Warhorse Ranch is a Steamboat-based non-profit organization founded by Mike and Valery Lozano who are devoted to helping veterans, first responders, and all others who suffer from PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.
Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following 20 years of military service, US Marine Corps Veteran, Mike Lozano was powerfully assisted by his interaction with horses. As a result, Mike and Valery were encouraged to offer such opportunities to others with similar needs.
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can happen to anyone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Some of the symptoms of PTSD can include anxiety, hypervigilance, and depression,” explains Valery, who holds degrees in criminal justice and forensic psychology, and is currently working on a second master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. “It’s up to us to bring awareness and to support those who are suffering,” Valery adds.
Valery and Mike offer Equine Assisted Services for individuals and small groups at their 35-acre North Routt County Warhorse Ranch, located about 30 minutes north of Steamboat Springs. Given tools to help navigate life in a positive and emotionally healthy way, participants are empowered to work out their struggles through the building of relationships with horses and with other people. Offering ongoing programs and summer retreats, Warhorse Ranch aims to help those who live with a wide variety of challenges.
We caught up with Jo Lauter, Board of Directors’ Secretary to learn more about the ranch and its most current programs and offerings. “I got involved with Mike and Val because they are extremely great people and I’m a lifetime horsewoman with a lot of experience that my heart and mind long to share,” Lauter says.
Tell us about your facilities. It sounds like an amazing property.
Warhorse Ranch is located on 35 acres of rolling hills and grasslands in North Routt County, Colorado. We work in a good-sized arena, corrals, and open pastures. We hope to build a covered arena in the not-too-distant future. One of our favorite features is the Historic Peavy-Semotan Barn, home to Foundation Quarter Horses that initiated the Colorado and American Quarter Horse Associations.
Let’s talk about the horses. I would assume it takes a special breed of horse to do this type of work. Where do your horses come from and how are they vetted and trained?
To put it simply, almost any horse can help to heal a human. The essential component is a fairly calm disposition. Our horses are often animals that have been enjoyed as pleasure or show horses in one discipline or another. Some are basically rescues. Others are horses that are ready for a new career in life.
How and why are horses well-suited to this type of work?
There are many reasons horses are utilized for equine-assisted psychotherapy. Horses are intelligent, kind, and instinctive. Because horses are prey animals, they are highly sensitive to anything and everything in their vicinity. Because horses are herd animals, they connect to one another, and to humans that approach or enter their community. Instinct, intuition, and insight combine in the horse, giving this animal a unique ability to “sense” the thoughts and needs of humans and other creatures around them.
It is natural for a horse to analyze and/or react to human body language, gestures, and subtle signals. Interaction with a horse offers valuable insights into human development and healing. It’s difficult to ignore a creature with the great presence, power, and size of a horse. Like humans, horses have defined roles within the herd (or community) and like humans, horses have distinct personalities. Individually and collectively, these animals are inclined to display a wide variety of attitudes, moods, and temperaments. Observing these variations, we can learn to be considerate of the diversities between ourselves and our human companions/herd-mates.
What are some of your most popular/ongoing offerings.
Our most popular, ongoing offerings are small group retreats that include no more than 4 to 6 individuals and take place over five days of both equine-experiential activities and relaxing field trips or rest times. We also do collaborations with community groups such as the School to Work Alliance program with Northwest Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Resources (NW BOCES), a cooperative service agency that helps our school districts improve student achievement. We just launched a new program that helps mild to moderate-needs high school kids develop a stronger sense of community outside of school. The kids visit the ranch weekly and are given responsibilities to develop and build on.
Last summer we also collaborated with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and New Play Festival in which we hosted six Syrian refugee children who lost their fathers in the war. The interaction between the traumatized children and the always-calm horses was nothing short of magical. We look forward to future collaborations and opportunities for this kind of beautiful healing.
Do you have any events or other new programs?
Our upcoming fundraiser is the Warhorse Stampede, a Caddyshack/National Lampoon-style golf tournament that will take place on August 30th at the Rolling Stone golf course. Proceeds from this fun event will help support Warhorse operations and programming. Registration is open, so head to the website to sign up as an individual or team or to become a sponsor.
We’re also looking forward to our retreats coming up this summer at Warhorse Ranch on August 9th through 13th and September 20th through 24th. Retreat-spots are limited so those interested should head to the website for an application.
How do you feel about being the recipient of a Sotheby’s grant?
Every bit helps with our programming, and we are very grateful for Sotheby’s generosity. //warhorseranch.org
