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.”

Click here for the rest of the story.

Peace Ranch Introduces a New Mustang into Traverse City Rescue Farm

photo credit: Peace Ranch

Peace Ranch, the Traverse City-based nonprofit that supports people healing from trauma and addiction through experiential equine therapy, recently received a donation of land – and a special, new resident horse.

The five acre gift given to Peace Ranch by Paul Biederman will be developed for a new program called Rustic Retreat. It will offer short term, intensive therapy services prioritizing military veterans and families in crisis, and is projected to launch spring 2024. Veterans will work with trainers to gentle untamed horses – the process by which the animals learn to trust humans and adapt to life on family farms. Through working with the horses, veterans coping with trauma find connection, purpose, and calm.

For the rest of the story, click here.

There’s a New Mustang at Peace Ranch

Peace Ranch, the Traverse City-based nonprofit that supports people healing from trauma and addiction through experiential equine therapy, recently received a donation of land – and a special, new resident horse.

The five acre gift given to Peace Ranch by Paul Biederman will be developed for a new program called Rustic Retreat. It will offer short term, intensive therapy services prioritizing military veterans and families in crisis, and is projected to launch spring 2024. Veterans will work with trainers to gentle untamed horses – the process by which the animals learn to trust humans and adapt to life on family farms. Through working with the horses, veterans coping with trauma find connection, purpose, and calm.

Though Peace Ranch has helped veterans for several years, Rustic Retreat will house a new type of horse for the organization: wild mustangs.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Animal Charities to Participate in SwingShift and the Stars in Fall 2017

photo credit: Erik Nygren, http://www.lovemeow.com

The Charlevoix Area Humane Society and Peace Ranch will be charity participants for this year’s SwingShift and the Stars event held at the City Opera House in Traverse City. WQON’s Jerry Coyne will team up with Dance Instructor Julie Wojcik on October 20th for the 2nd competition out of four dates for the Charlevoix Area Humane Society. WTCM’s Colleen Wares will dance with Instructor Mel Kiogima, representing Peace Ranch, on November 17th for the 3rd competition. Both events start with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and audience dance lessons at 6:45 p.m. The show starts at 7:15 p.m. and there is a cash bar.

Peace Ranch provides Professional Equine Assisted Counseling and Education (PEACE) services for all in need regardless of ability to pay.

The Charlevoix Area Humane Society’s mission is to practice and promote the principle that every life is precious. As such, they are committed to the highest principles of humane care and professional treatment of injured, ill, neglected or abused animals at their animal Shelter in Boyne City.

Traverse City Offers Many Classes for Horse Lovers this Spring & Summer

Peace Ranch and NMC’s College for Kids is offering classes in May, June and July for both adults and kids who want to learn more about horses.

Below are some classes that are being offered…

Beginning May 22, 2017
Beyond Basics
Taught by Melissa Edingfield
Who: Anyone 16 or over
What: Must have completed Basics class or equivilant
When : Monday night for 5 weeks
Where: PEACE Ranch
2570 Hoosier Valley Rd., Traverse City
Beyond Basics is a novice class which will help students go to the next level in learning about equine communication and herd dynamics. This class will build and expand on Basics to improve their grasp on the art of conversation with horses using their language with a focus on improving listerning and communication skills. Register Here Cost: $230

Peace Ranch to Offer “Landing Zone” for Veterans

It’s an essential part of the Christmas wish — peace on earth. But for some veterans, that can be hard to find, even during the holidays. Jack O’Malley introduces us to two Vietnam veterans creating a haven so those who served can heal in this week’s Jack’s Journal. Our story is about a cabin but begins with Vietnam vets coming to a place called PEACE Ranch to find healing.

 “It’s the type of therapy that is really helpful with people who’ve had traumatic experiences that they really can’t talk about,” says Jackie Kashell.

The term is moral injury, things done in war that the soul has to reconcile with when back in civilian life.  A group of Vietnam vets came to Peace Ranch to work it through. One day they took a walk around the grounds, looking for a place to start on a project.

“We walked around the property and they chose this place, and they were talking together and they formulated a plan for a place for veterans to come and just be at peace,” explains Jackie.

“We had several ideas and we finally decided to build a cabin that can be passed on to the future, other veterans that might need it,” says veteran Larry Lelito. Click here for more on the story.

PEACE Ranch Raising Money to Continue Horse Therapy

Healing with horses – that’s how one Northern Michigan group is helping victims of trauma, abuse and neglect. PEACE Ranch stands for Professional Equine Assisted Counseling and Education. The Grand Traverse County nonprofit group provides experiential learning and counseling for the community using 18 rescued horses. 9&10’s Caroline Powers and photojournalist Jeremy Erickson explain how they help people heal, and how they’re raising money to keep doing it.

