STILLWATER, N.Y. — Local nonprofit organization Alliance180 is on a mission to prevent suicide among veterans, first responders and front line workers facing the effects of trauma by providing a transformative equine experience.
Founded by local Vietnam veteran Bob Nevins in 2020, this peer-to-peer, purpose-driven program aims to save lives by giving participants the opportunity to interact with horses at Song Hill Farms in Stillwater.
Each month, the farm welcomes a group of program participants for an experience that has proven to be life-changing for veterans and others dealing with post-traumatic stress.
This powerful and effective three-day experience offers peer interaction, classroom training to learn the language of the horse, and a round-pen interaction with the horse as the final culminating event.
Through the lens of the horse, participants learn to communicate with another species, often resulting in heightened awareness, changed perspective and renewed outlook.
Alliance180 approaches post-traumatic stress not as a mental health problem, but as a physiological issue, Nevins explained.
The purpose of the program, in his words, is to provide post-traumatic re-regulation.
“When we do our procedure with the veterans and the horse, what actually seems to be happening here is we’re triggering the re-regulation of the autonomic nervous system, which then tells the brain ‘You’re out of danger. It’s okay. It’s okay to relax.’,” Nevins said.
While the science is important, it’s the horses that are really key to the program. “Horses are God’s creatures that he’s given to us to engage in any way we’d like,” Nevins said, “but this particular way is really turning out to be a life-saver.”
Alliance180’s participant success rate is more than 90 percent, according to Nevins, who invites any veterans, first responders and front line workers who have experienced trauma in the line of duty to check out the program.
The work being done by the Alliance180 is serious. “People who come to us are not coming for a recreational program. It’s kind of a last resort,” Nevins said, “and we’ve been very successful in answering the need.”
The program, including private accommodations, is free to all participants, thanks to support from the community.
Alliance180’s services are available to eligible participants throughout New York state and beyond.
Looking ahead, Nevins said his goal for the future of Alliance180 is simply to continue saving lives. He said, “The goal is to keep doing what we do, save as many lives as we can, and to share this knowledge with the mental health community and with other interested parties who are trying to reach out to veterans, first responders and front line workers.”
More information about Alliance180, including details on how to support or participate in the program, can be found online at www.alliance180.org.
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