1.) What is Mustangs Empowering Women?

It's a roughly 12 week ***FREE OF CHARGE*** (no strings attached!) horse training program I founded in the summer of 2019 to inspire healing and hope through wild horses for women who were sexually abused, assaulted, or raped as children. 

2.) Why did I start it?

I created it because I have seen what the healing power of a horse can do. I've lived it. God has really blessed me to have been around horses my entire life. I get them, I understand them, I can feel them, I can see myself in them.
 

My husband and I are the head trainers for Mission Mustang at the EquiCenter in Mendon, NY, a very similar program using wild horses, but instead we are working with veterans with PTSD. For many years I have felt led to do something along the same lines with women who have been through trauma and abused. We have the resources, access to the horses, the facilities, and the experience to work with hurting people.

So when when my husband said that I needed to do something like this, I was like, oh no, no way. My initial reaction was out of fear. When I was a child I was sexually abused for many years. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what these horses have done for me, and if I could help someone heal just a little through a horse, then in some way, it makes the abuse that I suffered seem a little more worth it. That maybe there was a reason for the abuse.

3.) Why are mustangs great tools for helping women suffering from abuse?

Mustangs, wild, untouched horses are the perfect tool to use because their instinct is fight or flight. There are currently over 88,000 wild horses in 10 western states, but the rangeland cant support that many horses so they have to be rounded up for proper management purposes. 

When you step into that roundpen, you have to leave every emotion outside. Working with horses is all about controlling your emotions. You cant carry it in there with you because the horse can read and feel that. Horses communicate through body language, not verbally, so if you go in all stressed and anxious, the horse can sense that and can become more alert, tense and flighty. When working with a wild horse, the whole objective is to gain the horses trust and confidence and to establish a role of leadership with it, with the end goal of eventually being able to ride it and have a partner and companion for a lifetime. 

So a mustang is a perfect tool because women who have been through trauma are also on high alert, they are tense, not ready to trust, they are ready to run, that fight or flight instinct is so strong and in full gear because of something that was done to them. They have to gain confidence in themselves in order for that horse to gain confidence in them and they have to learn to trust, which for many, is a huge deal. I could go on and on. 

4.) How does this program work?

This program works with one horse and two women format. I adopted a mustang back in mid-July (2019) and had already selected 2 women to work with, which I had found through my Facebook post that I put out about what I was doing. These women had absolutely no horse experience, which is okay. My job was to teach them to teach the horse. It's not always easy because to train a horse, you really have to have what we call feel and timing,  but to see the fruits of their labor was extremely rewarding. And to see how much these two women have grown has been the most rewarding experience ever. 

Once the horse has been trained, it will be available for sale, which our first horse is ready to go!

 The need is dire. I am only one person but sexual abuse is an epidemic. 1in4 women will be abused before they are 18. I am one of those 1in4 and I just want to help heal the wounds of the hurting souls out there because there are more options than most realize. 

This is a Faith based program. We, my husband and I, are Christians. And I will be the first to tell you that I am the farthest person from the perfect Christian. I do not have a perfect testimony. I have said and done many things that I am not proud of and that I will have to answer for. But one thing I will say is I do not and will never push my Christian beliefs on my women.

5.) Do I have any powerful testimonials from women who've gone through this free program?

Both of my women have gained their voices! Neither of them had told their stories publicly before starting my program and now both of them have shouted it out to the world and are speaking out against sexual violence. They have gained some confidence in themselves and have begun to realize that they are not the broken people that they thought they were, that they are somebody, that they do matter, and that being abused does not have to become their identity. 

6.) How has this program changed me?

Now we are getting deep! This has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. I feel at home, like I finally found my purpose. This is my passion. This is part of my healing Journey. But its also showing me how far I still have to go. Its so easy to be able to see how to fix someone elses problems, but when it comes to myself, I'm pretty darn stubborn. I struggle. I can still see areas where I need to continue to grow and areas where I have made a lot of growth. Working with horses will humble you, a horse is a reflection of you and your soul. 

I also want to say and add that I am not a licensed therapist and this is not a Therapy Program. I just teach horsemanship lessons and these women are learning more about themselves through lessons with a wild horse. I do not press for information from them, confidentiality is of the utmost importance. I like to post updates of our training progress, but nothing is done without permission of my women. This whole relationship is built on trust, just like working with these wild horses.  

7.) How will this Program help someone who has been through trauma such as sexual abuse?

For starters, you have to be 100% committed to the program and open to finding some healing to the wounds of the past. 

Working with horses, a wild one at that, is all about learning how to control your emotions. When you can do that, you learn about yourself. It takes being able to read them, feel, timing, softness, dedication, perseverance, self growth, self control, leadership, consistency, repetition, patience, discipline, facts, trust, honesty, courage, and forgiveness. When you can come to a place of complete openness and honesty with yourself, the horse will do the same for you. They will never lie. 

8.) Why is this Program Free? What's the catch? 

This program is free because I want to help hurting women like myself find healing. In January of 2017, I went to Utah to The Haven Retreat by The Younique Foundation for sexually abused women. The four day retreat was completely free, there was a community of sisterhood developed and it was there that I found my voice. I cannot say enough good things about the Younique Foundation! 

Right now, I could never help the volume of women in the capacity that the Y Foundation does, and my heart is with horses, so I am going to do what I believe I was called to do, with no strings attached! 

*Now please remember, I am only one person and can currently only accept two women at a time. But please dont let that stop you from taking a leap of faith and contacting me to see how I can help! 

-Emma Minteer, Survivor and Founder of Mustangs Empowering Women 

I am (unofficially) a non-profit organization. This year I am working on changing that! 

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to those that have so generously donated to this extremely life-changing, rewarding and important step on this healing journey of these womens lives. You have made such an impact! 

If you are interested in more about the program, or even the mustangs, please contact me!!