“It’s one of those services that’s not traditional and not everybody knows about it, but it’s so beneficial for the population that we serve.”

Many think of therapy as a conversation in an office, but Jackie Kaschel and her 18 rescue horses here at PEACE Ranch offer counseling and education in a different way.

“Experiential therapy is for people who have issues to deal with that there aren’t really words to describe how it’s impacted them,” says Jackie Kaschel, executive director of PEACE Ranch. “This helps them to work through that trauma and get to that place where they have more hope and have more healing.” Click here for more on the story.

Peace Ranch Loses Horse to West Nile Virus Contracted Downstate, Leaving Behind a Legacy of Love, Life Lessons and Recovery

Midnight, a Friesian horse, came to PEACE Ranch as a five-year-old in September 2011 and was quickly dubbed “Knight” for his courageous and valiant spirit. Peace Ranch was the perfect place for Knight. Peace Ranch is a faith based equine assisted therapy center founded on the belief that there is great potential for healing in the parallel process of Rescue, Rehabilitation and Restoration between horses and humans. They rescue horses and they rescue people.

Before coming to Peace Ranch, Knight’s elderly owners deteriorating health prevented them from properly caring for Knight and their neighbors took over his care. Knight had been stalled for several months and had serious health issues including being low in weight and having no muscle tone. His tendons were unable to stretch correctly as his body grew so his hips and hind legs were stiff and the muscle was underdeveloped. His neck developed “upside down,” that is, more muscle on the bottom than on the top. 

PEACE Ranch Receives $5k Schmuckal Gift

PEACE Ranch in Traverse City has received a $5,000 contribution from the Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation toward the purchase and installation of roll down shades for the ranch’s new outdoor covered arena. Click here to read more on the story.

PEACE Ranch Enjoying the Spotlight on Swingshift and the Stars to Fundraise for their Organization

Excited about being invited to apply to be a participating organization with this year’s Swingshift and the Stars event, PEACE Ranch went on a “field trip” to a Swingshift show in November of 2012 to see what it was all about. Jacquelyn Kaschel, the Executive Director of PEACE Ranch says, “The Board felt this would be a good match for our organization to raise community awareness and for fundraising so we applied. We were very excited to be chosen this year.”

PEACE Ranch is a faith based equine assisted therapy center founded on the belief that there is great potential for healing in the parallel process of Rescue, Rehabilitation and Restoration between horses and humans. They use rescued and unwanted horses which have been rehabilitated through natural, relationship based training for use in therapy and educational programs. People are involved in all phases of this process thereby providing a multitude of restorative opportunities for horses and humans alike. 

Swingshift and the Stars Kicks Off With Dancing and Donations for Animals

The first Swingshift and the Stars dance competition took place on Friday, September 20th with Father Fred being the big donation winner with over $25,000 raised for September. AC Paw raised $18,102 and Peace Ranch raised $2267.

Habitat for Humanity’s dancers, Dan Brady and Maria West won the dancing competition and received an award for $2250.

The next competition is on Friday, October 18th. Click here for more info. http://www.swingshiftandthestars.com/

Trusting Bonds – Horses and Soldiers

In bygone days, a soldier and his horse were an inseparable pair. Now through the new program, Equine Assisted Veterans Services (EAVS) offered at Peace Ranch, rescued horses will help bring healing to men and women traumatized in the course of their military service.

Carrie Seward, public affairs officer for the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) said, “On Aug. 2, 2013 PEACE Ranch signed a contract with the Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (VAVHA) to provide EAGALA Model equine assisted psychotherapy for VA clients in northern Michigan. The contract, spearheaded by Dr. Matthew Miller (of Aleda E. Lutz Veteran’s Medical Center in Saginaw), Jaquelyn Kaschel, PEACE Ranch executive director and Jan Stump-Tharp, MSW from the Traverse City VA Clinic, is the first of its kind nationally.”

For more on the story, click here.

Traverse City Pizza Party at Pangeas Benefits Horse Rescue Organization

Lots of Traverse City horse lovers stood out in the cold to wait for their chance to go into Pangea’s Pizza for a Peace Ranch fundraiser in December. The name of the pizza party was “Pangeas for PEACE” and 100% of the profits that night went to Peace Ranch, a faith-based equine assisted therapy center that combines the rescue, rehabilitation and restoration of both horses and humans. A whopping $5000 was raised at the party and will help with the ongoing costs incurred for the care of the Ranch, the horses and the program. The party also included a silent auction, Christmas cookies and a special guest (yes, Santa came too!)

Please click here for some more great photos by Moments Captured Photography, by Anna Grimm.

If you’d like to learn more about Peace Ranch, please visit their website here.