Healing with Horses at Peace Ranch in Traverse City

Nestled at the quiet base of Hoosier Valley in Blair Township is the sundrenched paradise of Peace Ranch. Founded in 2010, the Traverse City nonprofit offers hands-on therapy services to clients, who work with horses to build emotional skills and process trauma. Its newest resident, a mustang mare named Wiingash, is opening the doors to a new approach to healing: gentling wild horses.

Wiingash means “sweetgrass” in Anishinaabemowin and represents the culture’s sacred medicine. She was named by Ojibwe cultural expert and Little River Band member Kenny Pheasant “[because] he felt her healing power was strong,” says Clinical Director Jan Stump. “She’s really something special.”

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Clare County Horse is Second Case of West Nile Virus in Michigan

West Nile virus has been detected in a horse from Clare County, the second case of the virus in a domestic animal this year in the state. State Veterinarian Nora Wineland said the five-year-old Standardbred mare tested positive for the virus on September 18. The horse was unvaccinated against the disease. Click here for the rest of the story.