Welcome Home - A Podcast for Veterans, About Veterans, By Veterans

Rescued Horses, Rescued Heroes: A Transformative Connection

• Larry Zilliox • Season 3 • Episode 108

Share episode

A profound connection exists between traumatized warriors and rescued horses. Both have experienced hardship, both carry invisible scars, and both possess remarkable resilience. This powerful relationship forms the foundation of the life-changing work happening at Lifeline Horse Rescue in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Executive Director Leila Hertzberg brings her expertise as an EGALA-certified equine specialist with military designation to create transformative experiences for veterans battling PTS, moral injury, and trauma. Through their LETS (Lifeline Equine Therapy Services) program, service members experience ground-based interactions with horses that create unique pathways to healing that traditional therapy often can't reach.

What makes this approach particularly effective is how it sidesteps direct confrontation of trauma. Veterans observe horses interacting in the pasture, projecting their own experiences onto what they witness. A horse standing alone might trigger recognition of personal isolation; fences become metaphors for boundaries. As Hertzberg explains, "We don't ask them what they feel... we say, 'What's going on out there?' So it's not pressure on them." Through these metaphorical conversations, warriors begin articulating their experiences in ways that feel safe.

The horses themselves come from challenging backgrounds - ex-racehorses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars before injury made them "worthless" to owners, former Amish working horses with broken bodies from years of hard labor. These animals intuitively connect with veterans, often singling out the warrior in a family group, sensing a kindred spirit who understands trauma and loss.

Lifeline offers these services free to veterans, active duty personnel, and their families, partnering with Walter Reed, Fort Belvoir's Soldier Recovery Unit, and other military organizations. Despite facing funding challenges, its mission remains clear: "No suicide—that's the bottom line."

Want to support this vital work? Visit lifelinehorserescue.org to donate or volunteer. If you're struggling with combat-related trauma, reach out today – healing connections await between you and a horse who understands without judgment.

Larry Zilliox:

Good morning. I'm your host, larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run, and this week our guest is Leila Hertzberg. She's the Executive Director of an organization in Gaithersburg called Lifeline Horse Rescue and I wanted to ask her to come on because they have a program over there that helps veterans and active duty soldiers with PTS. It's just a wonderful program and they've partnered now with a soldier recovery unit at Fort Belvoir, which all of our listeners know. We are very close to Captain Wooten and the whole team at the soldier recovery unit there. In fact, we're looking forward to the care coordinators from there and Walter Reed coming out for a barbecue lunch next month. So, Leila, welcome to the podcast.

Leila Hertzberg:

Thank you so much, Larry. I'm really honored to be here, really looking forward to our conversation.

Larry Zilliox:

I'm looking over your biography and it says you're an Igala-certified equine specialist with military designation. I've never heard of that. What is it?

Leila Hertzberg:

EGALA model of equine-assisted services right, equine-assisted psychotherapy and you will find. If you Google it, you'll find many EGALA organizations around the US and globally. So what does the military designation mean? So recently EGALA started working more with the military veteran population because of the prevalence of PTSD and veteran suicide. Military designation shows that the individuals and program are both military competent right. So we've had experience and training so that we understand.

Larry Zilliox:

So this is a program developed by an organization, and then people who work with horses and therapy can take this we'll call it a course and then be certified in this and offer it to their clients around the country, and then, in addition to that certification, then it sounds as though there's there's a extra training that you get to get that military designation. Is that, am I saying that right?

Leila Hertzberg:

yes, that is yes, that's correct, larry. So it's not just anyone can sign up to become what they call an ES or MH, an equine specialist or a mental health specialist. The equine specialist needs to already have a lot of experience, because we would not want to have that person who is responsible for the safety emotional and physical safety of the team and the client, to have just taken a little course on equine assisted therapy and then set them loose. They have to really understand horses, horse behavior, right.

