East County Elks salute veterans

EAST COUNTY —When he left the U.S. Army in the late '60s, Jack Ogren had never heard of a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He served in Germany during the Vietnam War, but didn't have to serve in combat.

"I was lucky to not be involved there," Ogren said. "But some guys weren't as lucky."

But over the years, the trustee of the Lakewood Ranch-Sarasota Elks Lodge No. 2855 has made helping veterans, especially those who suffer from PTSD, a priority.

On Sept. 24, Ogren, U.S. Army veteran Chuck Stolteben and other Elks Veterans Committee members sponsored a day of equine-themed activities at the Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy (SMART). They paid $2,205 for 14 veterans from Bay Pines VA Healthcare System to participate in SMART's Warriors in Transition program.

PTSD, a condition that affects those who have experienced trauma by making them feel like they're still in danger, affects between 11-30% of veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' website.

SMART, an organization that offers horseback riding and animal care-taking lessons to individuals with disabilities, has offered the program since 2012. To date it has held 15 sessions for groups of 10 or more veterans.

Last week's participants watched the horses strut around the arena. The participants also toured the main barn, where a few horses ate and relaxed in their stalls. 

The veterans sketched and colors pictures of the horses, and Terry Murray, who created the program and conducts it, asked participants to describe each of the horses they saw. Each horse was represented with a symbol, rather than its name.

Murray told the participants horses' names after they described each animal.

"What did you think of the horse identified with the diamond?" Murray asked. "What do you think he's like?"

Barn Manager Sam Toomey divulged the horse's background to the veterans who felt they already knew the horses.

"You're right," Toomey said to the group. "Monti can be anxious to leave his stall. He was a circus horse, so he's very smart and confident. He also gets an itch to run around sometimes, but also because of his skin allergy."

The program is designed to gently and subtly help veterans incorporate back in to civilian life, by teaching them compassion, leadership and nonverbal ways of communication with gentle, but confident creatures, Murray explained.

Dogs might be known as "man's best friend," but horses relate to people on a different level, she said.

"Dogs are too dependent on humans for a relationship," Murray said. "Horses don't depend on human interaction. They feel an emotion, take appropriate action on that feeling and then return to grazing. Horses are also constantly aware of their surroundings, as are veterans."

SMART launched the program in 2012, years after trying to start up the Horses for Heroes program.

The program never really gained traction, Interim Executive Director Gail Clifton said.

"Vets are underserved and underappreciated in our country," Clifton said. "We wanted to provide a program to support them and their families."

Ogren agrees the program helps veterans get reintroduced back in to society.

"This program is a gentle way to help bring them back to reality," Ogren said. "After all they've done it's the least we can do."

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].