San Diego Therapeutic Horsemanship to Host Ukrainian Refugee Horse Therapy

San Diego Therapeutic Horsemanship, a nonprofit that provides horse-based therapy programs to veterans and others who have experienced trauma, will host a group of refugee families from Ukraine for an afternoon of equine therapy on Saturday, June 18, from 2 PM to 5 PM. The event will include interacting with horses, taking photos, creating souvenirs, and enjoying a barbeque and horseback drill team show.

Seeking to help refugees of the Ukrainian conflict, the board of San Diego Therapeutic Horsemanship based at Driftwood Ranch in the Tijuana River Valley reached out to Catholic Charities, which is a nonprofit working with refugees at the Mexico-U.S. border. Tijuana River Valley Equestrian Association, which also operates from Driftwood Ranch, will also be participating.

“The therapeutic opportunity that we offer with the horses promotes mindfulness,” says Francesa Buitenkant, San Diego Therapeutic Horsemanship Program Supervisor. “The focus on the horse gives people a break from trauma. We work with veterans, but also have a program that serves youth who are victims of crime or abuse, living in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or grieving the loss of a family member. This is why we wanted to extend this program to the refugee families. It’s what we do. We hope our equine activities can help these families also.”

During the event on June 18, participating families will meet some of the horses who live at Driftwood, have their pictures taken with them, and make a souvenir frame (one per family) and a horse necklace. A farrier will also give a shoeing demonstration and a roper will let kids try their hand at roping a calf replica. The day will end with a barbeque and a presentation by the girls riding team Escaramuza Realeza Charra.