BUSTIN' LOOSE: VETERANS, First Responders AND their families
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Due to Donations and Fundraisers All Services for Veterans, First Responder and their Families is provided FREE for them
Individual - Group or Family Sessions
Check out our Documentary at the bottom of the About page
Veterans in their own words:
Comments from the Wounded Warrior Camp November 16, 17 & 18, 2018
Everyone was so nice and friendly and you can tell they loved doing what they do. They were very patient.
The camp is great. Some of the exercises were rather lengthy, but over all everything was great.
Responsive staff, implementing spouses.
Thank you for having us. It is a blessing to have experience a memorable feeling.
Being able to bond with spouse and horse.
Bonding with the horses. Having understanding how equine really has a great impact in healing your life.
Being able to let the rest of the world go. I did not accept or make any phone calls all weekend.
Interacting and bonding with the horses. I felt it allowed me to decompress and not feel as stressed or anxious.
We really enjoyed the camp, owners, counselors and the horse (Blossom). We will return on our own for more individual work with the horse.
New lasting friendships. Understanding of what my spouse deals with in me.
Watching my warrior not get frustrated with a challenge.
I appreciate everything that was showed, and the activities we did were awesome.
Creating a bond to the horse (Milly), and painting the horse of things we wanted to leave behind.
The gift of patience. No matter how many people touch,brush, embrace the horse, it remains patient and kind.
To not be afraid and be open mind and willing to do and try new things.
Everyone was so nice and friendly and you can tell they loved doing what they do. They were very patient.
The camp is great. Some of the exercises were rather lengthy, but over all everything was great.
Responsive staff, implementing spouses.
Thank you for having us. It is a blessing to have experience a memorable feeling.
Being able to bond with spouse and horse.
Bonding with the horses. Having understanding how equine really has a great impact in healing your life.
Being able to let the rest of the world go. I did not accept or make any phone calls all weekend.
Interacting and bonding with the horses. I felt it allowed me to decompress and not feel as stressed or anxious.
We really enjoyed the camp, owners, counselors and the horse (Blossom). We will return on our own for more individual work with the horse.
New lasting friendships. Understanding of what my spouse deals with in me.
Watching my warrior not get frustrated with a challenge.
I appreciate everything that was showed, and the activities we did were awesome.
Creating a bond to the horse (Milly), and painting the horse of things we wanted to leave behind.
The gift of patience. No matter how many people touch,brush, embrace the horse, it remains patient and kind.
To not be afraid and be open mind and willing to do and try new things.
Before I came to Breaking Free I hadn’t driven [my car] in two years. I was making bad driving decisions and I was afraid I’d have a wreck. I was walking with a cane and had limited mobility because of arthritis and fibromyalgia. My legs still hurt and sometimes I still have a bad day and use a cane. But my balance has improved enough that often I don’t have to. Breaking Free got me to be more physical and now I’m more balanced. And now I have the confidence to drive again. I’m more responsible and more willing to accept a challenge.
Kim V.P., served in Korea and Fort Dietrich as a satellite technician.
I became interested in Breaking Free after seeing how effective the program can be with Veterans experiencing readjustment issues. My own combat experiences in Vietnam left their mark on me, both physically and mentally. BF's unique approach offers some things other programs don't. Learning how quickly a horse "mirrors" our own actions, attitudes and state of mind is an effective and tranquil means for a Veteran to identify and work on his/her individual problems. The VA, with Equine- trained counselors, and the Foltz's, work together to provide an approach and setting for these Vets to learn about themselves through interaction with the horses. There are amazing results, and I wanted to be a part of it.
Spence White, Marine veteran, Vietnam
Breaking Free Board member
Working with horses has helped me understand more about the difference between being passive, aggressive and assertive. It has helped me learn to stay focused on the here and now. I've spent a long time looking in the rear-view mirror, staying stuck in the past. Now I know I can move forward. I've always been a "hands on" kind of learner and working with the horses is certainly that. Now I feel like I can celebrate, "I'm still here!"
