Galloping Into 2016 With a Focus on Mental Health

Contributor: Lindsay Brim January 1, 2016

2015 has been a life-changing year for us at Crossroads Corral. This was our first year of operation and we have been able to see our dream of helping others through the use of horses come true! This year has had its challenges and ups and downs but we as a team are motivated now more than ever to continue walking this path to serve.

We wanted to use this first year as a discovery phase. Throughout the year, we have listened to our community and those who have come through our gates to discover the true needs in our area. With that in mind, in 2016 we will focus on using our horses and team to help the following:

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  • Women veterans who have suffered sexual trauma in the military.

This has been brought to our attention as a great need in our community and there is little support provided to these women as they are often overlooked. Sadly, these women have been trained to be silent in their suffering and we want to help them find their voice and heal.

  • Women and children who have been victims of human trafficking.

Did you know that Florida is one of the top three destinations for human trafficking? This is happening in our backyard and we must do something to help these women and children to cope with their past and move forward.

  • Youth in the foster care system

Our focus will be to promote healthy youth development and help to give them the tools necessary to live a more fulfilled life.

  • Veterans and their families seeking help to transition home from deployment.

Even though it is typically only one family member who leaves to serve our country, the invisible wounds of war affect the entire family unit.

Our focus at Crossroads Corral has always been and always will be on mental and emotional health. We conduct ground based, specific activities to promote positive life skills and self-discovery. We also partner with Mental Health professionals to provide Equine Assisted Psychotherapy as needed. I want to make sure to note that we are not a therapeutic riding facility, which makes us very different from other “equine therapy” programs in our area. It is also very crucial to be aware of crohn’s diease and know how to take care of oneself.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to changing lives together in 2016!

Does your child want a pony for Christmas?

Contributor: Lindsay Brim December 21, 2015

It is not uncommon for kids to ask for a pony for Christmas. Why wouldn’t they? Ponies are super cute and easy to fall in love with. Most people, especially the kids don’t know the work and expense that goes into having your own pony or horse. What parents also may not know is that getting your child involved with horses may be easier than you think!we can afford a pony

We at Crossroads Corral feel so blessed every day to have our horses. We believe we have been lead down this path of serving others to essentially share them with those who cannot have their own horses for whatever reason. The life lessons and personal benefits that naturally come from working with horses are incredibly powerful. If only people who owned their OWN horses could benefit in this way, there are so many people who would miss out. That is why we have decided to share our gift of horses with our community.

Ways your child can get involved with our horses:

  • Individual or group EAL/EAP sessions – this is the heart and soul of our non-profit organization. We conduct ground-based equine assisted learning and/or therapy sessions with the horses and our team. The horses are really the teachers and this work promotes positive youth development.
  • Monthly Horse sponsorship – for a minimal donation per month, you would have the ability to spend time with a horse of your choice on the farm.
  • Join us for a “Saddle Up Saturday”- This is a monthly fundraiser that consists of 3 hours of horse time such as education, riding, grooming and more! Ages 7-16
  • Horse Camp Fundraiser– one week a year we conduct a horse camp from 9am-3pm filled with tons of horse fun and education every day. Ages 7-16
  • Join us for our “Family Fun Days” at the farm – Picnic style event filled with horse fun and some EAL demonstrations and activities
  • Join our 4-H Club, Corral Life – 4-H is an incredible organization that promotes leadership and positive youth development. Julie and Lindsay are proud to be 4-H leaders in Seminole County.

 

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We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

 

So much to be Thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving

Contributor: Lindsay Brim November 26, 2015

Being thankful is something that I think about often and something our team discusses on a regular basis, not just on days like today, Thanksgiving Day. This year is extra special to us because we have been able to touch so many lives at Crossroads Corral and we have much to be thankful for.

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Our horses dressed up on Halloween at a recent event with BASE Camp.

After taking some time to reflect on this year, here is what I am most thankful for:

Our Families and Friends

Starting Crossroads Corral and the daily care that is required to run operations are very time consuming. Julie and I truly love every second at the farm with our horses, volunteers and clients. With that said, we have been very late to get home to our husbands to cook dinner on many occasions, missed birthday parties (or arrived late), passed on weekend trips, etc. We are so grateful that our friends and family understand our commitment to serve others and we could not do what we do without their love and support.

Our Team

From our passionate and intelligent board of directors to our giving and faithful volunteers, we could not make an impact on many lives and our community without YOU.

The Crossroads Corral team and volunteers posing with BaseCamp during a recent event.

The Crossroads Corral team and volunteers posing with BASE Camp, an organization supporting children with Cancer and their families.

Our Donors

As a Non-Profit organization we operate on donations. We do not have any paid staff and all money raised goes directly to the organization to serve our community. I can’t explain the level of excitement and gratitude we have when we receive a donation. We have great big dreams to help so many people with our horses and we CANNOT do that without you. When we receive a donation we know that you are saying, “I believe in you and your mission” and that is something that our team does not take lightly. Every dollar we receive lights a fire in our heart to help others. We hope that we can count on your support in the future to help us change lives.

