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Profile by John Tolmie / Photos by Kate Tolmie
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thundershower broke the prior evening over the horse farm in Connecticut. In the early morning, the ranch was still dripping with the evidence of the storm and the horses were on high-energy and agitated from the evening’s monsoon. A circle of military veterans gathered around to hear advice on how to handle the tense steeds from Thor Torgersen, the lead trainer of Veterans Equine Therapeutic Services (V.E.T.S.). “The horses are tense right now. So we take a deep breath, right? It takes two seconds to breathe in and out." Thor dramatizes the motion by raising his hands up to his chest, “It opens your mind and gets everything aware. It gives you that fraction of time to ask, 'what's going on with the horse?' We relax, and the horse is going to relax. You take control of the situation. Our horses need and want to be lead. If we don’t take control, they will.” Thor has supported the equine therapeutic field for over a decade, and his mission is to narrow the gap Facing page: Christina Clark, Thor Torgersen, and Craig McCalister
project ourselves as being relaxed, so they stay relaxed. Especially today with their high-energy, we need to help them release that pressure.” Thor explains that the heightened wind makes horses nervous. They can't hear as well in the wind with their senses are diminished, so they instinctively go on high alert for unseen predation waiting in the bushes around the farm. “We are going to bring the horses' stress down." Thor concludes, "Lots of gentle petting guys. Hands-on, reassuring, and breathing. All this will help bring that stress down.”
between the civilian and military populations with a level of understanding. As he addresses the veterans, he gives them other safety tips about how to deal with energized horses. “If they run away in the corral, let them run. If they charge towards you get BIG. Raise your hands up and stand your ground. But we ultimately we want to
As the group breaks up and the veterans make their way to the interior corral to gather their horses, the founder of V.E.T.S. Craig McCalister explains, "These are therapeutic activities, and the benefits we’ve observed are an increase in the physical mobility of our veterans, like Randy over there.” Craig points to Randy, a tall man in a cap and sunglasses walking alongside his chocolate colored horse. There was a bit of shuffle in Randy’s gait as