Michael, Marine veteran, Vietnam
While deployed I developed a sense of futility. It all became pointless, senseless. I lost faith in myself and now I'm working on finding my skills/talents again. It's like I get to push my re-set button. I spend a lot of time at home "escaping" and being with the horses brings me back to the present and a commitment to my recovery. The horses don't have any expectation of me. They accept me where I am. I feel like I have found a place where I fit, a starting point, a new direction and the freedom to explore my potential.
Andrea, Aero-medical evacuation technician, deployed to Afghanistan
This is the only place I feel like I'm processing anything. It's about my life; being a veteran is entwined with everything else. In the army I was in charge. I exuded confidence but the fear was underneath. And the horses know it is still there. The horses don't judge and they don't find me weak. It gets right into whatever is hurting me. I'm learning to set boundaries for the first time in my life. I love it out here.
Brooke, deployed to Iraq
This program is designed to help trauma survivors break free from the internal negative memories and messages programmed in our heads, either by others or by our own doing. You learn a lot about yourself in realizing the horses reflect your internal thoughts and emotions, as if to give validation. Thus, you and your horse connect as if you become one.
By teaming up with such a large beast, you learn how to gain power and take control of something much bigger than yourself. More than having control over a horse you can also have control over your life. In just the first 12 weeks of Breaking Free I gained confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and pride in my accomplishments whether it was my work with the horses or in everything I did outside of the program. More than that, I lost mountains of anger, fear, anxiety and depression.
I'm very blessed for all the Angels at Breaking Free! Thank you for changing my life!
L. H.
Kim V.P., served in Korea and Fort Dietrich as a satellite technician.
I became interested in Breaking Free after seeing how effective the program can be with Veterans experiencing readjustment issues. My own combat experiences in Vietnam left their mark on me, both physically and mentally. BF's unique approach offers some things other programs don't. Learning how quickly a horse "mirrors" our own actions, attitudes and state of mind is an effective and tranquil means for a Veteran to identify and work on his/her individual problems. The VA, with Equine- trained counselors, and the Foltz's, work together to provide an approach and setting for these Vets to learn about themselves through interaction with the horses. There are amazing results, and I wanted to be a part of it.
Spence White, Marine veteran, Vietnam
Breaking Free Board member
Working with horses has helped me understand more about the difference between being passive, aggressive and assertive. It has helped me learn to stay focused on the here and now. I've spent a long time looking in the rear-view mirror, staying stuck in the past. Now I know I can move forward. I've always been a "hands on" kind of learner and working with the horses is certainly that. Now I feel like I can celebrate, "I'm still here!"
Michael, Marine veteran, Vietnam
While deployed I developed a sense of futility. It all became pointless, senseless. I lost faith in myself and now I'm working on finding my skills/talents again. It's like I get to push my re-set button. I spend a lot of time at home "escaping" and being with the horses brings me back to the present and a commitment to my recovery. The horses don't have any expectation of me. They accept me where I am. I feel like I have found a place where I fit, a starting point, a new direction and the freedom to explore my potential.
Andrea, Aero-medical evacuation technician, deployed to Afghanistan
This is the only place I feel like I'm processing anything. It's about my life; being a veteran is entwined with everything else. In the army I was in charge. I exuded confidence but the fear was underneath. And the horses know it is still there. The horses don't judge and they don't find me weak. It gets right into whatever is hurting me. I'm learning to set boundaries for the first time in my life. I love it out here.
Brooke, deployed to Iraq
This program is designed to help trauma survivors break free from the internal negative memories and messages programmed in our heads, either by others or by our own doing. You learn a lot about yourself in realizing the horses reflect your internal thoughts and emotions, as if to give validation. Thus, you and your horse connect as if you become one.
By teaming up with such a large beast, you learn how to gain power and take control of something much bigger than yourself. More than having control over a horse you can also have control over your life. In just the first 12 weeks of Breaking Free I gained confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and pride in my accomplishments whether it was my work with the horses or in everything I did outside of the program. More than that, I lost mountains of anger, fear, anxiety and depression.
I'm very blessed for all the Angels at Breaking Free! Thank you for changing my life!
L. H.