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Our Farm

We are so blessed to be able to lease such a beautiful and peaceful place for our horses and guests. We have 7 acres of quiet country very close to the city. We are also very lucky that the farm owners believe in our mission and support Crossroads Corral.

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Our Horses

Every day our horses impress us when they are working with clients. Most of our horses are retired show horses. We also have a few rescues, a miniature horse and a trail pony. No matter what their background seems to be, they are all so willing, giving, intuitive, accepting and kind. The acceptance that people feel when they are working with our horses is incredibly heartwarming.

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Our Community Partners

We are so thankful to other incredible organizations who have worked with us in our community! Big shout outs go to BASE Camp Children’s Cancer Foundation, The Mission Continues, The Wounded Warrior Project, The Lovely Project, Fairways for Warriors and Stefanie Lindlau, LMHC of The Meaningful Life Center.  We are also incredibly thankful to Greg Kersten of the OK Corral Series for training and certifying our team.  We would also like to thank Brand Advance for donating our logo, website and marketing materials.

The Crossroads Corral team with The Wounded Warrior Project and The Mission Continues.

Our team with The Wounded Warrior Project and The Mission Continues.

Our Clients

We are thankful for your trust when working with us and our horses. We appreciate your honesty and feedback and letting us into your world to help make a difference.

Our Barn Cats

We brought our barn cats from Pennsylvania to keep rodents out of the barn. What we didn’t realize was how much of a hit they would be. They are so social and meet everyone who comes through our gates with excitement. We have had several clients tell us that the cats are also “therapeutic”! They also keep us laughing daily, especially Max.


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We thank you all for your support! In the season of giving, if you would like to contribute to our mission and help us change lives through horses at our farm please visit: http://crossroadscorral.org/donate/

Have a wonderful and safe THANKSGIVING and holiday season!

How a Horse is Helping a Child with a TBI

Contributor: Lindsay Brim November 17, 2015

Traumatic brain injuries can cause a host of physical, social, cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects on a person. The outcomes of TBI can range from complete recovery to permanent disability or death. There are several causes of TBI and in most cases there are many lobes of the brain that are affected. TBI is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, especially in children and young adults.zavier2

Let me tell you about a sweet, 8-year-old boy who we get the pleasure of spending time with on our farm for Equine Assisted Learning. This young boy had a routine surgery at the age of 6 and in the recovery room was given a medication that caused him to have a stroke. The effects of the stroke then caused a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). His Mom describes him as a previously “chatty” and outgoing child. Since the TBI he suffers from difficulty word finding and recall, expressive aphasia (difficulty speaking what he is thinking), decreased memory, difficulty reading and writing, involuntary movements, decreased lower extremity strength and trunk control and when he gets nervous he begins to laugh excessively and needs re-directed to stop the laughter. He loves to play with the hose so during our sessions we use that as a reward. He responds very well to visual cues and we use a behavior chart during his session. We also write a plan for the session and he gets great enjoyment by crossing activities off the list.

Let me walk you through a session we had last week:

The goals of this session were to work on personal recall,  writing letters he is having difficulty with, colors, word finding and expression. We use our 24-year-old gray quarter horse, Connie for his sessions as he has developed a connection with her.

  • We started with grooming and we worked on body parts. I would ask him to groom Connie’s neck, shoulder, back, hip and then also ask him to point to those places on him. He would get every one correct except the hip; we worked on that a lot. When grooming we also watch which hand he chooses to use the most and his upper extremity strength to determine if he is developing a dominant hand again
  • Next we worked on personal recall. I showed him Connie’s stall as her home and then I asked him to tell me who lives in his home- his response- mom, dad, sister (Correct). I then showed him her food bucket and asked him where he eats dinner. He first said in his room, and then said in the pantry so he got close. We discussed the difference between the kitchen and the living room and his bedroom. I then asked him to tell me about his home and asked where he lives, he could recall city and even his address.
  • We then worked on some letters he is having trouble writing- Z,S,d,b and Y. We wrote these on Connie with chalk, his challenge with these letters is he writes them backwards, when that occurred, we would write the letter, he would trace ours then write it a few times. The last round he got all letter correct! He finds enjoyment writing on the horse as compared to sitting at a table writing on a piece of paper

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    Using chalk to practice letters on Connie

  • Next we played “eye spy” with items around the barn and on Connie to work on colors- (eye spy something red- he would guess Connie’s halter, etc)
  • Last activity was “tell me about Connie”. He had to come up with 6 words to describe her while looking at her. He said, “soft, white, pretty, has a mouth, dirty and nice”.
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Grooming and practicing body parts

  • Finally since he had all smileys on his chart I allowed him to play with the hose by filling up our horse’s water buckets. He also got to feed Connie a carrot out of the feed bucket, which gives him much enjoyment!