Larry Zilliox:

So there's a minimum amount of knowledge that's required to just even to enroll in the course, which is good To me as an outsider, that sounds as though they're very interested in providing this service and not so much charging and finding a way to make money offering this. I really I think that's great. I think more things should be offered like that and just not oh, you showed up and you took a test, now you're good, yeah. And especially when you're working around horses, they are very big and very heavy animals and you really do need to know what you're doing. I went out years ago to Project Horse and they put me on the biggest horse that they had, and this horse was huge. It had to have been like almost 20 feet tall. It was the biggest horse I'd ever seen. Anyway, I didn't stay on it very long because I was really afraid that it would start walking away and that would be the last you see of me. But talk a little bit about now.

Larry Zilliox:

You've been involved in this career field for many years. How did you get interested in this?

Leila Hertzberg:

Okay, good question. So I have always been one of those horse crazy girls. For as long as I can remember, and even before I started my nonprofit Lifeline Horse Rescue about seven years ago, I was always the one people would send a horse to Like Lila, could you please take this horse? I just can't do anything with it anymore. I'm having a problem getting divorced. Whatever the problem was right. I finally started the nonprofit, which enabled me to help more horses and in the process we wanted to serve the community horses and in the process we wanted to serve the community. So I've always been very drawn to veterans, service members and first responders.

Leila Hertzberg:

And I saw a documentary from Platoon 22, which is a great local nonprofit, by the way, in Maryland, who we partner with, and it was a documentary about veteran suicide and I immediately knew that my mission for that helping and giving back to the community would be to partner these rescued horses with those warriors and family members in need.

Larry Zilliox:

So that's how I got started with that, and so let's talk a little bit about the horses. So it sounds like you've been in the rescue horse business for quite some time, that it wasn't until about seven years ago that that whole activity was formalized into a nonprofit, which is a good thing to do, because then you can get donations and you don't have to foot the bill entirely. But when you say a rescued horse, are they, are they. They're not necessarily like all abused. They just could be some where somebody just has to give up the horse because of life circumstances. But how would you characterize the majority of your animals? Are they had a hard life or abuse, or what would you say?

Leila Hertzberg:

So that's a good question. They come from all kinds of situations, okay? So we very commonly get ex-racehorses. So, for instance, we've had horses that were very good racehorses one quarter of a million dollars but they were injured and they just couldn't do it anymore. Right? So people don't want it anymore. It's very expensive to maintain a horse. So we get requests to take that horse, right? So we have to rehab it, we have to let it rest, we have to retrain it. Most people don't really want or can even manage a horse that has been taught to run as fast as it can.

Leila Hertzberg:

So we need to work with that to bring that horse down to a job that it can do.

Larry Zilliox:

Is that something that they do when you get them? Do they run around crazy all the time? Well, I mean, from point A to point B, if the horse and the horses said I want to go across the pasture there, most horses just kind of walk on over Do they naturally run on to the other side?

Leila Hertzberg:

So when they first start getting turned out, yes, they run around like little crazies and they've got the zoomies and we have to watch that they don't hurt themselves or the other horses. Yeah, they don't tend to be aggressive, except in the very beginning because a lot of times or the other horses Amish horses, so ex-Amish horses, who can be very beat up, abused, bad eyes, big old knee broken down, big saggy ankles and have a lot of problems. And what we do with those horses is first just let them be a horse right. So personality starts to come out. They're very stoic at first and finally they get to the place where they can shake their head and maybe roll in the pasture and oh my God, take a treat from your hand because they have not had that experience before and they become wonderful companions. If they're sound enough they could have some light riding, but they're wonderful. Therapy horses, wow.

Larry Zilliox:

How many horses do you have at the facility?

Leila Hertzberg:

So right. So we tend to have around 15. They're not all part of the rescue, but every horse. So either my horses one or two boarders or they're owned by Lifeline. Lifeline has limited funds. We have to turn away some owner requests, which is very sad. We hate to do that but we're on a very small property. But every horse on the property is used in some capacity in the therapy program, regardless of its personality, right?

Larry Zilliox:

And tell us a little bit about the therapy program itself how it worked. I know from my own experience of when Project Horse was around. We took all the guest state coordinators up there and kind of ran them through the paces so they understood what the warriors were going through. When it comes to abused horses, there was a direct correlation between their post-traumatic stress and the warrior's post-traumatic stress and almost very relatable, between the animal and the warrior.

