MISSION & PROGRAMS

Mission:
The Arc of Loudoun's mission is to maximize the potential of children while supporting families and individuals with disabilities so that they may thrive in the community.
     
     As a program of the Arc of Loudoun the mission of Project Horse is to, through therapeutic work with rescued horses, help emotionally at-risk children, teens and adults in Northern Virginia and beyond to find hope and healing. We specialize in providing alternative psychotherapy services to hard-to-reach clients and to those whom "talk therapy" has proven ineffective. Our horses are integral members of our treatment team, helping facilitate connection and authentic relationships. Our program goal is to improve the quality of life for both humans and horses, based upon mutual respect and empathy.
     
     Project Horse is 1 of 6 programs at the Arc of Loudoun, making up 20% of all services. The programs and services provided by Project Horse are 100% horse related.

Our organization conducts Equine Assisted Services in accordance with the EQUUS Foundation Guidelines on Qualifications of Organizations Conducting Equine Assisted Services (EAS).
Our organization provides community outreach and/or public education programs involving horses.
Our organization is directly responsible for the care and shelter of equines involved in our programs.
20% of our total programs and services are horse-related.
Our organization does not use satellite, overflow, foster, and/or outreach facilities

Equine Assisted Services (EAS):
Our organization provides the following Equine Assisted Services (EAS):
    Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy/Counseling (Mental Health)
    Equine-Assisted Learning involving Personal and/or Professional Development

4: Total number of Equine Assisted Service Providers at Project Horse @ Trillium Farm

     1. Allison Swisher

         FACILITY PARTICIPATION:

         Project Horse @ Trillium Farm

         RELATIONSHIP: Independent Contractor

         SERVICES PROVIDED:

         Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy/Counseling (Mental Health)

         Equine-Assisted Learning involving Personal and/or Professional Development

         DEGREES, LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

         This individual is a licensed mental health professional (LPC, RPT, NCC, NCSC) with extensive experience working with children and teens. She has over 300 hours of experience delivering equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning services to clients. She has had introductory training in the fundamentals of the Eagala model.

     2. Eliina Stephenson

         FACILITY PARTICIPATION:

         Project Horse @ Trillium Farm

         RELATIONSHIP: Independent Contractor

         SERVICES PROVIDED:

         Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy/Counseling (Mental Health)

         Equine-Assisted Learning involving Personal and/or Professional Development

         DEGREES, LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

         This individual is a licensed mental health professional (M.Ed, NCC, LPC) who has 250 hours of experience in delivering equine-assisted psychotherapy services to clients. She is trained and certified by Eagala as both a Mental Health professional and an Equine Specialist.

     3. Leslie Roberts

         FACILITY PARTICIPATION:

         Project Horse @ Trillium Farm

         RELATIONSHIP: Independent Contractor

         SERVICES PROVIDED:

         Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy/Counseling (Mental Health)

         Equine-Assisted Learning involving Personal and/or Professional Development

         DEGREES, LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

         This individual is a Licensed Mental Health professional (LPC, CSAC) trained and certified with PATH Int'l., Eagala and Natural Lifemanship. She has over 12,000 hours of hands-on experience using horses in therapy. She has extensive experience working with various populations, including veterans, and is working towards a specialty designation from EAGALA for working with military populations.

     4. Melissa Herbert

         FACILITY PARTICIPATION:

         Project Horse @ Trillium Farm

         RELATIONSHIP: Independent Contractor

         SERVICES PROVIDED:

         Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy/Counseling (Mental Health)

         Equine-Assisted Learning involving Personal and/or Professional Development

         DEGREES, LICENSES AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

         This individual is a Licensed Mental Health Professional (LCSW) trained and certified in Eagala. She has over 300 hours of hands-on experience using horses in therapy. She has extensive experience working with Veteran populations and also works with adults, teens and children.

Overview of our programs involved with providing EAS to individuals with special needs:
     Overview of Project Horse services providing EAS to individuals with special needs:
     Through non-riding work with rescued horses, Project Horse provides therapy and wellness services to help individuals cope with mental health challenges and achieve personal development goals.
     