Some sessions are much more challenging than others as every day  can be different for a person with a TBI. At Crossroads Corral he is  able to further is learning with the help from a horse named Connie. I  am so grateful to a  wonderful volunteer, Tracy, who is an  Occupational Therapy  Assistant and friend who helps with  his sessions. With her OT  brain and my PT and EAL brain we are  able to be creative and  conduct meaningful activities with the horse  that promote his  learning and growth. He has become very loving to  Ms. Connie giving  her a kiss on the cheek and saying, “I love her”. He  also has grown  quite fond of us, holding our hand as we walk around  the barn. There  is no doubt that he is building a connection, which is something he  has struggled with according to his Mom who is a Physical Therapist and extremely devoted to his care. We are so thankful to his wonderful family who allows him to spend time with Connie and us on the farm!

Post Published by Lindsay Brim

 

 

 

5 Ways Horses Improve the Lives of our Heroes

Contributor: Lindsay Brim November 11, 2015

Let me start this blog post by saying that I am neither an active military member nor a Veteran. However, we at Crossroads Corral are passionate about giving back to those who have fought for our country. In May of 2015 we completed a certification seminar, “Coming Home Again: Equine Assisted Applications for Veterans and Their Families”. We have conducted much research on Equine Therapy for Veterans and spoken to many Veterans about their experiences and the subject of Equine Therapy. We have the utmost respect for our active military members and Veterans and that is why they are a group of people we want to reach with our horses which the moved to safe palaces like this local Horse Retirement Farms Virginia.

Veterans and horses have much in common. This is why equine therapy can be so beneficial in assisting Veterans with transitioning “home” post deployment.

1. Herd behavior of horses is similar to the military unit

During basic training, recruits are trained to develop a “unit self esteem” which can be looked at as being part of a herd. The soldiers are no longer a just looking after themselves but for an entire unit (herd). When soldiers are in combat zones, they are on high alert at all times and constantly aware of their surroundings in order to stay alive and keep their unit safe. This behavior is the same for horses; they are constantly on high alert and analyzing their surroundings for threats. In any herd there is a horse in charge that looks out for the rest of the herd. Horses are instinctively hyper aware and very conscious of their surroundings.

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2. Horses have no ability to place judgment on a person

When someone leaves home to courageously fight for our country they come back a changed person. Friends and family may have seemingly innocent expectations and many may not understand why the Veteran who just returned home cannot go to the movies, walk the mall or even go to the grocery store. Friends don’t understand why they don’t want to go the nightclub they used to frequent, go see a concert or why they must sit in a restaurant facing the door. Our expectations of our returning Veterans place added stress to their lives. The young man or woman does not want to let their friends or family down but they need time to adjust and transition. Horses have NO expectations. They did not know the person before they left to fight for our country, they are only living in the “now” and looking at the person right in front of them. Horses allow people to “live in the moment” and truly be themselves without being judged. They don’t care what we are wearing, if we have makeup on or if we are at the barn in our PJs.

3. Horses can help humans develop trust

Trust is huge for Veterans and horses. Horses are willing to follow once they have gained respect and trust in a human. We are the same way; we don’t just trust just anyone, especially if we have spent time in a combat zone where we were constantly wondering who we could trust. It is a huge accomplishment if we can earn the trust of a 1200-pound animal and they can teach us how to trust again. An exercise can be as simple as a horse willingly walking beside you on a lead rope; this is the horse telling you, “I will follow you because I trust you will not lead me into danger”. Another example is if you are in the round pen with a loose horse and the horse willingly approaches you, that is trust. Horses are really great at protecting themselves and if they don’t have trust, they will retreat.

4. Horses help us to become more aware of our non-verbal communication

Horses operate on Non-Verbal communication. Military pic and horseMany of us do not realize how our non-verbal communication comes off to the rest of the world. Some Veterans have found that it is hard to build relationships with people post deployment. Horses have the instinctual ability to literally show us or “mirror” how we are presenting to the world. If you are in a bad mood, or acting “standoffish”, the horse is going to behave the same way. The client then begins to wonder, “why is the horse turning away from me when I approach or why does he/she have their ears back, its like they are ignoring me?” They pick up on our energy. I cannot tell you how many times I have personally had bad rides on my horse and looking back it was my fault. I was in a bad mood before I even got into the saddle.

5. Horses can teach us to be “at ease”

Horses are very quick to change from “at attention” to “at ease”. Humans on the other hand, get upset about something and it can take them an hour or even a day, week, or month to get over it and become “at ease”. If the horse in the wild sees something as a threat they react to the threat then quickly go back to grazing. Horses often re-circle when they see something they do not understand right away. I have seen it time and time again. A barking dog on the other side of a fence approaches a horse. The horse runs initially from the threat (reacting quickly), then stops, turns and slowly approaches the dog to get a better look (re-circle) and then goes back to eating grass (at-ease). We can use this as a metaphor for our Veterans. Horses can teach Veterans to acknowledge that a threat existed but then get back to their lives.

If you are a veteran, active military, or from a military family and are living in Central Florida please consider us if you are seeking mental health counseling. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to our herd.