What is Remount Foundation?
Today, a U.S. service member, veteran, law enforcement official, firefighter, or emergency medical technician will choose to rediscover hope that makes each day a journey toward healing for them and their families. The trauma experienced within these communities of brave individuals overwhelms their lives to the point of suicidal ideation. Even with the ending of major, active war fronts and the reduced global threat from a fast-moving, lethal pandemic, suicide rates amongst our military and first-responder personnel continue to climb.
The El Paso County Coroner’s 2021 Annual Report
revealed a saddening trend developing in our military community. El Paso County experienced a 2% drop in suicides county-wide year over year; however, within the county’s military community, the number of suicides increased by 20% in 2021.
In the year that saw the end of twenty years of conflict in Iraq/Afghanistan, an increased number of the brave succumbed to the lingering effects of war.
The Watson Institute at Brown University found that over four times the number of active-duty personnel and post-9/11 war
veterans died from suicide than were killed in aggregate of all post-9/11 combat.
These individuals return from physical battles only to encounter an internal conflict–a mental war zone overwhelming them with depression and suicidal ideation. And our first responders are experiencing increased service-related trauma with upsurges in mass casualty incidents and the daily strain placed on the healthcare system by COVID. These brave men and women serving our nation and our communities are experiencing the life-altering effects now saddled upon them by Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) not just once in a lifetime but sometimes more than once a day robbing them of their desire to live.
Remount Foundation provides a transformative experience empowering America’s bravest to find a renewed purpose in life through hope and healing. The “re-mount” experience leads to a self-awareness of the mental and physical trauma inflicted by their service tours or calls. The participant gains this awareness through experiential, therapeutic activities we call the Remount Method.
Remount's Roots
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Today's Remount
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Anchored in Equine Assisted Philosophy, the Remount Method partners with horses to facilitate self-discovery in program participants of areas they feel the need to grow and improve and that they are more alright than they believe themselves to be. Horses help humans on both the behavioral level and the physiological level. At a basic level, horses have an innate response mechanism used to protect the herd, often called herd mentality. When a horse is startled, the horse responds in a physical manner that immediately warns the neighboring horses of a threat. In Equine Assisted Philosophy, the horse reflects the tension experienced by the nearby, PTS-triggered human, giving the human individual instant feedback, a visual and physical manifestation, of their internal emotional climate. In many cases, the first manifestation is an eye-opening experience that immediately creates a bond between the participant and the horse. The journey along the pathway of healing commenced with that moment.
More than
of America's Bravest and their families have participated in Remount Foundation programs
Remount Foundation relies on the generosity of our donors like you to bring each participant back from the brink of suicide every day. We need donor partners to continue funding this powerful program that saves lives. The continuation of threatening COVID variants and rising tensions overseas that are now spilling over our homeland create not only a challenging economic situation for Remount Foundation but forecast additional needs as the number of our bravest inflicted by service trauma will continue climbing. That escalation will continue to bear out as increased suicide rates among those serving us.
You can save a life with your support of Remount Foundation. Please help us help America’s Bravest and their families overcome the trauma they have encountered in serving us all.
Thank You,
Team RF
Remount Foundation
Origins
Remount Foundation was started in 2009 by Jeanne Springer and Billy Jack Barrett. Both were working in various capacities at the riding stables at the United States Air Force Academy with cadets and other military members when they began to see horses in a new light. They witnessed first-hand the transformative healing power between equines and humans.
From there, Billy Jack, and especially Jeanne started tapping into the equine magic. Word got around about the fledgling program, and it grew out of necessity. In 2016, Remount Foundation name was selected for the organization, symbolizing the rich history between horses and the United States military, which was once called the Remount Service. The governance of the organization continues to transition to a Board of Directors. Billy Jack and Jeanne continue to run the organization with a hands-on approach and a stable of volunteers and supporters.
The Program
Our flagship method is Equine Assisted Philosophy (EAP), which is an intensive program designed to help participants take ownership of their healing, learn to reconnect with their families and provide them with the resilience tools to successfully reintegrate into society. Participants in our EAP program come from all branches of the military, as well as community first responders. Our services are free to all participants. We take great pride in serving veterans of all eras, including those from the Vietnam War, as we believe it is never too late to find healing. Some become volunteers and are devoted to helping younger veterans find a healing path that they never had when they came home from Vietnam. We believe in the power of cross-generational healing and mentorship. 50% of our participants admit to suicidal ideation, intention, or attempts before starting our program.
Our EAP participants struggle with anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, anger, and guilt – all hallmark symptoms of PTS. Many of our participants are referred from either military or VA mental health professionals, from other non-profit organizations, or – one of the most telling signs of success – word of mouth from other participants or alumni of Remount Foundation. Our participants often come to the Remount Foundation program near the end of their resilience tether, having lost hope in their support systems. After going through an intake screening to assess their needs, we usually partner the participant with a highly-trained volunteer who facilitates a series of therapeutic exercises designed to help the participant learn to process their traumatic experiences. We encourage them to take ownership of their healing and build the tools of resilience needed to reintegrate into society.
Media
Remount Foundation regularly updates followers on social media channels, and receives positive press.
Local OTA & Streaming TV Broadcast
KOAA-TV featured Remount Foundation in their Serving Colorado series of news stories and in on-air promotional spots.
Radio Podcast
Remount Foundation forged a joint partnership with Mountain Country radio. For one year, between 2020 and 2021, stories about Remount were featured weekly on social media of the popular Colorado Springs station.
Funding
Remount Foundation continues to remain focused on the mission. It is funded through private donors, foundation grants, and our charity golf tournament.
RE/MAX, LLC
Scribante
Family
CO Veterans
Assistance Grant
Merck
Animal Health
El Pomar
Foundation
USAA
Scheels
B&B Supply
Site Services
Drilling, LLC
MOPH
SVN
Network Insurance Services LLC
Boot Barn Hall
Kirkpatrick
Bank
Colorado
Saddlery
Big R
Added Impact Consulting
Cicis Pizza
Burke
Halona
Farms
2021 Financial Overview
Outlook
To date, Remount Foundation has served more than 10,000 participants. As the program continues to grow, we continue to meet challenges of the day. For example, COVID restrictions put an additional strain on veterans already struggling with PTS. We realized it, and quickly adjusted our program to accommodate by offering online sessions.
Our world continues to create situations that traumatize those currently on the front lines, our first-responders experiencing the horrific trauma from an active shooter event, and those who have served on the front lines, decades long battle scars inflicted across multiple generations of warriors. We see an increased need for services and can only continue to offer this program through our generous supporters.
Discover more about Remount Foundation through the pages of our website. If you believe in our “Horse Power for Heroes” approach to hope and healing, join us as a participant, a volunteer, or a supporter.
