b'anymore. Thats really where the push andcounty lines to provide its services. They visit the vision came from. Were gonna do this,first responder organizations, helping those and were gonna do this all the time. who are repeatedly exposed to trauma. They Horses possess a unique ability to influencealso have a comprehensive school program thehumannervoussystem,withtheirthatincorporateslessonsonanimalcare, slow,rhythmicheartbeathelpingtocalmvolunteerism, and mental health.andregulateahumansheartrate.ThisInsmallgroupsettingswithstudents,the isaphenomenonknownasheart-ratehorsesactastherapeuticaids.Forsome coherence,withthebiologicalconnectionreason, we find its easier for youth to open helping to lower stress and anxiety in thoseup to a tiny horse than to a therapist, Gullet nearby.explains.Thesesessionstackletopicslike OVERWHELMING FEEDBACK bullying, grief, and emotional regulation, with Tovalidatetheseeffects,Gullet,whoisthe horse serving as a grounding presence.pursuingherlicenseasaclinicalsocialThisworkispersonalforGullet,who worker,initiatedaresearchstudywithanexperienced significant trauma in her youth. intern,whichconfirmedherobservations.Horses were her lifeline. DatacollectedfromaHIPAA-compliant,My mom said I walked into the horse pasture post-visit surveys showed that 95% of peopleand she saw a light come on that she hadnt experienced a reduction in stress and anxietyseen in quite a few years, she recalls. That Nonprofit Uses after an interaction with the horses. experience fuels her passion. If the horses The feedback, like the data, is overwhelminglycanhelppeopleattheirmostvulnerable, Miniature Horses forpositive. One charge nurse noted, Ive neverwheretheydonthaveawilltolivethe seen our unit this calm during a shift change.horses help in that environment.Comfort and Therapy inAbehavioralhealthpatientshared,ThisisFromasinglepettoafleetofhealers, Hospitals and Schools the calmest Ive felt in weeks. For staff andHoneys Mini Therapy Adventures has grown families, the effect is just as profound. Onesignificantly,demonstratingthathealing by REBEKAH PIERCE parentsaid,Mydaughterhasntsmiledindoesntalwaysrequirewords.Sometimes, daystoday she lit up. allittakesisthequiet,calmingpresence photos provided by MARY ROSE GULLET HoneysMiniTherapyAdventurestailorsof a tiny horse. As Gullet puts it, Honey is itsprogramstomeetdiverseneedsinthereally my light that I share in other peoples community,withGullettravelingacrossdarkness. HNcentralfloridahealthnews.com CFHN | 15'