{"id":7700,"date":"2025-12-25T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7700"},"modified":"2025-12-25T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:30:00","slug":"mini-horse-big-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7700","title":{"rendered":"Mini horse, big mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-12-25T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Bringing comfort, joy, and healing<\/h2>\n

Equestrian therapy<\/a>, also known as equine-assisted therapy, can help individuals with PTSD by\u00a0using interactions with horses to improve emotional regulation, build trust and reduce symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.<\/p>\n

Mini Therapy Horses has been providing equine assisted therapy to Veterans at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) for over 18 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to help Veterans. My father was a Veteran, and I thought that\u2019s where I should start this program, and it\u2019s just been wonderful,\u201d said Victoria Nodiff-Netanel, founder and president of Mini Therapy Horses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A promising therapy<\/h2>\n

According to a 2021 study on Equine-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Military Veterans, more than half of the Veterans (50.8%) showed a clinically significant improvement in their PTSD symptoms, suggesting that this approach is potentially safe, feasible and clinically effective. The study also reported a low attrition rate compared to other treatments, with only 7.9% of participants discontinuing therapy.<\/p>\n

Mini Therapy Horses is a nationally recognized program that has nine miniature horses. Nodiff-Netanel and her mini horses visit hospital systems and first responders around the greater Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely lucky to have her,\u201d said Sether Hills-Johnson, certified recreation therapist at VAGLAHS. \u201cShe\u2019s just amazing. She has this energy that no matter what\u2019s going on or how things appear, she\u2019s confident. She\u2019s strong, and she\u2019s very in tune to the human spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hills-Johnson works closely with Nodiff-Netanel and her volunteer, Cheryl Perry, accompanying them throughout the hospital, where both Veterans and employees eagerly anticipate their visits.<\/p>\n

Their arrival not only brightens the day for many throughout the hospital but also reflects growing research supporting the powerful benefits of equine-assisted therapy for Veterans, especially those living with PTSD.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s truly remarkable to witness the transformation in Veterans when they interact with Victoria and her mini horses,\u201d said Hills-Johnson. \u201cVeterans are often grappling with pain, sadness and loneliness, especially if they haven\u2019t received visitors. They may also be experiencing anger and fatigue. But the moment they connect with a mini horse, their pain lessens, and their mood becomes noticeably happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never too late to apply for VA health care you\u2019ve earned. If you are a Veteran or know a Veteran who has not yet applied for their VA health care benefits, learn how to\u00a0get started<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

This article was originally published on the VA Greater Los Angeles Health care System site <\/a>\u00a0and has been edited for style and clarity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes they arrive as a mini horse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMini horse, big mission - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes they arrive as a mini horse.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mini horse, big mission - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes they arrive as a mini horse.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-25T15:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4bf835f8c5375ef33978f3169f311668\"},\"headline\":\"Mini horse, big mission\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-25T15:30:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700\"},\"wordCount\":467,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/vet-456-322.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News & VA Updates\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?p=7700\",\"name\":\"Mini horse, big mission - 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