HARTH Foundation ending equine therapy operation in Burnet
The HARTH Foundation will close its equine therapy facility in Burnet by the end of 2023 due to high operation costs and difficulty finding qualified staff. File staff photo
The HARTH Foundation will close its equine therapy operation in Burnet County before the end of 2023, the nonprofit recently announced. Officials said the closure is due to high costs and the difficulty in finding qualified staff.
“We are humbled by all of the support we have received over the past eight years and we want to once again thank all of (our supporters) for the role you played in supporting the HARTH Foundation and our mission ‘To enhance the health of people and our community,’” reads a letter from HARTH leadership to its supporters.
HARTH, which stands for Healing and Recovery Through Horses, offered therapeutic programs to a variety of groups, including veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, senior citizens recovering from strokes, and adolescents suffering from depression.
HARTH is the only Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International-certified facility in Burnet, Llano, and Lampasas counties.
The letter went on to say that the COVID-19 pandemic put an immense amount of strain on the organization, which never truly recovered despite having a high demand for its services.
“We created new programs, attempted new and different fundraising programs, and put our all into keeping HARTH alive,” the letter said. “Although we have a waiting list of clients that would allow us to add close to 80 sessions a month, we have been unable to find any additional PATH certified instructors to accommodate the need.”
HARTH will continue to accept donations and operate as normal leading up to the coming closure, giving clients time to find alternative means of therapy.
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Unfortunately this is what happens when you require a certification for something that clearly could be handled by volunteers that simply know horses. Certification schemes are the government’s and organization’s way of controlling ever more of our lives, extracting ever more of our money, and preventing “us” from taking care of “us”. Sad.