Alberta charity seeks financial help for sick PTSD therapy horse

An Alberta charity is hoping for financial support to help heal a therapy horse that works to support people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Can Praxis is an equine therapy provider, based in central Alberta near Rocky Mountain House, which assists veterans and first responders nationwide covercome PTSD. 

The Alberta-based organization says one of its therapy horses, an 18-year-old Canadian breed named Regent, fell ill with impaction colic, a blockage in his intestine, sending him to Moore Equine Veterinary Services in Calgary. 

Regent was placed on a gastric tube and given an IV with antibiotic medications to assist in helping him heal from internal infections.

"This cold snap we just experienced earlier in the month made it quite difficult for Regent to have proper feed, and that’s when he started to suffer from this life-threatening blockage," said Can Praxis founder Steve Critchley.

"With that, he required special medical attention from these incredible teams of veterinarians to understand what was causing this distress. He came very close to having life-threatening surgery."

Thankfully, after a week of care, Regent is set to make a full recovery, but an $8,000 medical bill is setting the organization back.

That’s why Dave Murphy from Claresholm, Alta., started a GoFundMe page for Regent.

Despite not being a veteran, Murphy had PTSD for decades after experiencing a violent stabbing attack in Ottawa.

He says fundraising for Regent is a way of giving back to those who need help the most.

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for first responders," Murphy said.

"I have a lot of veterans that are close friends that went through this program, and just hearing their stories of what a difference it makes warms my heart," 

More than $4,000 had been donated to the GoFundMe to help cover Regent's medical and veterinary costs as of Thursday morning.

The Rolling Barrage, a transformative motorcycle ride honouring veterans and first-responders, has pitched in a $2,000 donation, but more funds are still needed.

Can Praxis notes that any donations received in excess of Regent’s medical bills will go directly towards supporting its programs that are relied on by veterans across the country.

'The deepest connection'

Critchley is a veteran himself. He served 28 years and suffered from the impacts of PTSD.

He says he started the equine therapy program for other veterans because of scientific evidence showing it leads to improvements in ones' physical function, their mental health and overall quality of life. 

Regent is now one of more than a dozen horses, all of which are quite literally saving lives, as veterans dealing with suicidal thoughts regularly enroll in programs. 

"These horses thrive on social interaction, they’re the world's experts at reading body language, they don’t sit around the trough talking politics," Critchley said.

"How they read other people's bodies makes it a perfect therapy tool for working with individuals who may not realize just how their own body posturing and positioning can impact how their relationships move forward."

That ability to read body language, including the stress or discomfort mentally that someone might be experiencing, was a game changer for veterans like Christian Lillington.

The 26-year member of the Canadian Armed Forces completed two combat tours in Afghanistan and a United Nations tour to Eritrea, Africa, amongst several other domestic operations.

He suffers from PTSD, but the Ontario man he was able to make positive changes to his overall mindset once he discovered Can Praxis. 

"I had a connection with Regent that I can't explain really in words. It was the deepest connection and so meaningful to me that I had a hard time focusing initially when we're on the program because I was very emotional," Lillington said.

"It's like, I could speak to someone who understood me that couldn't speak back. They have the ability, in my opinion, to sort of connect with people's souls at a very basic – but also very deep – level, and this connection was so useful for me to know that this type of therapy existed."

Other veterans closer to home like Evan Wile from Calgary can also relate to that same feeling.

He served more than two decades in the Canadian Armed Forces in nearly every province in the country, but also overseas as well in Afghanistan.

Wile and his family took part in the Can Praxis program and he noticed a change instantly. 

"One of the exercises we did was an opportunity to stand there and just encourage the horse to come to us and I just, I loved working with Regent so much," he said.

"Just being in the arena and having him come up to you and approach you, it's just such a great feeling, because he was such a great horse to work with."

Regent is now set to get back to work soon with several more veterans. 

Critchley says he’s grateful for the support and care of local veterinarians and the generosity of community members across the entire country who have donated to the cause. 

"Regent is a purebred Canadian, Canada’s national horse, that has helped hundreds of our men and women in uniform that have been diagnosed with PTSD and their kids as well," he said. 

"Many participants state Regent has saved their lives and relationships."

For more information on ways to support Can Praxis, you can visit the organization's website.