Larry Zilliox:

And we know and I'm sure a lot of our listeners know that horses are very intuitive animals and they can pick up. In fact we've seen warriors go out with their family and I've seen horses single out the warrior from the rest of the family. They knew which one was the warrior and was akin to them in that they had issues with PTS, maybe TBI, but the horse could very quickly pick them out and relate to them, and the warrior as well. Once the warrior recognized that the horse was coming up to them, they bonded very quickly. I was really, really impressed with the horse's ability to recognize what was going on, and so I think these programs are amazing. What does your program look like there at Lifeline Horse Rescue?

Leila Hertzberg:

Thanks for asking, larry. So at Lifeline our program is called LETS it's Lifeline Equine Therapy Services and we offer subsidized therapy, psychotherapy, life coaching, trauma-informed yoga and a little bit of therapeutic recreational riding. So the EGAL model is all ground-based. It's not about riding horses. The interaction is all on the ground, usually with a loose horse or horses. And to start, people call, we do a little screening to see what's going on, what they need, how we can help them, and we usually suggest they start with at least 12 weeks and again they're not paying for this for veteran service members and their immediate family weeks and again they're not paying for this, and for veteran service members and their immediate family members. And so they'll come out and fill out some forms and we'll sit down. We'll do a little intro talk horse safety.

Leila Hertzberg:

A lot of people have never been up close and personal with horses. Some have used horses back in the day, at the farm or in a military way. So it's a real mixed bag, right. So to start out, we'll go into space with the horses. We have a team, we have the therapist, the equine specialist, the client and horse or horses. So we'll go out into the space and we start with really an observe what is going on. Because this is an experiential therapy, it's an alternative therapy. It is not like sitting in an office talking with a therapist about your life story.

Leila Hertzberg:

Doesn't work like that right and that's one of the beauties, because we're out in nature. There might be a hawk going overhead. The barn cats come over, the horses are are either grazing or walking or interacting with each other. They're, they're moving. So it's a real life, a real life situation happening. The wind might be blowing, so it's more than one horse then.

Larry Zilliox:

So then do you have some sort of herd dynamic at play as well?

Leila Hertzberg:

Yes, that's very important. So, really, what is the goal is for the veteran not only just to relate to a particular horse, which very often happens, but we tend to not tell them the story of the horse unless it's relevant. We don't even tell them the name, the gender, because it's more about what the veteran or service member needs to get and tell their story and see their story. So they need to see the interactions, the relationships between the horses. So if we have somebody, for instance, who's struggling with loneliness, they might look in the pasture and we say what do you see out there? Oh well, I see two, two, two. They all have somebody. Huh, unlike me, I have nobody Right, and so they might we. So we're looking at and we don't ask them what do you feel, what do you, et cetera. Right, we say what's going on out there? So it's not a pressure on them.

Leila Hertzberg:

So what happens is they use metaphors, what the horses are doing and interacting with each other or the environment to figure out what's going on in their head. So very common props would be gates, fences, right for boundaries, horse manure, a big fat pile on the ground right. Well, that sums up my life, right there, right, or different obstacles in the arena, or mounting blocks or things that they see, and then that's how they're able to start tell their story. Well, we don't create it for them, it has to come from them.

Larry Zilliox:

Wow, yeah. And is this a group therapy or is this one-on-one, or can it be both?

Leila Hertzberg:

So we offer both. We have individual couples, family and groups. So we tend to have monthly themed groups and we also have groups that come from organizations. For instance, we see Walter Reed recreational therapy groups about once a month when the weather's nice. We have SRU from Fort Belvoir comes. We have a group from Fort Detrick coming, sos, our survivors group. So we have a lot of different groups. We're also holding a Maryland National Guard child and youth program. This summer we're going to have a week-long camp that we're offering at no cost to the National Guard youth.

Larry Zilliox:

Wow.

