Brave Heart Program

Our Mission is to assist Veterans, Military members, and their families by providing an environment that facilitates healing and strengthen relationships through equine interaction and outdoor activities in a peaceful farm setting. We are a 100% all Volunteer organization. This program combines the best of a therapeutic riding program, while providing a positive, stress-free and relaxing farm atmosphere where Service Members and their families can reconnect and nurture family relationships. Our focus is not only the Soldier, but the family as well. The Brave HEART Program offers a variety of outdoor “adventure” activities that facilitate physical and emotional healing for Military Heroes and their families. The Brave HEART Program will allow families to choose activities that best suit their physical abilities and interests. Our team plans the activities for each visit based on a questionnaire and phone interview with the client. We take into consideration physical abilities, age, and special requests or interests of the client and the family. Making sure the itinerary for the visit meets the Service Member (and the Family’s) approval before the visit takes place. List of activities that are offered at the farm: -Therapeutic riding -Horseback riding lessons -Horsemanship classes -Horse grooming -Trail rides -Nature Hikes -Bonfire -Arts and Crafts The Mission of the Brave HEART (Heroes Equine Adventure & Riding Therapy) Program is to support those who serve our Country by bringing Service members and their families together in an environment what helps them reconnect and strengthen family bonds. We provide horse-related and other outdoor activities in a positive and serene setting that helps Service members make the transition from the combat zone to home. The Program is designed to help Service members reconnect with their families through sharing enjoyable and beneficial activities. The farm setting allows families to participate in a variety of outdoor activities including horseback riding (both therapeutic and instructional), horse grooming, nature hikes, bonfires and arts & crafts. After providing such an incredible service to our Country, a veteran’s transition back from a deployment is seldom an easy one. They leave a highly stressful and dangerous environment as well as the camaraderie and connections with Military comrades. Returning home, they often find it difficult to talk to spouses and family members who have not experienced the dangers and stresses of the deployment. In ability to articulate their experiences and feelings with loved ones creates a sense of isolation that disengages them from family and other sources of support. We provide an environment (at no expense to the Service Member) that takes Service Members and their families out of their normal routine, encouraging communication and cooperation and breaking down barriers. In this relaxed setting, the whole family can come together to share positive experiences and rebuild family bonds. A year away on a deployment inevitably changes people, service members and family alike – which makes it vital to reacquaint Military families and help them reconnect. The effects of prolonged deployments on military children are often misunderstood. The first line of support for them is a healthy and supportive family. The stresses of deployments on Military families are particularly acute for Reserve Component members. Active duty service members living on a base have a built in community and support system that shares the same stresses, while National Guard and Reserve families are limited to any Community support they can find around them. Located in Hagerstown, the Brave HEART Program is ideally located to reach out to and support both Active Duty and Reserve Service members and families in Maryland, Southwest Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Because of acute stresses on the Reserve Component service member, who must return to family, as well as civilian careers and communities, the program provides special focus on assisting redeploying National Guard and Reserve members and their families.