Save-A-Horse to start program to help victims of domestic abuse
Celeste Van Kirk
Horses run in the field at Save-A-Horse Stable near Rogersville in May 2016.
Darlene Moore, left and Faith Bjalobok stand with Hank, one of two elderly horses from Moore’s Save-A-Horse in this April 2016 photo.
Celeste Van Kirk
Darlene Moore, owner of Save-A-Horse Stable near Rogersville, has fun with her horses in May 2016.
Darlene Moore, owner of Save-A-Horse Stable near Rogersville, in the field with one of her horses in May 2016.
Two horses nuzzle each other in the pasture.
Darlene Moore’s husband, Kevin, feeds a few horse in his pasture in May 2016.
ROGERSVILLE – Save-A-Horse Stable, a nonprofit that helps rehabilitate unwanted or ill horses, will soon help with a type of human rehabilitation – specifically, victims of domestic violence.
The new program, called “The Flicka Project,” will be run by Darlene and Kevin Moore, who care for the horses on their sprawling farm near Rogersville.
“This is a trial project here to see if people will benefit from it,” Darlene Moore said. “Animals are really good for people.”
The project will allow women and girls who have been victims of domestic violence to learn about the horses, comb or brush them and be in contact with them. Moore said that they have about 40 horses on the farm, 10 of which are older and will be used for this particular project.
“The horses are really old and gentle,” she said. “We don’t really ride them anymore. These horses know when you’re upset. I’ve even had one hug me by putting his neck around me once when I was upset.”
Moore said that the nonprofit has been looking for an opportunity to start a therapy program, but was unsure of what group of people to contact. She often hears and reads about an increase in domestic violence cases across the county and in the region, and she thought that should be their target clients.
“I’ve experienced a little bit of it on my own, and it puts a fear in you,” she said. “I would just like to try to help them. We were hoping to try to get this rolling as soon as the weather breaks, probably by May or June.”
Faith Bjalobok, a member of the board of directors for the nonprofit, said that “literature” supports the idea of “equine bonding” for abuse victims. In the fall, she wrote a grant to the Greene County Community Foundation requesting funds to help the organization increase their liability insurance on the farm in order to establish the “Flicka Project.”
“The stable will provide domestic violence victims a safe haven where they can come to experience the benefits of equine therapy, such as building self-esteem and eliminating insecurity and anxiety,” Bjalobok, who teaches at Duquesne and Waynesburg universities, wrote in the grant application.
The Community Foundation awarded the project $500 through the foundation’s Cindy’s Wind Fund, which is dedicated to programs that help women and girls.
“What attracted us to it is that it would be working with women who have been through some trauma,” said Bettie Stammerjohn, executive director of the foundation. “Sometimes, those types of activities, as I understand it, can help develop a level of trust in having that animal to talk to.”
Moore said she hopes to reach out to the human services departments for Greene, Washington and Fayette counties to get client referrals. She said they plan to charge $40 per person for the project, but hope to get donations from other organizations to cover those costs. The money will go to caring for the horses, she said.
She also said she’ll be looking for qualified volunteers to help because she wants each client to have a volunteer be present with them and the horse.
“The horses would enjoy it and hopefully the women will enjoy it too,” she said.
For more information about Save-A-Horse Stable, call 724-499-5709 or go online to www.saveahorsestable.com.