For some Colorado veterans, healing trauma begins with a horse

Long after military service ends, many veterans continue carrying the weight of trauma, stress, and isolation. At Colorado Horsepower, a nonprofit serving veterans and first responders, horses are helping them navigate those struggles while building confidence, connection and a sense of purpose.

Set on 107 acres just outside Castle Rock, the nonprofit offers a different approach to equine-assisted therapy. Veterans don't simply spend time around horses — they learn every aspect of horsemanship while also participating in peer support and therapy. 

"What's unique about our program is we work with them all the way from ground level with the horses to trail riding and so on to move them forward in that direction," said Mark Renn, an instructor with Colorado Horsepower.

Renn said the goal extends far beyond teaching someone how to ride.

"Horsemanship is key. It's not just walking with the horse and talking with the horse; it's actually becoming one with the horse," he said.

The program has worked with veterans for about a decade now and currently serves about 30 participants, many of whom are combat veterans coping with PTSD and other trauma-related challenges. For combat veteran Jeremy Walsh, that connection with horses has had a profound impact on his mental health.

"Because of how skittish they are, you have to be confident and worry about the horse instead of your own problems," Walsh said. "And somehow through that connection you end up rewiring your own brain to better handle your own stresses and trauma."

Walsh, who now serves as an outreach coordinator with the Denver Vet Center, also participates in the program as a peer mentor, helping other veterans access resources while riding alongside them.

"I ride with the veterans and answer any questions they may have about VA benefits, resources, or the horses because I've been doing this for a while, so I've gotten really close with the Horsepower people here," Walsh said.

He said the benefits became apparent in his own life after joining the program.

"I was noticing as I was coming, I was sleeping better," Walsh said. "All the little problems that were stressing me out in my life didn't seem like problems at all."

Walsh believes the experience extends beyond the horses themselves.

"We are truly healing people here," he said. "People feel like they have a purpose; people are falling in love with the animals here and the staff here. They're also connecting with other veterans."

That sense of connection is something Melody Ripsom knows firsthand. The Navy veteran joined the program about two years ago while searching for an alternative therapy option.

"I've never really been around horses before, like I didn't even really know how big they are, so that was a surprise," Ripsom said with a laugh.

What began as an unfamiliar experience gradually became an important part of her mental health journey.

"For a lot of veterans, myself included, we dissociate a lot, and that's just kind of how we deal with mental stress; it's just kind of taking ourselves out of the world basically and not being there mentally," Ripsom said, adding that being on a horse and learning how to communicate with one helps that feeling "melt away."

"From a day-to-day perspective, that really helps in staying grounded," she said.

Ripsom said the program has also helped her become more engaged with the world around her.

"It's definitely got me more socialized and more involved in the community," she said. 

But the biggest change, she added, has been a newfound sense of confidence.

"Going about the world feeling like an odd man out, that does something to your brain," Ripsom explained. "Like, is there something wrong with me? But being here, having an animal that's bigger and stronger and tougher than you, listen to you, especially being able to calm them down, that's so cool to have a giant animal freaking out and you just go 'hey,' and they listen to you. That's like, woah."

Renn said stories like Ripsom's are common at Colorado Horsepower.

"What happens is I watch these individuals grow as they work with these horses, and they actually grow a bond with the horse, but they also grow in their confidence level," he said.

He has seen veterans arrive uncertain, withdrawn, or intimidated by horses, only to leave transformed.

"One, for example, didn't even want to look at a horse or touch it; he stood 20 feet away," Renn said. "And at the end of the two hours, he wouldn't leave the horse alone."

For veterans like Ripsom and Walsh, that transformation isn't about becoming a better rider. It's about finding confidence, community, and support in a place where both horses and fellow veterans help carry the load.

"It's just a special experience," Walsh said.

Colorado Horsepower programs are free for veterans and first responders. The nonprofit relies on donations from individuals and businesses for support.