Leila Hertzberg:

And we're going to very sneakily teach them resilience and build their confidence and teamwork right, working together by using the horses and some other activities at the farm.

Larry Zilliox:

Well, I'm glad you mentioned it was no cost and, to be clear, I want our listeners to understand that no cost means to the veteran, the service member or a family member. It doesn't mean that these things don't cost Lifeline Horse Rescue a lot of money. So the webpage is lifelinehorserescueorg. I want all our listeners to go to the webpage, take a look, look at all the different programs and services they offer. Now, this is not specifically a veteran service organization, so you're not going to find that donate button up in the right-hand corner like you do with all other VSOs, but it's there. There's a row of buttons. It's in the top row, it's the third one over. I want everybody to bang on it and make a donation, whatever you can a dollar, $5, $100, $1,000. This is an organization that needs your help, and every dollar goes towards helping their clients.

Larry Zilliox:

Now, I'm sure that you do work with other people than just veterans. You know, I think, everybody. There are a lot of people in the community that can benefit from this kind of therapy, for sure, and so please go to the web page, lifelinehorserescueorg, check it out. And if you're a veteran who's in Maryland they're located in Gaithersburg and you're struggling with post-traumatic stress, tbi anger issues, tbi anger issues, loneliness. Check out this program. I guarantee you that it will either help you or it won't, but it won't hurt you. So there's no reason you can't sign up for this program or at least give them a call, talk to them about it, tell them what your situation is, and I guarantee you they're going to go. Eh, we've we've had plenty of veterans like you in here and you're not all that special. To be honest with you, there's a lot of guys and gals out there that have the same issues you do and they are reaching out to organizations just like Lifeline Horse Rescue, and they're getting the help that they need, and there's no reason why you can't get that help as well.

Larry Zilliox:

And while you're on the webpage, look for that Donate button. It's on the top row, number three from the left. Hit that button and make a donation. Donate whatever you can. There's no amount is is not needed. Let me tell you when does your funding come from? Is it mostly donations or do you have any grants that are coming in? How much does the community support you?

Leila Hertzberg:

Well, that's a good question, Larry. So we've been. We do have. We have some support from a few donors. For instance, one racehorse breeder who's a very kind person, who gives us a small donation every year. We have a private individual who is military connected, who is very kind and wants to help the horses and the military. It costs a lot of money to support these horses. We have vet bills sometimes and so. So basically, a lot of the work is done on a volunteer basis, but I have to pay my staff of therapists and equine specialists, right.

Leila Hertzberg:

So we have reached out to a lot of grant opportunities and we've had some state funding. We have had some federal opportunity, which have been slashed this year. So we're definitely in a tight spot, unfortunately, but we're not going to give up. We are going to provide service. We're just going to whatever it takes, hell or high water, we're going to make sure we continue because we know that what we do works and our mission is no suicide, right? That's the bottom line. So, whether the person has moral injury, pts, substance use, disorder because of all those things, military sexual trauma, whatever it is, we're going to help them. Yes, we could absolutely use donations. We probably don't go out there and say that enough.

Larry Zilliox:

I'll say it for you LifelineRescueorg, hit that donate button. You know, one thing you just mentioned that really hit me was your vet bills. So those of our listeners who have dogs or cats and take your dog or your cat to the vet, think about the bill that you get from your dog and cat Now. Multiply that by the size of a horse and think of how much money they need just to stay operational. And they take extremely good care of these animals. These are abused animals. They need a lot of care and they're providing them with a quality of life that many of these animals had not seen before. And so that takes money, it takes volunteers, it takes time. Let's talk about volunteers. A nonprofit needs volunteers. They're the lifeblood. I know how it is here. We have a small staff, but everything else is done by volunteers. If we didn't have volunteers, we wouldn't be in business. So how can people volunteer and help Lifeline Rescue?

Leila Hertzberg:

Thank you for asking, larry. We are fortunate. We have a number of volunteers. By the way, many happen to be veterans, so whether they were formerly enlisted or they're officers, it doesn't matter. Everyone is kind of the same at the farm and everyone who comes is willing to roll up their sleeves and sling manure, help feed horses, carry hay, unload feed. Some have more physical limitations due to injuries, sure, so they might help at an outreach event or they might locate a funding opportunity. They might help run our. In fact, we have an open house coming up Saturday, may 17th.

