Chester County nonprofit aims to use horses to help heal people from trauma

MALVERN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A Chester County nonprofit is using horses to help people heal from trauma.

The Malvern organization, called 'Gateway HorseWorks,' was founded by Kristen de Marco in 2015.

"All they need to do is be themselves," said de Marco of the herd of horses.

Like the patients they help, their horses come from different backgrounds.

Some are retired racehorses, while others were rescued.

All are now playing a role in rescuing someone else.

"No one is disposable, and everybody has a purpose," said de Marco.

The process pairs a licensed mental health practitioner and equine specialist to offer equine-assisted psychotherapy.

It's an emerging form of therapy de Marco says she always knew was possible.

"My life kind of fell apart when I was going through a divorce. I heard about horses working in mental health and I was fascinated. They were doing what I always knew horses could do -- really help us become better people," she said.

The therapy uses both the interaction with horses and the open environment of the farm to address trauma.

It is especially effective for people who may have trouble with traditional talk therapy.

The organization has helped everyone from crime victims, human trafficking survivors, and even school-aged kids.

"The horses become metaphors or symbols in the client's story," added de Marco. "This is really helpful, specifically for people who have experienced trauma."

The exercise could be as simple as finding the courage to pet the horse or get it to drink water.

"We work on the ground. There's no riding. You don't have to ever have experienced working with horses to do this work," she said.

Still, the impact of the interaction could be a profound step toward healing.

"At heart, I'm still the 8-year-old girl who fell in love with horses and I had the privilege of access to them," said de Marco.