     Our Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy services support individuals of all ages with a wide range of emotional, cognitive and behavioral challenges. Therapy is provided to individuals, families, couples and groups, and services occur year-round. Our team of horses, licensed therapists and certified equine specialists work with a variety of therapy client issues, including:
     
      • PTS, trauma recovery & Post Traumatic Growth
      • depression and anxiety
      • eating disorders
      • substance abuse
      • self-harm and suicidal ideation
      • attachment disorders
      • Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
      • ADD, AD/HD
      • selective mutism
     
     Our Equine-Assisted Learning and wellness services focus on providing clients of all ages a welcome respite from the busy demands and stresses of daily life, helping to connect individuals with the nature and to one another.
     
     Project Horse offers support using the serene open spaces of our equine property, combining this with the gentle healing spirit of horses', individuals may discover new strengths, build confidence, and find inner peace and rejuvenation. Our wellness programs include adult mindfulness and wellness retreats, youth wellness workshops, corporate leadership groups, family-strengthening workshops and initiative uniquely designed to meet the needs of Veterans, members of the Armed Forces and First Responders.
     
     Wellness clients develop skills and new ways of thinking to help in many areas of their daily lives -- building coping skills and personal connections, reducing stress, and enhancing resiliency. Below are some of our key wellness group themes:
     
      • assertiveness, boundary setting and empowerment
      • social skills / peer relations
      • family reconnection (typically for Veterans)
      • self-care and well-being
      • transitioning to civilian from military life

Overview of our programs involved with providing community outreach and/or public education programs involving horses:
     Community Outreach and/or Public Education:
     Overview of Project Horse services providing community outreach and/or public education programs involving horses:
     
     In 2013, Project Horse created a meaningful outreach initiative by launching a very unique local program called the Mobile Minis™. With our miniature horses and gear in tow, we can literally take our mission and services "on the road".
     
     We attend select community events with our Mobile Minis™ to enable a variety of groups in the community who may not otherwise have access to our equine-assisted wellness programs.
     
     Mobile Minis™ also provide a non-therapy program delivered at a select number of Loudoun County Public Schools and other facilities. This enables us to provide services, during school hours, to students to enhance social-emotional skills and with a variety of emotional, behavioral, developmental and/or cognitive needs. We can take classroom lessons and incorporate an equine element to help enhance the learning experience.
     
     The Mobile Minis™ team is currently made up of two wonderfully unique rescue miniature horses: Jack and Penny.

Research/Medical Use of Equines:
Our organization has never made, and would not ever consider making, equines available for research studies or medical training that involves invasive procedures and/or that which may cause pain or suffering to the equine. 

Religious Affiliation:
Our organization does not promote religious education, religious purposes, or a specific religious faith or use donations for religious education or religious purposes; require participants to be of a certain faith; require participation in religious, instruction, activities or services; or require participation in prayer, worship, religious instruction or other religious activities as a condition of receiving social or secular services offered. 

Auction Donation:
Our organization has never allowed, or would not consider allowing, an equine to be sold, transferred, released, or otherwise placed into possession of any person or organization that would cause or allow the equine to be sold at auction for slaughter. 

Our Programs/Activities that are not equine-related and/or involving animals other than equines:
 The Arc of Loudoun provides a variety of non-animal related programs for the community, as follows:
     
     1. Aurora School, a year-round private day school, provides students ages 5-22 with the most acute IDD, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and behavioral challenges, with individualized education using ABA, occupational, speech-language, physical, music, and art therapies; vocational exploration and training; independent living training; and low 1:1 student teacher ratios. Aurora’s three age-appropriate subprograms include:
     a. Orion: focusing on teaching math, language, reading, communication, and activities of daily living to children ages 5-14.
     b. Atmos: focusing on increasing independence with living, functional, communication, and vocational skills for students ages 14-18.
     c. Launch: focusing on real-world training, community-based instruction, and vocational assessment, readiness, and training to students ages 18-22 transitioning from school to independent living.
     
     2. A Life Like Yours (ALLY) Advocacy Center operates on the principle that every person deserves “A Life Like Yours” and works diligently to meet the unmet needs of the disability community by providing free information on disability rights; referrals to local, state, and federal resources; counseling; financial assistance; and events and workshops for people with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who work with them. From early intervention through navigating Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to transitioning from high school to college, careers, and beyond, ALLY helps a person with a disability for their lifetime.
     
