~Buck Brannaman

Mission

Unbridled Joy’s mission is to improve the physical, mental, and social health of people through therapeutic equine-assisted activities. 

About Us

We are a Guidestar Platinum accredited 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015. We are also a designated top-rated non-profit of 2019 from Greatnonprofits.org. We are actively looking for partners and sponsors to provide therapeutic equine services to veterans, service members, special needs adults and children, and people in recovery from substance abuse. Since 2015, we have been working diligently to have the proper foundation for this work, such as a facility with a barn and arena, horses that have the proper temperament, insurance coverage and safety protocols, and qualified staff that are certified by PATH International, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. Our staff are certified through PATH as Equine Specialists in Mental Health and Learning. We are passionate about the ability of horses to help heal people with a history of trauma and/or abuse, and want to provide this service to the community.

Goals

Unbridled Joy is committed to setting the standard of professional excellence for how horses and other therapies enrich, empower, and improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. Equine assisted activities encompass the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of a person.

We provide opportunities for individuals and families to engage, learn and thrive outside of the classroom and clinical therapeutic environments by practicing equine assisted activities.

We partner with mental health professionals to provide Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP). EFP is an emerging treatment whereby the individual or group interacts with horses to facilitate the prevention or resolution of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral difficulties with themselves and others. This type of counseling provides a safe and secure environment that nurtures inner healing and encourages optimal growth and development.

We provide free services to veterans and military in need that are at risk of suicide, are struggling with PTSD, or live their lives with a physical or mental challenge.

History

Unbridled Joy, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded in 2015 by Cindy Burtt in honor of Velvet, a Shire cross horse she had rescued in 2013.  Velvet came to Cindy suffering an old injury in which barbed wire had wrapped around her leg and had been left untreated for quite some time, resulting in lymphedema and flare ups of extreme swelling and fevers.  She was terrified of people; her lips would quiver and her eyelashes would flutter while shaking her head when she became nervous.  Cindy earned her trust with kindness and patience but realized she would never be rideable due to her leg injury.  She was content for Velvet to be a happy and loved horse, and enjoyed watching her munch in the pasture with her companion Arabelle. 

Cindy had a visit one day from two friends, Chrissie and Kristen, a young lady living with autism. Despite instructions to introduce themselves to the horses calmly, Kristen approached Velvet in an excited and boisterous manner.   Alarmed at first for their safety, Cindy noticed that Velvet had no fear of Kristen whatsoever and actually seemed to melt into her arms as Kristen embraced her huge draft horse head.  Watching the connection and pure bliss between girl and horse made an impact on Cindy’s heart and inspired her to explore the idea of equine therapy.   She learned that rescued horses that had experienced past trauma often had a gift to relate to humans who were struggling with issues such as PTSD, alcohol and substance abuse, and physical and mental disabilities.  

As time passed, Cindy adopted four mini horses from the Georgia Equine Rescue League that had the perfect temperament to visit people in need who were unable to travel to the farm but could benefit from the program.  Mini horses can provide that horse-human connection to people that may be intimidated by the size of a regular horse.  Unbridled Joy’s mini horse team has visited recovery centers and children in Atlanta’s immigrant and low income communities and plans to expand their program to include hospitals and senior homes.

in 2017, Unbridled Joy had two wonderful paint horses donated, Noche and Shawnee, that have been perfect riding companions for physically challenged veterans that may be wheelchair bound, and inspired the charity to build an ADA approved wheelchair mounting ramp this summer. Two Percheron draft horses, Arabelle and Manny, have been wonderful therapeutic partners as two gentle giants. Also part of the herd are two rescued mammoth donkeys, Peaches and Cookie, who adore children and love to return hugs. 

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