Horses on the farm at WVU Potomac State College
Pets can provide emotional support for their humans, offering unconditional love that can mean the difference between chaos and calm for some. It's no wonder these furry companions are leashed or tucked into purses to accompany everyday activities from shopping to dining to travel.
But what happens when the emotional support animal is a bit larger? Let’s say, for example, a full-grown horse. It’s not highly likely that animal can fit on a plane or in the back of a minivan. No one ties their mare to a hitch outside Applebee’s.
Since horses cannot come with us, we must go to them. And this is where equine therapy comes in.
Equine-assisted therapy involves guided, hands-on interactions with horses—such as grooming, leading, and riding—to improve physical, emotional, and mental health. The therapy is used for conditions such as PTSD, autism, and anxiety. According to the National Institute of Health, this therapy “leverages the empathetic nature of horses to build trust, communication, and emotional regulation.”
“Horses are highly sensitive creatures that provide immediate, non-judgmental feedback by reacting to a person’s body language and emotional state,” the NIH website offers. “This ‘mirroring’ allows clients to recognize and manage their own emotions in a safe, controlled environment, often fostering quicker breakthroughs than traditional therapy.”
WVU Potomac State College will offer Equine Therapy beginning this Wednesday, April 8, from 4-6 p.m. The program will continue every Wednesday at 4 p.m. during the month of April. Participants are asked to meet at the soccer field and walk up to the horse facility.
Equine Facility Supervisor and Gustafson farm manager, Natasha Henry, will be on hand to assist with the therapy and introduce participants to the horses that currently call the campus home. All are welcome to pet, hug, give treats, and brush the horses.
Potomac State College Equine Facility Supervisor Natasha Henry
Henry is – for all intents and purposes -a genuine cowgirl. She is as authentic as that title allows. Part Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, and Beth Dutton. With flowing blonde hair, she wears spurs on her boots, and she is not afraid to get her jeans covered in mud, hay, or other – shall we say – debris. She wears a sweatshirt with “May the horse be with you” embroidered on the sleeve.
When Henry opens the gate and positions herself on the other side of the fence, the horses here are very much aware of her presence. Most of them seemingly come out of nowhere to greet her and to be introduced to any curious interlopers in Henry’s company whom they have never met.
“They are all very good with people and very social for the most part,” Henry said, treating each of the animals that bid her a greeting with a chewable reward - a pink candy lozenge. “They all have different personalities for sure. Each one is unique. Not one of them is alike. And that keeps things interesting.”
This is a world in which Henry is most comfortable, most natural, and suited. It’s evident this is not just a job. For her, this is a calling. She started her career at Potomac State College in 2015, as an agricultural student. She studied here, got her degree here, spent a brief time continuing her education in Kentucky, and then returned to accept a full-time job at the Gustafson Farm.
Potomac State added horses to the College in 2003, after a gift from the Bob Evans Corporation of Rio Grande, Ohio. Yes, the actual Bob Evans Farm that founded the restaurant chain donated 23 quarter horses. The donation was intended for West Virginia University in Morgantown, but WVU did not need horses. What they wanted was dairy cows, and so Potomac State College exchanged its dairy herd for the horses.
At that time, the donation consisted of 15 mares, two stallions, and three geldings, along with an additional $75 thousand to assist in the care of the animals. Of those 23 horses, one original mare remains. Her name is Hailey, and she turns 25 in May.
“And she remains healthy as a …,” starts Henry. “Well, you know. A horse protected and cared for on a farm can easily live into its twenties. I have a friend who had a horse that lived to be 40.”
Farm manager Natasha Henry and assistant, student farm worker Raequel Barnes
Most of the horses on the farm are owned by the College, although a few are owned by students.
“If a student owns a horse and wants to bring their horse to the farm, we can board and care for it,” Henry said.
Still, other mares are here by special arrangement. A horse named Hallie, for instance, is at Gustafson on what is called an educational lease. She is used for instruction and for breeding, with the agreement that any foul she produces gets to remain on the farm.
Another mare, Loretta, is very much expecting.
“We are on foal watch right now,” Henry said. “The gestation period for a mare is 11 months, although some have been known to go for a whole year. Loretta is due to have hers any day now.”
