. What they care about is how you treat them."
Legendre, 39, enlisted in the Army at 17 and served in the infantry. After several deployments, he endured life-changing injuries, lost close friends in combat and watched his marriage crumble.
Also a cancer survivor, Legendre said although he'd never been around horses, they immediately sensed his pain when he visited the equestrian center.
"They just knew," he said. "They knew I was hurting. I had a very natural connection with most of them, and they loved me."
The Academy's Warrior Wellness program, developed in 2009, has helped Legendre and over 100 soldiers and their families reconnect amid new realities and rehabilitation. Located on 950 acres here, the equestrian center allows veterans to experience equine-assisted therapy, enjoy a mountain setting and spend quality time with horses and others at no cost.
Legendre, who now resides in Waveland, Mississippi, was connected to the program here through the Army's Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Carson
"You can't replace what this environment has to offer," said Jeanne Springer, a clerk and equine specialist at the center. "What we have at the Academy is a treasure and it needs to be protected. We want to hold on to it for the future of our military families because programs like ours are where families can heal."
Veterans can volunteer 20-40 hours a week, feeding and watering horses, cleaning pens and throwing hay.
"It's more of a working ranch environment," said Billy Jack Barrett, the co-founder of the program and manager of the equestrian center since 1980. "Some of the soldiers really like working with the horses and fall in love with them. They'll spend hours grooming them or cleaning stalls for something to do. They find it therapeutic."
Some veterans also participate in weekly equine-assisted therapy sessions where they spend one-on-one time with a horse and an equine specialist.
"We work with them using the horse as a therapy tool because horses are so honest in their interactions," Springer said. "Some like to work with the center's equipment, some like spending time with the horses and others simply enjoy being quiet and still, just watching the horses."
Many young veterans' careers are cut short when they return from combat with severe health problems, Legendre said.
"The program brings them hope," he said. "I'll never forget when I helped a young triple amputee get on a horse and watched him ride into the mountains. He came back a different person. I saw how the experience changed his life."
Former Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment commander, retired Col. John Mayer, told leaders last year that the Academy's Warrior Wellness program is the best suicide prevention program anywhere.
"These programs are hard to find in the military due to lack of interest and finances," he said. "The magic that comes from being with a horse is incredible. Injured by war, it brings veterans a feeling of hope and purpose when working with horses. Ranch work is great healing for their body and spirit."
The equestrian center is funded by its boarding and rental riding services. The center boards 137 horses owned by military families, retirees, cadets and Defense Department civilians. The equestrian center staff hopes funding will eventually be available to build an indoor arena to expand their services.U.S. Air Force Academy 



warrior care 



horses 



Equine-assisted therapy Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil