Veterans with PTSD paired with horses for therapy

HARVARD, Ill. (WLS) -- Kati Beck is beginning something she hopes will bring her a measure of peace.

She was sexually assaulted twice during her eight years in the U.S. Air Force. Military doctors would later diagnose her as suffering from post-traumatic stress.

"I call it the silent scream because that's the way it feels in my head, like someone is screaming," she said.

Talk therapy and medication have not helped much, Beck said. However, she heard from over vets about the healing power of the horse and so she came to Bravehearts Therapeutic Riding Center near Harvard, Ill., where she will attempt to "hook-up," as they say, with a horse.

"I know it's your first time doing it. There, you must have breathed deeper. Did you see the change in the horse there? He licked and chewed. With your energy dropping, horses have an uncanny ability to synchronize with us," Paddy McKevitt said.

McKevitt, who has worked in horse therapy for years, said the process built on the premise that horses, as herd animals of prey, are looking for a passive leader. When they find that trust, horses can sense mood and strike an extraordinary bond. The horse feels save; the human feels good.

"Unless you witness it, it's very hard to explain to someone. But it's there. They do have the ability to read what's going on inside us, and they empathetic to try to help us," McKevitt said.

Bravehearts deals with about 400 veterans- many of whom suffer from the deep emotional scars of war- a year. They are not charged for this.

Horse therapy is not a cure, but it helps those with mental and emotional anguish find a sense of future. The hope for Beck, who has two young sons, is it will lessen her silent scream.

"I would like for them to grow up and see their mom whole again," she said.