Horsepower: How horses are therapeutic

Meet 12-year-old Thomas. No, I'm nervous. Remember, no trotting.

He has a horse therapy session once a week-- --OK? Yeah, you got it. We'll be right here with you.

--to help deal with his developmental delays. It's so nice. You're amazing.

Riding boosts his confidence-- --I did it. I did it.

--and calms him. You're doing so good. OK, we're ready.

22-year-old Bella has Down Syndrome. All right, Bella, let's do it again. We're going to trot.

We're at Endeavor Farm in Westchester County, New York, where horses are helping people with disabilities. Good job, Bella.

Horses have a sixth sense about people who need help-- [NEIGHS] Are you ready now? Yeah. Are your heels down? Yeah. Is it tall?

--like 19-year-old Ana Lucia Meyer, who has cerebral palsy. So, Ana Lucia, look towards me. Steer Scout to come in towards me.

Horses are unique in that they can sense and feel human emotions. And they move a lot more like we do than you might think. Ana Lucia's mother, Amelia Meyer, says Scout has changed her daughter's life. I'm incredibly proud of her. She's come so far. Do you think that this has helped her to walk? Oh, absolutely. I mean, when she first started at four years old, she was wearing a brace to hold her upright. And now she's holding herself upright, and she's able to keep that posture. Don't look at me. Look at your horse. What I think is so unique about horses is the fact that they're a herd animal, and they invite humans to be part of their herd.

Emily Bushnell started Endeavor Farm as a non-profit 12 years ago. They invite us to be part of the herd. But what does that mean? Herd animals, their whole goal is to keep one another safe. So once you're within 8 feet of a horse, they're cuing into your heart rate to your breath rate, and they are picking up on how you're feeling. When you choose horses to work in your program, what are you looking for? We're are looking for horses with different movement, different height, different personality, different width, and so all the different types of people that come to the farm have a horse that matches well with them.

That's Bear sitting in on our interview. There are 15 horses in the Endeavor Herd. Rye is the resident thoroughbred. And look at these adorable sibling minis, Cookie and Cody. What inspired you to start this farm? Ever since I was a young girl, horses have been a part of my story. They've been my best friends. They've been my teachers. Did a horse ever help you? 100%. When I was a young kid, I really struggled with anxiety, with ADD, and it wasn't something that really was talked about a whole bunch. And then my work with horses really helped me be calm, be present, and find that inner strength. That a boy.

Emily and her team go to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, New York State's only maximum security prison for women. They transport the horses there for a 10-week course twice a year. Hardened inmates interact with the horses on foot. They walk the horses. They groom them. When we're grooming our horse, that's how we make a bond with them.

And they even braid their hair. Helping them make a connection free of judgment. The women are being trained for an entry level job at a racetrack. And of course, there's the therapeutic value. What do you think you're getting out of the grooming part of it? It's like petting a dog. When you have a dog on your lap and you're just brushing and petting the dog and you get that comfortable feeling, you get that with the horses as well. Are you mostly in this place agitated or tense? Some days you're agitated, some days you're not. But no matter what, it's still very calming.

This young mother was convicted of assault in the second degree. Tell me about the dormitory you're in. Oh, yes, I'm in the nursery. So when I got incarcerated, I was pregnant, and I had her while I was up here. So they have a special unit for moms and the babies. We take parenting courses, prenatal courses. How old is your baby? Oh, she's almost two months. Do you think that this program keeps you calm after this session? Yeah. All week it lasts? Honestly, it's a great experience all around. It's soothing. After stressful days of being in here, I wake up looking forward to come to this program.

Back on the farm, Endeavour works with a third group, veterans with PTSD. It's their largest program. Horses are prey animals. Their characteristics are exactly the same characteristics of someone with PTSD. So when you partner those two, there is an amazing healing. Laurie Ciarvadini, a licensed clinical social worker and certified military counselor, runs this free therapy program. When the horses are partnered with the veterans that come in with all kinds of pain and symptoms, the horses can ground them. It is the time, mostly, that they can find peace when they're in the presence of the horses. I'm smiling. I'm wondering if you observe it, you actually can tell. Definitely, you can tell. Tell me what you see. Usually when they come on property, they might be agitated, upset, activated for a variety of reasons, and within probably five minutes, you can see them begin to relax and calm down. And I felt it myself when Laurie got me to stroke this gentle giant named Clifford. And Lesley, look at his eyes. He's starting to close his eyes. That's a reflection of your energy. Oh, Clifford, we are communicating. As soon as he saw me, he turned around, came right up to me and put his head down towards my chest. Look at your smile. You're really smiling, telling me about it. He's a special guy. You love him? I love him.

Army vet, Tony Mendez, suffered a traumatic brain injury when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan in 2011. He came home with PTSD. Tony was first introduced to horses 10 years ago, and he says they have helped him manage his condition. When you're in the presence of a horse, like I am with Goliath, he demands your presence. You have to give him your attention. I think that there's something special going on there that they're allowing for you to feel without fear. Yes. You think they take fear away? I think they definitely absorb our energy. And fear is part of that. That's a good boy. It's taught me how to live with PTSD in a better way, which I didn't know before. He's taught me to pause, to slow down. He does this great thing where he'll go to the fence in his paddock, and he'll just stare out into the sunset. And I feel that it's him telling me to just take it all in. And it's something that I think a lot of people with PTSD, combat PTSD specifically, can forget that there's beautiful things out there and things that matter.

As the expression goes, there's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.