HEAVENLY HOOFS INC

McCormick Research Institute is driven by a theory of change. When the organization was established in 2002, it began with the primary goal that all therapeutic riding centers aspire to: provide equine-assisted therapies to help individuals with special needs.

Consistently over time, the impactful outcomes of this unique therapy proved to be astonishing, especially for individuals coping with autism. Can a velvet muzzle, the rocking rhythm of a horse’s stride, and the nurturing spirit of Equus really be a powerful prescription? Without a doubt. The barn is truly a magical place where results are visible, tangible, and transforming.

For years the organization followed suit with other therapeutic riding centers throughout the world by providing equine-assisted therapies to individuals with special needs. Then around 2010 a trend began to emerge in the industry: Veterans returning from combat could not get peace from a pill or redefine their purpose in the care of a physician, but they were finding healing in a new version of an old relationship—horses and heroes. The relationship between horses and people is as old as armies, and the bond passed down through centuries still resonates in the hearts of heroes today. The synergy between these two great creatures has provided a more impressive outcome for equine-assisted therapies than ever before.

This increasingly powerful antidote for autism and PTSD silently sits stationed in stables across the U.S. Until someone closes the gap that exists between practicing and proving this powerful source of healing, it will remain in reserve, and that would be a regrettable disservice to those who have sacrificed to protect our very lives.

The time has arrived for someone to tackle the task of conducting valid research to substantiate the claims that armchair psychologists have made for decades. The industry must not continue to be bridled by a lack of funding and an inaccurate characterization of mere recreation rather than a miraculous source for mental health healing. This is the vision of McCormick Research Institute. Therapeutic methods are continuously tested and refined by doctors from the UCF College of Medicine. Evidence-based research is conducted and exhaustively reviewed. Veterans Affairs, insurance companies, health professionals, and philanthropic investors around the world will know what the most effective equine-assisted therapies are and they will have confidence that this modality of treatment has been perfected and tested.

As a result, Veterans suffering from PTSD and individuals with special needs worldwide will have increased access to this exceptional prescription that doesn’t come in the form of a pill. As a Veteran commits suicide nearly every hour of every day, McCormick Research Institute takes on this task because their cry is our call to duty. We invite you to be all that you can be by investing in the vision to restore the disadvantaged and those who have given their all so we may be free.