National Therapy Animal Day was started by an organization called Pet Partners as a holiday to celebrate therapy animals, their handlers, and the profound impact that human-animal interaction can have on mental health and wellbeing.
Human-animal interaction has been shown to offer countless benefits for humans, including reduced anxiety, improved mood, decreased isolation, and even improved cardiovascular health! We get to see firsthand each day how interactions, both in and out of session, with our incredible herd of therapy horses is benefitting our Veterans, families, volunteers, and community!
Human-animal interaction isn’t only beneficial to the humans, but to the animals as well! Research shows that positive relationships with humans can lower cortisol levels and enhance overall mental and physical wellbeing for animals! From Journey begging for snuggles to the minis’ happy whinnies when they see someone they know, it is evident that our herd enjoys and benefits from their relationships with clients, staff, and volunteers as well.
We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to foster such meaningful bonds between horses and humans.