Our Mission

The Remount Foundation provides active-duty military, veterans, first responders and their families with free equine-assisted therapeutic activities within a healing, natural environment and a supportive community to empower them to heal physically, mentally and spiritually.

Our Vision Statement

The Remount Foundation vision is to provide a powerful, transformative experience through horses, nature and community that helps American Warriors achieve wellness physically, mentally and spiritually, to fulfill their God-given potential to be fathers, mothers and citizens of this great country.

Meet Our Founders,
Jeanne Springer and Billy Jack Barrett

Remount Foundation grew out of necessity. Jeanne Springer and Billy Jack Barrett were working at the riding stables at the U.S. Air Force Academy with cadets and other military members when they began to realize the horses were helping injured veterans. Word got out around the Colorado Springs military community and soon wounded combat veterans were calling from all branches of service. Jeanne and Billy Jack have trained horses for decades, with the Remount Foundation culminating as the most fulfilling part of their life work.

A legend in the cowboy and horse community and a US Army veteran from the Vietnam era, Mr. Barrett – the last horse buyer for Fort Carson’s 4/12 Cavalry program and over 40 years as the manager of the US Air Force Academy Equestrian Center – noted the healing effect that horses had on combat-wounded veterans. Through his work in the horse industry, Mr. Barrett worked with Audie Murphy (the most decorated US soldier of WWII); General AP Clarke (WWII prisoner of war and former Superintendent of the US Air Force Academy); General Macke Steinhoff (Germany’s leading fighter pilot ace in WWII); and countless other veterans of the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Mrs. Jeanne Springer is a military spouse who served on the US Air Force Academy Equestrian Center staff for 20 years. Mrs. Springer holds a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and trained as a Stephen’s Minister and Leader. Mrs. Springer incorporated elements from the OK Corral Series, Horse Boy Method, and HeartMath® to create the Remount Foundation’s unique, life-saving approach to equine-assisted learning for trauma survivors. Jeanne has more than two decades of experience in equine-assisted therapeutic practice, helping others find the path to hope and healing. The Remount Foundation alumni view Jeanne as an angel on earth with a heart of pure gold and compassion.

Our Board of Directors

Dr. David R. Andrews, Purple Heart Recipient

President
Dr. David Andrews is a combat-wounded veteran, retiring from 21 years of active duty after being wounded-in-action in Afghanistan. He is a Wounded Warrior scholar and alumni of the Remount Foundation’s equine assisted learning program. As with many Wounded Warriors, David struggled to recover from his injuries and adjust to life with a permanent disability. David credits the equine assisted learning program with helping him regain his footing and find renewed purpose and direction in his life. With the love and support of his wife and their four children, David has gone on to complete a doctorate and in 2015 was awarded the Secretary of Defense’s Outstanding Department of Defense Civilian Employee with a Disability; living proof that the first steps taken–the first time getting back into the saddle–in equine assisted learning can lead Wounded Warriors to greener pastures of peace and prosperity.

Dr. Earl M. Gaughan

General Member
Dr. Earl Gaughan worked in equine veterinary medicine in both private practice and the classroom before joining the Merck Animal Health team as an equine professional services veterinarian in 2013.

Dr. Gaughan received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia, and he completed his equine surgery residency at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. Gaughan has published many research articles and book chapters and has been an active lecturer to veterinarians and horse owners.

Our Mascot

Click here to visit a special edition of our mascot page.

Media coverage

From Western Horseman - July 2020

Western Horseman, a highly respected and well-read magazine in various facets of the horse industry and by many involved in the horse-centric lifestyle, published another in-depth article on Remount Foundation. Click to read this article, compliments of Western Horseman here on the Remount website.