Horses Help Southwest Iowa lays out equine-therapy services and funding needs

Kory Nelson, director of Horses Help Southwest Iowa, told the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors about the nonprofit’s equine-assisted services, facility and funding model.

Nelson said the organization operates on about 20 acres in Pottawattamie County, maintains indoor and outdoor arenas and ramps built in partnership with Iowa Western Community College, and fields a herd of roughly a dozen horses. He described a range of programming — adaptive riding, equine-assisted learning, EAGALA-format mental health sessions and cart-driving options for clients unable to ride.

“We are a 501c3 organization,” Nelson said, and added that a typical adaptive-ride session is valued at $150 but the nonprofit charges $50 to keep services affordable and relies on donations and partnerships to make up the difference. Nelson described volunteers, college partnerships and occasional off-site visits to nursing homes and Ronald McDonald House as part of community outreach.

Nelson outlined clinical and educational benefits cited for equine-assisted services — improved balance, coordination, muscular response and therapeutic support for conditions ranging from Down syndrome to PTSD and dementia — and explained staff credentials, including training through Spirit Horse International and use of licensed mental-health practitioners for EAGALA programming.

Board members thanked Nelson for the presentation; no board action was requested or taken. Nelson invited the public to follow the nonprofit’s Facebook page for updates and volunteer opportunities.