Loretta is due any day now
Interestingly, just one week after giving birth, a mare is “eligible” to be inseminated again.
“After giving birth to a foal, a mare goes into heat for about a week, and she can become pregnant then,” Henry said.
The mares here are artificially inseminated. Loretta’s insemination was donated by a breeder who coordinated the effort with Potomac State so that his stud horse would have offspring. There are two male horses at the farm, although one (nicknamed “Baby Rolex”) is a gelding and the other seems more interested in recreation than procreation.
“That’s Hank,” Henry said. “He is also the one with the biggest attitude. But he is probably the best quality quarter horse the College owns. And I am sure he knows this.”
In fact, Henry said the Agricultural Department is accepting applications for studs. Two mares on the farm are due to be inseminated this year, and sires for the 2027 births are currently being considered.
In addition to the males here, there are nine females. Ideally, each mare (or female horse) will give birth to a foal at least once.
When a mare is suspected of being with child, she is treated just like a human during the duration of her pregnancy. There are regular “doctor” visits and even ultrasounds to monitor the condition of the foal during development.
And oh, yes, there is a pecking order here as well. Each horse not only knows its place with the staff and students, but it also falls into a natural rhythm with the other horses.
“Of course, Hank has an attitude, but Reba can get feisty sometimes too,” Henry said. “They do let you know who they do and don’t like, and then sometimes we have to separate them.”
From the artificial insemination process to birth to even assisting or observing the gelding of a male, agricultural students are part of every process of running a horse stable. Students here muck the stalls, collect hay for horses, manage and organize the tack shop, feed and exercise the horses, and occasionally assist with public events.
“We get the students out here as much as possible,” Henry said. “They do most of the work. Taking care of horses can involve a lot of time and care.”
The horses at Potomac State College help move the beef herd
But the work pays off when it's time to move the herd. For example, recently, students assisted in herding the cows into another pasture for grazing at the College’s Malone Farm, a property where the beef cattle are located.
The horse property at Gustafson, meanwhile, also includes a large barn and riding arena. It is inside this pavilion that the horses spend their first few hours. There is an area affectionately known as the “Mare Motel” that is essentially a large birthing room – with ample space for the mare to bring new life into the world and then recuperate as the new foal learns its first steps without leaving its mother’s side.
The barn has all the comforts of home for a horse. Each one has its own individual stable cubicle. Although most horses prefer the great outdoors in times of inclement weather, each one is corralled inside for its own safety and protection. Inside, each horse has its own dedicated blanket, and music can even be piped into the facility to soothe them.
“Country music, of course,” Henry laughed. “Well, mostly.”
What Henry would like to see soon is more community involvement. She envisions a time when the indoor horse arena once again hosts riding classes and public exhibits where the horses on the property can be highlighted.
“When I was a student working on the farm, we used to have all sorts of exhibits and outreach programs. I would like to see us do that again. We had shows, guest speakers, and livestock judging. We had an event called the Catamount Showdown.”
And yes, Natasha Henry has her own horse, of course –a nine-year-old mare named Allie.
But could Potomac State’s own horse whisperer ever see herself doing anything else?
“I don’t know what I would be doing if I weren’t doing this job,” she said. “But I am sure it would be something with horses.”
Interested in Equine Therapy?
According to the Veterans Administration, which started using equine therapy a decade ago, the benefits of participating include:
· Mental Health: Builds self-confidence, improves communication, fosters empathy, reduces stress, and increases emotional regulation.
· Physical Health: Enhances balance, coordination, strength, and mobility, particularly in children and those with neurological conditions.
· Emotional Growth: Helps individuals face fears, practice vulnerability, and develop non-verbal communication skills.
The Equine Therapy program is being offered in cooperation with the Mental Health and Counseling Services Center. The center offers individual and group therapy as well as across-campus programs, activities, and initiatives that seek to promote mental health awareness and destigmatize mental illness. WVU Potomac State College also has trained counselors available 24 hours a day if things feel urgent. Those counselors can be reached by texting WVU to 741741 or by calling 304-788-6977. Michelle House, behavioral health therapist, MSW, can be reached directly at mahouse@mail.wvu.edu or by calling 304-788-6976.