     3. Open Door Learning Center (ODLC), a hands-on learning experience for typically developing children and those with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) ages 2-7, focuses on building social skills, teaching developmentally appropriate academics, and getting preschool students and their parents ready for general education Kindergarten. With a low 1:4 teacher-to-student ratio, ODLC offers students the unique opportunity to learn behavioral, social, and pre-academic skills in a natural, play-based environment using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques.
     
     4. Aurora Behavior Clinic (ABC), a year-round, analytic behavior center, provides 1:1 and group therapies to children and adults of all ages with behavior-related disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles with a focus on communication and social skills. ABC provides training for parents who are able to continue ABA therapy at home and offers respite care to give caregivers a chance to ‘recharge their batteries’. ABC recently launched Early Intervention Services—a one-stop shop for ABA, occupational, speech and language, and physical therapies, as well as an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder treatment program.
     
     5. Ability Fitness Center (AFC), a therapeutic fitness and wellness center with expert clinicians and specialized equipment, provides access to innovative, customized, and activity-based interventions for people with neurological and developmental disabilities including spinal cord and brain injuries, stroke, Parkinson’s, and other neurological conditions. Based on the expanding science of neuroplasticity, AFC’s intensive recovery interventions focus on generating the greatest level of functional independence and recovery possible, helping each client improve their quality of life; optimize physical and emotional health; improve flexibility, muscle strength, balance, posture, and bone density; and decrease muscle spasms and contractures, while preventing complications related to more sedentary lifestyles for wheelchair-bound clients. Since opening in September 2017, AFC has provided 19,802 hours of therapy to 95 clients.

POLICIES: ACQUISITION

Our organization acquires horses/equines from the following source(s):
    Donation  
    Lease  
    Purchase/Adoption from Owner  
    Abandonment  

Our organization does not acquire horses/equines from the following source(s):
    Auction  
    Kill pen/Feedlot  
    Return  
    Surrender  
    Seizure  

Our organization will accept the following:
    Geldings
    Mares
    Only Stallions to be castrated

Not Checked:
    Pregnant Mares
    Foals
    Stallions

Additional information about our acquisition policies and practices:
Project Horse does not have a facility that can provide a safe and appropriate foaling or living environment for pregnant mares, or for mares with foals.
     
     Additionally, because we are a therapy and learning center with a variety of non-horse savvy clients of all ages, we are unable to house any stallions.

POLICIES: INTAKE, ASSESSMENT & TRAININING

Prior to a horse being accepted and/or arriving at the facility, the organization requires the following with respect to the health status of the horse:
    A current Coggins
    Vaccination records that have been administered within the last 12 months
    If health records are not available or are out-of-date, the owner is responsible for having vaccinations administered.
    If health records are not available or are out-of-date, our veterinarian will administer appropriate vaccinations
    A health certificate signed by a veterinarian and dated no more than seven days prior to arrival attesting to the health status of the equine is provided to our organization either prior to or upon arrival of the equine

Prior to a horse being accepted and/or arriving at the facility, the organization has the following policies in place:
    The owner of a potential equine is interviewed over the phone or in person prior to seeing the equine
    The equine is evaluated at its place of residence
    The owner completes an application/contract which constitutes the agreement between the owner and our organization
    The owner is financially responsible for the shipping of the equine to and from the organization
    Equines are on trial for 60 or more days
    The trial period may be reduced based on the equine's progress
    During the trial period, the organization accepts total financial responsibility for the care of the equine, including board, feed, shoeing and any necessary veterinary care
    During the trial period, the organization accepts financial responsibility for the care of the equine, including board, feed, shoeing and any necessary veterinary care, up to a fixed amount agreed upon by the organization and the owner
    The trial period may be terminated by either the organization or the owner for any reason

Following arrival of the equine at the facility, the following is performed:
    Physical examination by trained barn staff
    Photographs are taken of each equine upon arrival at the facility and kept with the equine's health records
    A Henneke Body Conditioning Score or other body conditioning score is assigned
    Physical examination by a farrier
    Physical examination by a dentist
    Coggins test
    Blood work other than Coggins
    Fecal test
    Vaccinations
    De-worming

