Description

VETS: Veterans Equine Transition Services

A Comprehensive Equine-Assisted Curriculum for Veterans, Military Families, and Transition Programs

Helping veterans navigate the journey home, one meaningful experience at a time.

VETS (Veterans Equine Transition Services) is a comprehensive, evidence-informed implementation guide designed to help equine-assisted professionals build impactful programs for veterans and military-connected populations. Developed through years of collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wounded Warrior community, military partners, and Strides to Success, VETS provides practical, ready-to-use programming grounded in research, experiential learning, and the unique strengths veterans bring to the barn.

Rather than focusing on military experiences alone, the curriculum is built around a simple question:

What helps veterans successfully transition from military service to civilian life?

Using the Search Institute’s Developmental Assets framework, HorseWork’s life skills model, and principles of experiential education and natural horsemanship, VETS helps participants build resilience, confidence, communication, healthy relationships, purpose, and connection through meaningful interactions with horses.

Three Complete Programs in One Resource

Veteran Group Program

Experiential, challenge-based group sessions that use horses, team initiatives, and problem-solving activities to strengthen communication, trust, leadership, resilience, and peer connection.

Individual Natural Horsemanship Program

A one-on-one curriculum that combines natural horsemanship principles with personal development, helping veterans build confidence, emotional regulation, self-awareness, and transferable life skills through groundwork with horses.

Chronic Pain Program

A five-session equine-assisted curriculum designed to support veterans living with chronic pain by promoting movement, mindfulness, self-efficacy, and healthy coping strategies. This program has also served as the foundation for research within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Inside You’ll Find

• Three complete facilitator curricula
• Ready-to-use lesson plans and activities
• Group initiatives and experiential challenges
• Natural horsemanship exercises with life skill applications
• Chronic pain intervention curriculum
• Processing questions and facilitator guidance
• Arena setup ideas and implementation strategies
• Adaptation suggestions for your participants, horses, and facility

Like every HorseWork resource, VETS is designed to be adapted. Every veteran, every horse, every facility, and every community is different. Use these programs as your foundation, then customize them to fit your mission and the people you serve.

Perfect for:

• Equine-Assisted Services Centers
• Department of Veterans Affairs Community Partners
• Veteran Service Organizations
• PATH Intl. Centers
• Recreational Therapists
• Mental Health Professionals
• Military Family Programs
• Nonprofit Organizations Serving Veterans

Available Formats

Digital Download (PDF)

Physical Coil Bound version

Instant access to the complete implementation guide, ready to download, customize, and begin using in your program.  Interested in learning more about working with veterans?  Check out our Service Member microcredential!