First Nature Ranch and Foundation provides tailored leadership development programs, including one for veterans, at its east St. Cloud facility.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, with breezes still blowing from Hurricane Milton, eight veterans undergoing various programs with the St. Cloud Transition House spent the morning with First Nature Ranch’s four horses for a six-week Horse Wisdom for Heroes self-leadership program. Although all the elements were there, horse riding was not one of the activities.
“Our program emphasizes learning self-leadership, including exercises like walking the horses through various obstacles, simply by keeping close proximity and with minimal physical contact,” said Dr. Kerul Kassel, President and Founder of the ranch.
Initially, staff members and volunteers introduced the veterans to the horses. Things progressed to some grooming and leading the horses around by a rope halter. The obstacle program meshed the individual traits of the horses with those of the veterans.
According to Dr. Kassel, one of the main goals of the program was for the veterans to recognize their unscripted reactions to what their horses chose to do or not do during the exercises.
“I realized I really needed to focus and concentrate on what I was doing, and what the horse was doing at the same time, and then trying to listen to the instructions on how to get the horse back on track when it felt like deviating,“ said one program participant.
The program was self-paced, with three participants not feeling ready to take on the obstacle course with a horse just yet but resolving to do so at the next session. Any horse can be intimidating to those with no experience with the animals, especially draft horse Goldie, who weighs in at 1,700 pounds, and considered as the herd leader by the other horses.
At the end of the scheduled activities, the veterans, staff, and volunteers conducted a debriefing, an “after action” evaluation familiar to those who have served in the military. All the participants agreed that they benefitted from the morning’s activities, including stress reduction, and were looking forward to the next session, coming in two weeks.
First Nature Ranch started leadership programs in 2021, after acquiring the 26-acre property in 2018. In 2023 the organization received the Nonprofit of the Year Award from the Lake Nona Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to the veterans program, there are also programs for teens, domestic violence survivors, and Pasos, for families who have lost a loved one due to suicide. Dr. Kassel is looking to work with first responders to develop a program that meets their needs, and the Foundation is always looking for sponsors.
For more information on the First Nature Ranch and Foundation see https://bit.ly/4dSshld.
