03 Aug Press Release: Horses Bring Healing To Huntington Beach
Horses Bring Healing To Huntington Beach
Premier Horse Show Brings Awareness To the Healing Power of Horses
Huntington Beach, CA: Horses are not just for entertainment but have a unique way of healing veterans and youth right here in Surf City! Join us on Saturday, August 10, when the Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center along with West Palms Events, will open their Grand Prix Horse Jumping Show for the 5th Annual Grand Prix Gala dinner benefitting Free Rein Foundation. From 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. the Gala event will serve a delicious dinner under the tented area to help and support the programs of the Free Rein Foundation.
“It has been clinically documented that just being around horses changes human brainwave patterns. We see our program participants calm down and become more focused when they are with horses,” said Justine Makoff, president of the Free Rein Foundation. “Horses are naturally empathetic. As herd animals, they feel what is going on for the other members of the herd—be they veterans, kids, or anyone who happens to join them in the pasture.”
The Grand Prix Gala includes the world class Huntington Beach Summer Classic Horse Show that features horse jumping, special exhibits, and top riders. The Gala event will feature some of our top community supporters from Huntington Beach and Los Angeles. Speakers include Huntington Beach Mayor, Eric Peterson, Huntington Beach Police Chief, Robert Handy, LAPD Assistant Chief, Robert Arcos, LAPD 77th Division Sergeant Joe Marrone, and a 16-year old program participant from the LAPD 77th Division.
A special treat will be a demonstration by two wild Mustangs that were adopted from South Dakota, and are part of Free Rein’s 120-Day Mustang Challenge! The Mustang Challenge includes six completely untrained mustangs and their six amazing Equestrian Center trainers who are volunteering to get them trained and ready for either adoption or to be a part of the Equine Assisted Therapy program.
About Free Rein Foundation
Free Rein Foundation –based at the Equestrian Center – rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes horses that have been abused or abandoned; then enlists their incredible “horse sense” in their Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine-Assisted Learning programs. The use of horses in the treatment and training of humans is a non-traditional therapeutic approach. Activities provide opportunities to explore ways of managing difficult situations, PTSD, fears, attitudes, and helps to navigate the process of being in relationships and society. Free Rein was founded five years ago by Dr. Carole Harris, a renowned psychotherapist, and her twin sister Mary Behrens, owner of Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center. Since day one, over 500 at-risk and disadvantaged children have graduated from Free Rein’s eight-week program. https://freereinfoundation.org
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