When Horses Healing Hearts founder Lizabeth Olszewski started the nonprofit, which uses equine experimental learning to help the children of alcoholics and substance abusers, she only focused on one part of the story.
“Working with the children I only got one side of the story [when it came to substance abuse],” she said. “I mean I understood the clinical definition of addiction but I didn’t understand the mental and emotional side for the alcoholic or addict.”
She recently launched Horses Healing Hearts Equine Assisted Growth Learning Program, which has become a therapy tool for six area treatment centers using horses to address mental health and human development needs.
Under the suggestion of Dr. Patricia O’Gorman, Olszewski took on the EAGALA Equine training, which she completed four months ago, as a way to create profit that could fund Horses Healing Hearts’ nonprofit children’s program.
“Before this we were reliant on grants and donations,” Olszewski said. “Now we are able to fund our nonprofit side, which works with children, through our profit side, which works with treatment centers.”
The children’s program is a mounted program while EAGALA instead uses horse interaction for therapy with the horse serving as a mirror or metaphor for the client.
Horses Healing Hearts program coordinator Rhonda Fritzshall also finished the training, which has allowed the duo to work in area barns, including those in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.
Fritzshall said by using the horses clients are able to reach within and get in touch with feelings, emotions, uncertainties and fears – something difficult for someone who has masked his or her emotions using a substance.
Olszewski said that EAGALA is an experiential model in which participants will have the chance to problem-solve, take risks, employ creativity and find the solutions that best work for them to find personal growth.
“There has been a secondary benefit,” Olszewski said. “Horses Healing Hearts has established relationships with treatment centers that before this did not even know we were here. It has really given us additional exposure within the community.”
The exposure has come with monetary benefits as one local treatment center donated $20,000 to the nonprofit.
“It has given us a new opportunity to aid in addiction while still working with the children to end the cycle,” she said.
Visit HHHUSA.org. Treatment centers interested in the Equine Assisted Growth Learning Program may email Liz Olszewski at or call 561-713-6133.
