Equine Therapy Offers Healing Path for Israeli Veterans Battling PTSD

As sirens sound across Israel amid escalating Iranian attacks, the country confronts not only a new battlefield but also the psychological wounds of ongoing conflict. In a stable in central Israel, a unique form of healing is taking place for those traumatized by war.

Danny (not his real name) was called to duty on October 7. Within days, his unit was evacuating bodies from Kibbutz Kissufim under live fire. For six months, he moved between combat zones in Gaza and evacuated severely wounded soldiers.

“We were shot at while evacuating the dead,” he recalls. “I saw the wounded arrive in pieces. These are things I will never forget.”

Since returning home, Danny says he’s constantly on edge—sensitive to noise, tense, and struggling to resume normal life. Once a week, he works with a large dark horse named King, finding rare moments of peace.

“It’s the one day I can relax and leave the chaos behind. There’s something waiting for me here,” Danny explains.

His experience reflects a growing mental health crisis in Israel. According to recent Defense Ministry data cited by Reuters, the country has witnessed nearly a 40% increase in PTSD cases among soldiers since September 2023, with projections suggesting this figure will rise by 180% by 2028. Approximately 60% of all wounded troops now suffer from PTSD.

Alex, 35, another veteran at the same stable, works with a horse named Donna. Stabbed seven times during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, he says the assault permanently altered his life.

“Pain you can get used to,” he reflects. “But post-trauma—you cannot get used to.”

After two months of equine therapy, Alex has found something transformative. “With Donna I feel the quiet and peace that I can’t feel at home when I’m alone and my thoughts go elsewhere. The treatment with the horses is changing my life. Every week more and more, and I don’t want it to end.”

These veterans are participants in the Transcending Trauma Project, founded by Dr. Anita Shkedi, a pioneer in therapeutic horseback riding in Israel since the 1980s. Shkedi came out of semi-retirement following the October 7 attacks to launch the program under a new charity she created called Brothers of Jonathan.

The initiative provides equine-assisted therapy to reservists, soldiers, veterans, Nova music festival survivors, and family members struggling with the psychological aftermath of war.

For Shkedi, the project holds deep personal significance. Her son, Jonathan Boyden, was mortally wounded during a rescue mission in Lebanon in 1993 and died weeks later. For years, she felt she had never fully honored his memory.

“When he was alive and serving in the army, he always said to me, ‘Do something and help the injured soldiers,'” she recalls. “So I put everything together and felt this was the right thing to do—to start a charity called Brothers of Jonathan and help people in the way I know best, which is with the horse.”

Since launching in late 2023, the program has delivered over a thousand therapy sessions and now operates with a growing waiting list. Shkedi emphasizes that her approach focuses on prevention as well as treatment.

“Right from the beginning, I was interested in prevention—if we can get to people early, maybe we can prevent symptoms of trauma from turning into chronic PTSD,” she explains. “We need to save this generation.”

Many participants arrive in what she describes as “survival mode,” stuck in cycles of fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance. But Shkedi warns that another psychological wound is emerging alongside classic PTSD symptoms.

“There will be a high level of moral injury—shame and guilt—alongside fear, anxiety, and depression,” she says. “When that combines with PTSD, it is very shattering for a person.”

The therapy is structured and trauma-informed. Participants first learn to regulate themselves alongside the horse and eventually progress to guiding and caring for the animal.

“We don’t get rid of trauma. Trauma has happened,” Shkedi emphasizes. “Our job is to build resilience and post-traumatic growth—to help people move from co-regulation to self-regulation.”

For some, the bond with these animals has been lifesaving. “We have had people who were struggling with suicidal thoughts. The fact that they can attach themselves to the horse has really helped them,” she notes.

Looking ahead, Shkedi hopes to expand the program. “The dream is to have a place in Israel where people can come 24/7,” she says. “A place that says: you are safe here.”

As the war continues and more soldiers rotate home, mental health experts believe the psychological toll is only beginning to surface. The equine therapy program offers not just an opportunity to ride horses, but a pathway for traumatized individuals to move forward and rebuild their lives.

“Traumatized people need a safe place. Sometimes home is not a safe place,” Shkedi explains. “When they come to the horses, they attach easily. The environment becomes safe for them—and they start to feel safer inside.”