Horses make life better.

My name is Jolene Thelen and I am the founder of Healing Heartbeats thru Hoofbeats (HHtH Coaching), a non-profit organization created in 2021 to provide equine assisted coaching to those in need. The mission of HHtH Coaching is to help individuals work through the obstacles preventing them from their ultimate mental well-being, regardless of financial limitations.

As you know, mental health is a growing epidemic across Minnesota and there is a shortage of mental health services relative to the need. According to the MN Department of Health, 80% of us will struggle with our mental well-being at some point. Without access to the tools to improve mental well-being, there is a cascading effect resulting in increased physical ailments and disease, increased criminal activity, shorter life span, as well as economic impact resulting from loss of job productivity. HHtH Coaching was created to aid in the fight against the mental health crisis.

With Equine Assisted Coaching, we partner with horses to heal and to develop our best self. Horses give us self-worth and confidence. They help us to trust and to learn boundaries. They assist us in creating more meaningful and healthy relationships with ourselves as well as others.

Each session is customized to the individual and their goals. Whether overcoming trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety or learning to live with ADHD or build confidence, the sessions are personalized to the client’s individual needs and meet them where they are. The first step is to spend time with each of the horses on the team which allows the client to determine which horse he or she feels a bond with and wants to work with going forward. During the sessions, there are activities such as grooming, feeding, and various exercises, all which provide numerous healing benefits for individuals. Because horses are non-judgmental and unbiased, they offer a peaceful space for clients to work through emotions without the feeling of being judged. Horses are observers and will mirror the behavior and emotions of individuals working with them. If you are feeling frazzled, your horse will be frazzled. If you’re calm, your horse will be relaxed. This quality in horses provides clients with a mirror of sorts, which can serve to maintain a sense of self-awareness as to what the client is working through in the moment. Often those working on overcoming insecurities, confidence barriers, mental health challenges, single traumatic incidents or recurring trauma resulting in PTSD struggle with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. Through equine assisted coaching, the client can work through particularly painful emotions that would otherwise make them feel too vulnerable to discuss in a traditional setting but aligning their experience with the horse’s experience in the moment, thereby externalizing the content and making it easier to process.

HHtH Coaching was created to make services available to individuals experiencing emotional or mental hardship a place to heal and get back to health. As a former police officer, I understand firsthand the hardships faced by law enforcement and first responders every day as well as the stigma around mental health among fellow officers and police forces. For most law enforcement officers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) or trauma related to their work, seeking help may be a result of an experience which involved a leave of absence, resulting in lack of financial support and in some cases health insurance.

Similarly, despite increased awareness and government programs our veterans struggle with reintegration to civilian life after service, PTSD, depression and anxiety. Seeking help to resolve trauma before it escalates to a mental health crisis is imperative to ensuring the overall health and wellbeing of those heroes who have served or are serving to protect our communities.

Many individuals suffering from mental health struggles do not have the necessary financial resources to pay for therapies and this is how you can partner with HHtH Coaching to help those in need, and, in particular, those who have sacrificed so much (even their mental health) to protect and serve our communities every day.