The Horse Cure: Remarkable Horses Bringing Miraculous Change to Humankind by Michelle Holling-Brooks is filled with amazing true stories of people whose traumatic lives have been changed for the better by horses.

Ashley was abused and locked in closets as punishment, resulting in an angry, violent child who threatened her adoptive family—until she met Cocoa and Radar, the horses that helped her learn to trust again.

Brenda was diagnosed bipolar and lived through humiliating domestic abuse. Three horses—Delilah, Wiscy and Diesel—helped her establish a sense of self-worth, hope for the future and ultimately, the will to go on.

Nick was angry, suicidal and a veteran with combat PTSD, who now says, “Horses literally saved my life.”

Inspired by her own childhood trauma when she spent seven days in a coma, woke to a severely compromised body and brain, and rebuilt her life with the help of a horse, Michelle Holling-Brooks founded Unbridled Change, a non-profit Equine-Partnered Therapy organization that helps match horses to individuals in need. In this book, she shares the stories of the people she’s worked with and the “horse cure” that changed their lives.

Survivors of trauma, loss, illness, abuse, stress and depression can face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But today, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that horses play a crucial role in therapy for those struggling with significant psychological and emotional challenges.

Horses respond to angry, inhibited, heartbroken, defiant, terrified clients in many different ways, often breaking through defensive barriers via their physical presence or by pointing to areas of psychological distress not immediately apparent. The horse’s response guides the treatment team, as well as the client, in the healing process. Paperback, 174 pages.