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Horse-powered Healing
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Adaptive riding participant during a Hawaiian themed event led by a student in the Equine Assisted Services Program at NHSC.
Horse-powered Healing
“Who needs to walk when you can ride!”
That’s what a teen who uses a wheelchair exclaimed after being on horseback for the first time. It’s the kind of moment that fuels Katie Oakland, executive director of TR 4 Heart & Soul.
Offering therapeutic horseback riding, the nonprofit places a wide range of participants in the saddle, including children and adults with behavioral or health challenges, individuals navigating grief, addiction recovery or terminal illness, and veterans.
“Everybody has their own story in the barn,” Oakland says.
Her story began as a “horse girl, born and raised,” who discovered a love of volunteering in high school. That experience sparked a desire to combine her passion for horses with meaningful service. After college, Oakland moved to Bismarck and connected with others interested in therapeutic riding.
In June 2016, she launched TR 4 Heart & Soul with two horses, serving four teens, including two with cerebral palsy and two with autism.
Therapeutic riding offers far more than enjoyment. Participants build confidence, strength, balance and trust.
Horses mirror humans in surprising ways, she explains. They are physically similar. As prey animals, they process stress through fight-or-flight responses, similar to people – making for
intuitive connections between horses and humans.
TR 4 Heart & Soul shares its expertise through partnerships with the equine studies program at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town, offering hands-on experience for students pursuing certification as therapeutic riding instructors.
An Impact Grant from Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) helped fund the purchase of a new trailer, expanding the program’s reach and bringing its services to more local communities, including Stanley and nearby areas.
"It helps us support communities in building sustainable programs,” Oakland says, noting small nonprofits often lack the staff to compete for large-scale grants.
"When organizations like MWEC see value in small nonprofits, it's life-changing."
“When organizations like MWEC see value in small nonprofits, it’s lifechanging,” she says.
Today, the program has 15 horses, many from rodeo or trail-riding backgrounds or living with injuries.
“That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have purpose in their life,” Oakland says. “Horses need purpose, too.”
They also need care every single day, which is why grants and volunteers are essential to the program.
“The goal is to find your heart and soul in horses,” Oakland says.
To learn more about
TR 4 Heart and Soul, visit
therapeuticriding4has.com.