MENOMONIE — One of Patty Strand’s favorite breeds of horses is the standardbred, and they have been in her life since she was young.
“I’ve always been involved in harness racing because my grandfather raced,” said Strand. “I’ve always loved the breed and my very first horse was a standardbred, which I still have, and she’s 35 years old now.”
She began to breed the horses for harness racing, following her grandfather’s footsteps, and she knew there was something gentle and docile about the animals. A few people she knew had mentioned equine therapy and Strand was intrigued at the prospect.
Equine therapy is a relatively new type of treatment that started being explored in the 1990s. The therapy involves activities with horses to promote better mental health and other benefits in humans. It is still not terribly common, in part due to how recently it has come into being.
Unfortunately for Strand, reality initially prevented her from pursuing the idea of equine therapy. She stated that the idea had been in the works for her for about 14 years, but continuing to work a completely separate full-time job meant it was unreasonable to also pursue anything. Yet, she continued to toy with the idea.
“The more research I keep doing, the more I find there’s not enough of these places around that can accommodate all the people that need this type of therapy or want this type of therapy,” she said.
“Finally, last year — it was probably in January or February a year ago — I decided: if I was going to do it and try it, I was going to go all in.”
Not only was she going to strive to make her dream of providing equine therapy a reality, but by doing so meant another role for her harness race horses.
“This is something else that I’m trying to do with these guys after their racing career is done. There’s another opportunity for them to come here and be an equine therapy horse,” she said.
And now, after plenty of work, Strand will have an open house at her Hoof Beat Therapeutic Healing Center in Menomonie. Strand’s goal at the center is to deal with symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve communication skills, master emotional regulation in a secure environment, and build trust, all with retired standardbred race horses.
Strand noticed the effects that her horses had with her own family. She has a young paralyzed relative with cerebral palsy who was unsure of riding a horse, but when he received an assisted ride, his enthusiasm bubbled and his entire demeanor changed.
“Once he got on there, he didn’t want to come off the horse,” recalled Strand. “If only you could see the pictures of him and the beam in his eye, and it was then, when I saw it what it did for him.”
Strand also relayed a story of mother who dealt with dementia in her later years. Formerly very independent, Strand’s mother was now living with Strand and very unhappy living away from her home, often demanding to go back. However, Strand once again saw the change that happened as her mother was around her standardbreds.
“I saw what it was doing for her. It was just this ease and happiness and love,” said Strand. “That was one of the other reasons (to start doing this), because these people that are (for example) in the nursing home or have got special needs, these horses sense that. They’ve got that bond and everything.”
Strand is hoping people can see the benefits of her center and her horses when they come to her open house this Saturday. In addition to being able to see the space that she has for equine therapy, there will be a free lunch, cart rides, a bounce house, a treasure hunt, prizes, kids’ games, and more.
Despite the center’s small size, she hopes people can see that as an asset over equine therapy locations that can be overwhelming to those seeking treatment due to their much larger size. Strand said she would like to be able to help those in need — those living in nursing homes, children with special needs, and more.
“I just want to see the joy that people can get from it and if it helps them, that’s what I’m here for. I want these people because I know what my horses can do,” she said. “I know what equine therapy can do. I’ve seen it first hand, and I want to spread that joy to them.”
