Equestrian sessions for veterans funded by VA grant to Slippery Rock University
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Noel Mitchell was always into horses as a child, and now he rides one about every week and has been on this routine for the better part of a year.
Spending an hour riding a horse through the ring at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University takes some of the stress away, the Army veteran said, and he gets to ride for free thanks to a grant the university receives from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The calming feeling is not an illusion — the staff of the equestrian center said horses are animals uniquely fitted to people. They are herd animals that like to socialize just like people — especially with ones who pay them attention and care.
Betsy Kemeny, professor of recreational therapy at SRU, said this is the basis of the classes at the equestrian center, mandatory for students of the program. She said studies have even shown that petting and riding a horse reduces stress levels in youths on the autism spectrum.
“We looked at their cortisol levels when they get on a horse and when they get off the horse, and we saw that cortisol levels dropped,” Kemeny said. “The whole idea of stress management kind of extends to the veterans, because if they have that opportunity to ride and focus in the moment versus whenever is on their mind in the future or the past, (it) can really benefit them in the moment and reduce stress.”
Storm Harbor has been a part of SRU since 2005, and Kemeny said she and Courtney Gramlich, the center’s manager, have written a grant for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since around 2014, which it normally receives.
The adaptive sports programs grant, which provided $76,500 to the university this year, funds the center’s ability to bring veterans from around the region to the ring to ride horses at no charge.
SRU is the only college in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to have an equestrian center on site, Kemeny said.
The equestrian center is fitted to host these therapy sessions not only because it is outfitted with assistive equipment for people with disabilities, but also because students in recreational therapy programs are always eager to volunteer in the ring.
The center has a lift that can help people who are immobile mount a horse, which Kemeny said also helps procure grants.
Kemeny said the hours students spend helping with horses goes toward the 20 hours needed to satisfy recreational therapy program requirements.
“We work together to make sure that the students are getting a superb education from this whole process because our philosophy is hands-on aspect, and the only way we can do that is to have opportunities like this,” she said.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, six veterans were bused to Storm Harbor from as far as Pittsburgh to meet and ride horses. Kemeny, Gramlich and a handful of students and staff of the center were there to guide the guests in tacking the horses before saddling them up to ride.
Haley Sherer, recreational therapist with VA Pittsburgh Healthcare, helped facilitate the visit and said after many times hosting veterans at Storm Harbor, she has seen the impact — even on her own mood.
“When I'm anxious about work, they do kind of like, tense, like, ‘That's enough’,” she said of horses. “It’s rare where I have somebody say, ‘I hated this.’ A lot of times they want to try to come back and try again.”
Sherer hopped on a horse herself Tuesday and brought up the rear while a staff member with Storm Harbor led the group from the indoor ring to the sensory trail outside the center. The trail is designed with sensory instruments along its length, which is about an eighth of a mile long.
And while several of the veterans were attending their first session with Storm Harbor on Tuesday, they didn’t need to worry about guiding their horse. Student volunteers walked alongside them the whole time, and they helped each person mount and dismount their horse.
Gramlich said horseback riding isn’t a specific therapy, but many people can get therapeutic benefits from simply being around horses.
“They’ll come in the facility and be in a bad mood, and when they leave they’ll be in a much better mood,” she said of the people who work with Storm Harbor’s horses.
The benefits are also physical.
“I’ve worked with veterans who have Parkinson’s disease as well and looked at their gait and balance and how that’s improved as well,” Kemeny said. “There’s physical, cognitive and social benefits.”
Riding a horse is also a bit of a workout even though the horse is doing most of the work. Kemeny said riders have to tighten their core to keep from bouncing too much as the horse walks, and the bowlegged riding stance puts a lot of the rider’s effort into their legs.
These effects were not lost on the people who attended the session Tuesday. After dismounting his horse, Mitchell commented that he felt a lot better than when he came in.
“It calms me down, makes me a much nicer person,” he said.
Mike Shumar, an Air Force veteran living in Butler, also said the ride was calming. He just recently started going to the VA for programs.
“It’s something I always enjoy,” Shumar said. “I’m just here to get out in nature.”
Phil Henson, who attends programs through the Pittsburgh VA, said he used to be around horses all the time, so learning that he could attend an equestrian program for free was nothing but good news. He also noticed the benefits of hanging out with the horses.
“The morning is always an anxious time, but I’m feeling chill,” Henson said.
Tuesday was only the second time Elesea Rose, an Army veteran, attended a program at Storm Harbor, but she said she plans to come back.
“I am definitely a horse person,” Rose said.
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Veteran Elesea Rose rides a horse around the barn during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Elesea Rose rides during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veterans unsaddle their horses after an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veterans participating in an equine-assisted therapy session ride at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson brushes down his horse during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Mike Shumar brushes his horse during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson rides during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson mounts up for an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Mike Shumar pets his horse after finish up a ride as part of an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Mike Shumar puts his saddle onto his horse during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson brushes down his horse during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson puts his helmet on before going riding at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Elesea Rose learns how to brush her horse during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson rides around the barn during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veteran Phil Henson rides around the barn at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center during an equine-assisted therapy session, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Noel Mitchell rides his during an equine-assisted therapy session at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Veterans participating in an equine-assisted therapy session ride at Storm Harbor Equestrian Center at Slippery Rock University, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