Upon intake, the organization has the following quarantine policy in place:
    The equine is confined to a designated and separate area for isolation and quarantine at the facility for a prescribed period of time

The typical length of quarantine is:   20 to 30 days

Horses are assessed for following skills and behaviors:
    Retrieval from a pasture/paddock
    Leading with a halter and lead rope
    Temperament, disposition and attitude, such as rated from very calm to very high spirited
    Lunging
    Loading onto and unloading off a trailer
    Tolerance to unusual objects and loud noises
    Known vices, i.e., cribbing, biting, kicking, weaving, stall walking, etc
    Grooming
    Bathing
    Clipping
    Tolerance to multiple handlers at the same time

Our organization has the following policies and procedures in place pertaining to the ongoing assessment of horses in its care:
    The Henneke Body Condition score or other body conditioning score is updated at least annually
    Photographs are taken of each equine annually and kept with the equine's health records
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine chiropractor
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine acupuncturist
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine massage therapist
    Equines at our facility may be treated by an equine nutritionist
    Physical examination by a veterinarian at least annually
Our organization has the following policies and procedures in place pertaining to the weight-carrying or workload capabilities of horses/equines that are ridden in our care:
    No equines are ridden; not applicable

The following variables are considered in determining the weight-carrying and workload limitations for each equine that is ridden:
    No equines are ridden; not applicable


Horses provided formal training (groundwork or riding):   Weekly

Additional information about our intake, assessment & training policies and practices:
Additional information about our intake, assessment & training policies and practices:
     
     Given the unique and low-stress nature of what we do at Project Horse, coupled by zero under saddle demands, we find that horses do not pass a useful period or become unmanageable. If a horse's behavior were to become aggressive, we would consult the vet, seeking an underlying discomfort and potential health problem.
     
     We welcome "retired" horses, since they can live out their lives in comfort and contentment at Project Horse, and still have a purpose and something that interests them (our work is emotionally and intellectually engaging for our horses without being physically taxing).
     
     Even thought our horses are not ridden, we always take into account any chronic or acute health issues that arise that may impact a horse in their work with clients. As we provide accommodations for humans with health or physical issues, we do the same for horses so long as it is in the best interest of the horse. For example, one of our horses is losing vision in one eye. It does not impact the horse's desire or ability to work with clients, but we make sure that clients are very aware of the horse's condition, and we repeatedly demonstrate and iterate the accommodations the horse requires to enable continued safe engagement with the horse.

POLICIES: BREEDING

The organization has the following policies related to breeding and stallions:
    The facility or facilities where our organization conducts its programs, including foster facilities, does NOT breed equines.

POLICIES: EUTHANASIA

The organization has the following policies related to euthanasia:
    Our organization will never have an equine euthanized for space
    Our organization may have a healthy equine euthanized if it is a threat to itself, other equines, or people and euthanasia is recommended by a veterinarian
    Our organization may have an equine euthanized upon the recommendation of the veterinarian after all reasonable treatment options have been explored
    Euthanasia is done on site when possible to decrease trauma from transport
    Disposal of the carcass is handled within 24 hours

The following are authorized to administer the procedure for your organization in accordance with state laws:
    Veterinarian

Additional information about our euthanasia policies and practices:
With respect to euthanasia of a physically healthy horse that is a danger to himself or others, we would first exhaust numerous other options and work with our veterinarians/trainers before we would consider euthanasia. If euthanasia is the best option, we may opt for a necropsy to see if it was possible to determine if the euthanized horse (that appeared physically healthy) had an undiagnosed brain disease or injury.

POLICIES: RE-HOMING

Re-homing Agreement not applicable.
Our organization has the following re-homing (adoption/purchase) policies and procedures in place:
    The organization does not re-home equines under any circumstances; our organization retains custody of our equines and ensures care of the equines for their lifetimes.

Our organization has the following policies and procedures related to horses that need to be retired, are no longer useful, or are no longer manageable:
    The organization does not re-home equines under any circumstances; our organization retains custody of our equines and ensures care of the equines for their lifetimes.