The Miracle of Major’s Place

With its thousands of acres of scenic open lands and the generous spirit of its residents, the North State is home to several equine-assisted therapy nonprofits offering solace and comfort to people dealing with trauma or anxiety through interaction with these calming, majestic animals. A new jewel among these remarkable ranches is Major’s Place, whose innovative programs offer opportunities for miraculous transformations.

Equine healing team members

Located in South Siskiyou County and named for Major, a beautiful, placid buckskin horse and star of the ranch, Major’s Place not only provides a sanctuary for people seeking healing in an outdoor setting, its unique programs are designed to guide children, teens and adults to a greater understanding of themselves and help them find solutions to life challenges. Major, along with his palomino pal Clyde, a former pack horse with a solid, calm presence, “are considered healing team members, just as valuable as the therapists and counselors and equine specialists,” says Major’s Place founder Anne-Marie Hosler.

A horse’s “major” influence

After earning a degree in Fine Arts and pursuing a corporate career in graphic design, Anne-Marie moved to McCloud in 2019 and opened her own marketing consultancy that same year.

But everything changed when in 2021 when Major came into her life and together, they embarked on a profound (and challenging) healing journey which led to the founding of Major’s Place. In preparation for planning and implementing exciting, transformative Major’s Place programs, Anne-Marie underwent intensive training to receive certification as an Eagala Equine Specialist and certified Horse-Powered Reading Program facilitator.

​            The Eagala (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association) program is based on the belief that people have the best solutions for themselves when given the opportunity to discover them. Therapy-focused experiences with horses allow clients to explore, problem-solve and overcome challenges. A unique approach to equine-assisted psychotherapy, it’s a “boots on the ground” program – there is no riding involved (clients engage with the horses while standing alongside them, on equal footing).

Eagala ethos underpins Equine Assisted Therapy and Therapeutic Horseman programs

Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT), conducted in partnership with a licensed professional clinical counselor Dee DeLeon, LPCC, NCC, TMPC, is much like therapy one would receive in an office setting, except with horses. “The horses require folks to get really present,” Anne-Marie says. “They are one of the most powerful tools for healing. Because of their size and their presence, people tend to be ‘in the moment’ and that’s where a lot healing can begin. It creates a space for things to move and shift, allowing powerful transformation to take place.”

EAT has been found to be specifically helpful for PTSD and anxiety disorders. A recent extensive study by Xi Zhu, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute at the Columbia University Medical Center, and 13 US and international colleagues demonstrated that EAT can cause positive functional and structural changes in the brains of patients with PTSD and showed that EAT was significantly correlated with clinical improvement in symptoms of PTSD. “For anyone for whom traditional therapy might not be working and they just want to be out in nature and try a different approach, EAT might be the answer,” Anne-Marie says.

Other programs, such as Therapeutic Horsemanship and Youth Empowerment, provide an opportunity for adults and teens to be with horses, learn how to share space with a horse and how to guide and groom them “at liberty” (off the lead rope). These programs are a cost-effective alternative to EAT for those who are not seeking psychotherapy but want to experience the healing benefits of being with the horses.

Horses facilitate remarkable reading program

The Horse-Powered Reading Program is another marvelously successful program at Major’s Place. “So many children struggle with reading,” says Linn Tyhurst, board member and trained Horse Powered Reading Program facilitator. “The classroom setting is not always an ideal place to learn to read – sitting at a desk with all this pressure to learn. Children are excited to be with the horses, get to move around outdoors and it makes learning fun and easy for them.” Children read to the horses, pet and groom them. They choose labels for parts of horses and are encouraged to find and label parts of Major or Clyde, who stand patiently while labels such as “muzzle” and “withers” are affixed to them by eager small hands.

Studies have shown that through this active, hands-on approach to learning, facilitated by interaction with horses in a relaxed atmosphere, children become enthusiastic and confident readers and carry these skills into the regular classroom. “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for the kids,” says proud father Isaiah Warren. His daughters Genesis and Ashanti “are super excited to visit the horses. It certainly changes the mood around the house!”

Equine help transforms corporate team and family dynamics

Multi-talented program stars Major and Clyde are also great “team builders,” assisting business teams to resolve issues and increase cooperation through a unique Team Building program. “Teams present a challenge they are trying to overcome or dynamic within their team that they want to work through,” says Anne-Marie. “We can use props, games and prompts to construct what the problem looks like. What’s magical is that horses, as energetic beings, somehow enter themselves in a way that everyone interprets differently but it seems to start bringing up conversations to help people problem-solve different issues.”

Best of all, families can benefit from horse-facilitated team building through Friends and Family Days. “This is a great setting for families come to work out issues,” says Anne-Marie. “Families have stuff to look at and it’s hard to figure out at home and being here working with the horses can help families to look at difficult family dynamics.”

Supporting community, veterans and first responders

Anne-Marie, Linn and fellow board member Sarah Cogle are dedicated to enhancing the well-being of their community. Working with generous donors, they provide scholarships for many of their programs. They are also hoping to work with Veterans Affairs to offer group counseling sessions. “One of our goals is to offer all our services free to veterans and first responders,” Anne-Marie says.

To support these uniquely transformative, healing programs, go to majorsplace.org. They also welcome donations of children’s books, purchases of supplies from their Amazon wish list and mission-focused volunteers to help with ground maintenance.