Missoula horse sanctuary uses horses to help foster kids

Missoula, Mont. — National Foster Care Month put a spotlight on River Pines Horse Sanctuary, where staff use horses to help foster children build life skills.

At the sanctuary in Missoula, founder Shari Montana explained that working with horses helps kids to stay calm and aware while also responding to the animal.

“In order to be with a horse safely, you have to be able to self-regulate and then you help your horse co-regulate. If the horses are already calm and safe then what they do is, help the kids regulate. So, it's a mutual reciprocal experience with self-regulation,” said Shari Montana.

Erika Koskela worked with Snqweylmistn, an organization on the Flathead Reservation that helps tribal foster children stay connected to their Native culture. She said the horses at River Pines helped some children begin to open up.

“As soon as they start getting around the horses, first you see that connection with the horse and then you see the connection within the peer group and you just really see the kids come out of their shells and start engaging and start wanting to participate,” said Erika Koskela.

Montana said she had seen that change in kids as well.

“A little boy who came here aged seven, suicidal, a long time in a group home,” said Shari Montana. “We do a graduation ceremony for them at the end of their week-long horsemanship class. He came and sat down next to me and said to me, Sherry, I'm always welcome here, right? And I said, yes, you're always welcome here.”

Montana said the boy was later adopted and returned to River Pines with his new family.