What If Horses Could Heal the Trauma We’re Too Ashamed to Name?

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We’re living in an era of quiet crisis. Mental health struggles are everywhere—especially among those who protect and serve our communities. Police officers, paramedics, dispatchers, firefighters. They show up on our worst days. But who shows up for them?

Saly Glassman asked herself that question. And then she did something about it.

After 39 years as one of the top wealth advisors at Merrill Lynch, leading one of the largest retail investment practices in the world, Glassman walked away from her high-powered career. Not because she had to—but because she saw something bigger that needed doing.

She founded Kindle Hill Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to healing trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD through horses. And in the latest episode of Horse Person Podcast, Glassman shares the story behind Kindle Hill’s groundbreaking equine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted learning programs, and how her show horses are now partners in a mission to restore human wellbeing.

“When you’re riding, you co-opt the horse’s brain. You inhabit its will. But on the ground? Now you’re in an equitable relationship; one where the horse’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions matter.”

I found myself pretty spellbound during this interview. In part, because of Glassman’s incredible energy, and in part, because her story is as unlikely as it is captivating. Having ridden and competed at a high level herself, and having partnered with Kevin Babington to bring top horses, like the Irishman’s Olympic mount Carling King, to the highest level of sport, she saw the value of using competition horses in therapy. There’s a misconception, Glassman explained, that horses used in equine-assisted therapy need to be retired, old, or even dull.

“I believe that competition horses can do this just as well as any horse that is retired. And in fact, sometimes it’s better because they can be a little more up, a little more realistic, a little more reactive, and that’s good because I want people to experience those reactions and then learn how to bring them down.”

This episode is a reminder that partnership begins with empathy—and that healing starts when we’re brave enough to slow down and listen.

Whether you’re someone navigating burnout, a rider seeking deeper connection with your horse, or simply a human who wants to better understand the power of presence, this episode will change the way you think about horses and healing.

Listen now on the Horse Person Podcast: