The Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative and Blue Star Ranch will conduct an Equine Assisted Therapy clinic for veterans, active military and their families on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m.

This presentation will encompass a hands-on experience, demonstrating how therapy horses can successfully assist veterans and their families in dealing with the effects of PTSD.

Participants will be selected from the audience. All participants/visitors must wear either closed-toed shoes or boots as flip-flops and sandals are not permitted when working with the animals. Simultaneous to the adult clinic, an equine program for children 10 and older will be conducted by Blue Star volunteers.

Refreshments will be served during a short break followed by a panel of therapists and program graduates who will share their personal experiences and answer any questions from the audience.

Blue Star Ranch has been providing successful one-on-one equine therapy assisted sessions since 2014, involving four horses and a mini donkey, and their services are free to veterans and their family members.

Program participants select their own horse to work with during their ten one-hour sessions and, once they have graduated, they are invited to participate in group sessions twice a month to continue their healing and enjoy the camaraderie and support they find with each other. Some graduates, having found the program so impacting, return even more frequently to spend time with their horse or to volunteer at the ranch.

RSVP to nancy@bluestarranch.org or call (661) 312-6184 to participate in this informative clinic.

Blue Star Ranch is a non-profit 501c3 organization and a member of the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association made up of 4,000 members in 49 countries who train and certify equine specialists and mental health professionals. For more information visit Blue Star Ranch.

The Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative, a 501c3 non-profit, is a gathering of dedicated businessmen and women, non-profit organizations and individuals pledged to care for the interests of local veterans, active-duty military and their families who have given and sacrificed so much for their country. For more information visit SC Veteran Services.