Love and horses add up to recipe for therapy

MILLBROOK —  Kelly Lattin is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army. When she left the service, she found herself in need of therapy. Having been born and raised in this area of Dutchess County, she was familiar with many animals, but she had a special love for horses. Because of that, she chose equine therapy to aid in her recovery, in turn using it for a number of people in need of help.

Lattin also seems to attract other animals. She is currently housing cats, dogs, guinea pigs and quite often, two miniature horses names Bug and Baku, all in her house, along with her two grown children. She noted that the house needed to be “toddler-proofed” for the horses, as they, like any youngsters, can get into lots of mischief.

The other part of the family is housed in a barn and consists of four large horses, all rescued by Lattin. There are several other horses housed there, but Lattin’s are all close to each other, and seemed to be — on one rainy, very cold day — enjoying themselves with hay, snickering and snorts, and a lot of love from Lattin.

Jurney, acquired at the age of 4, is now 10, the first of the equine rescues, and Lattin credits Jurney with teaching her to “be in the now, to be in the present.” At first, Jurney wouldn’t go anywhere near Latin because she felt her high anxiety. But as Lattin calmed down, they were able to begin building a relationship. Jurney also happens to be  very fond of dogs.

Next came Felix, a handsome male Tennessee Walking Horse, who had some serious problems. He could barely walk and needed some work on his feet.  Within three days, when a rescue group was coming to take him back, Lattin offered to take him on.

The third of Lattin’s much-beloved horses is Kivi.  A quarter horse, “Kivi is a lover,” said Lattin. “Kivi loves cows, people and everything else.” Yet when she got him, it was from someone who had found him at auction.

He was emaciated, sick and depressed. She didn’t have any information on his background, but he was very sweet.

Kivi, 18, works well with the residents at The Fountains  in Millbrook, an assisted living facility where the horses visit every month.

All three of her horses were flat racing horses.

Esperance is also 18, and another Tennessee Walker. Lattin got her sight unseen, a rescue who had been neglected. Lattin saw a picture and decided she needed to rescue her, and Esperance was delivered from New Jersey.

Why use horses for therapy? Lattin explained that horses read people better than humans do. They can recognize unhealthy anxiety. Horses are animals of prey; they aren’t predators, so they can quickly assess situations and, if not threatened,  return to a calm state almost immediately.

Lattin believes that horses can teach people how to be alert, how to assess and how to return to a baseline calm. They can pick up heart rate and breathing patterns as well, and horses have a lower resting heart rate than humans.

One person Lattin and her horses have worked with was a teenage boy with anger issues. He learned to release the anger, and how to focus and be grounded.

Another advantage of horse therapy is lifespan. Horses can live for 30 years or more.

Miniature horses and their very large counterparts have some things in common, but while Lattin brings the smaller boys, Baku and Bug, to the farm, they don’t graze in the fields with the big horses. Kivi loves the minis but Felix can’t figure out what to do with them. They can’t eat much grass because it has too much sugar.  They could also get hurt if the running or frolicking gets too animated.

Horses can migrate because they can graze, but miniatures need to be cared for and fed. One major difference is that large horses can be ridden and miniatures can’t be. Lattin also finds that the Bug and Baku are calmer than the full-sized horses as a rule. But even the little horses have different personalities. “Baku is brilliant,” stated Lattin. “Bug just doesn’t care.” Baku is in training to go into service, so caring is a good thing.

Horses are more expensive to maintain than many other “pets.” They eat a lot of hay, and all of the horses receive vitamin supplements. They also take up a lot of room, needing stables and pastures for grazing.

So far, Lattin has been able to manage the finances, and she doesn’t charge for her horses’ services, but she gratefully accepts donations. Currently she is working on obtaining a 501(c)(3) to be able to get funding and could hire a trainer or other help. Lattin spends much of her time cleaning stalls and grooming the horses.

Lattin and her horses, both big and small, enjoy going to The Fountains every month, and the residents love having their company.

In the warmer weather, Jurney, Felix and Kivi are the big draws because they can all be outdoors and enjoy the weather as well as the company. In the winter months, Baku and Bug are the frequent guests because they visit indoors.

For more information about equine therapy with Lattin and her horses, email myjurney05@gmail.com.