Leila Hertzberg:

So, they might help One for the kids' tables and activities, something like that. We can always use volunteers. Yes, absolutely. We couldn't do it without them. Yeah, so true, yeah.

Larry Zilliox:

And how do volunteers reach out to you?

Leila Hertzberg:

We have a contact form on the website.

Larry Zilliox:

Okay.

Leila Hertzberg:

So that would be the best way and I would be the one answering, because I wear a lot of hats. We only have so much help, so at the moment I'm juggling those hats like crazy and we're really scrambling with the funding crisis going on right now. But, like I said, we're going to find a way to make it happen. But if anyone out there is a grant writer, or has connections, please let us know.

Leila Hertzberg:

We're trying to get onto a larger farm one of these days and in the meantime, we're just trying to keep our heads above water and keep offering services for our veterans, service members and their families. It's very sad, but we have children and spouses who also are suffering from suicidal ideation and we need to serve them as well. We need to serve the caregivers. Caregivers are often overlooked and they're very important. So, for instance, we have a chaplain group coming out. We're going to serve them. So we have to look out for the whole community. You want to help a veteran, then you need to help the people around that veteran. It's very important.

Larry Zilliox:

The families serve too. They do, and it sounds like what you need is a volunteer to be a volunteer coordinator. That'd be amazing. So there's plenty of roles for volunteers there, and I want to specify, too, that it's not all about carrying big hay bales. There's people need to correspond, answer phones, do thank you cards, make calls, find grants.

Larry Zilliox:

If you're going to donate and I hope everyone does think about if your company matches donations let them know who you're donating to. If you know of a grant situation where your company is looking for something to fund especially if you're employed in Maryland and you're a Maryland company tell them to think about Lifeline Horse Rescue, because this is such a vital service, and there are 47,000 veteran service organizations in this country and many of them are doing incredible work. I would categorize your organization as one of those, because what you do saves lives there's just absolutely no doubt about it and as a byproduct, you're also saving lives of horses, which you know next to monkeys. Everybody loves horses, monkeys, everybody loves horses, so I really think this is such a great organization. Again, the webpage is lifelinehorserescueorg.

Larry Zilliox:

Check it out, recommend it, send that link to others, to people that you know. You got a cousin who lives in Maryland and just got out of the service, maybe having some issues, send them that link and say, hey, check this out. Or you've got some relatives who live in Maryland near Gaithersburg and they've got high school kids and they've got to do mandatory volunteer service. There's a place that they can do it. All they got to do is bring the letter and they'll sign off on it. And you know, there's so many different ways that you can help, and so I don't want that to be overlooked. But let me ask you this, as we sort of wrap this up what's the one thing you want our listeners to know, the most important thing you want them to know about Lifeline Horse Rescue?

Leila Hertzberg:

Thank you, larry. The most important thing I want our listeners to know is that if you're hurting, please reach out for help. Please don't stay isolated. Don't think you're the only one suffering from moral injury or maybe you don't even know what moral injury is, but you can get help. You can get better. If you're in our area, we would love to help you. Just give us a call. It couldn't be easier. We're there for you. We are a solid community and a very quiet farm. We can help you. And don't be afraid to ask for help. It's never too late. You've got substance use things going on. Reach out for help. We want to help you. There are people in this world who need you. There is a purpose out there for you. So God bless, please, please, don't realize that. Don't think that there's no hope. There is hope, and thank you.

Larry Zilliox:

Well, thank you so much for joining us. This has been just a great, great episode. I really appreciate it. Thank you, larry. I really appreciate the opportunity. So, for our listeners, we'll have another episode next Monday morning at 0500. For those of you who'd like to get up bright and early and listen to podcasts, you can find us on most podcast platforms, also on YouTube and on Wreaths Across America Radio. Thanks for listening.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Larry Zilliox

Host