Our Mission

We empower first responders, military personnel, veterans, and their families to heal and build resilience through compassionate, evidence-based equestrian programs.

Why Horses?

Horses are highly intuitive and responsive creatures, naturally attuned to human emotions and behaviors. Their honest, nonjudgmental feedback helps individuals deepen emotional awareness, establish healthy boundaries, and build trust. Through our work with horses, we facilitate:

Emotional regulation
Trauma processing
Self-reflection and personal growth
Somatic healing through embodied connection

Our Vision

Our long-term goals are to build awareness of both the immediate and enduring effectiveness of equine healing programs for first responders, military personnel, veterans, and their families, and make these programs more accessible to these populations.

Our Founder

Gina Mendez-MSW, LCSW

Founder, Executive & Clinical Director.

Gina Mendez founded Gaits to Healing to provide first responders, military personnel, trauma survivors, and their families with a compassionate and effective healing journey through equine-assisted therapy, care, and mental health support. With 30 years in social services and personal experience with trauma, Gina deeply understands the challenges surrounding mental health and crisis intervention. After witnessing first responders struggle with substance use and mental health barriers, she embraced equine-assisted therapy as a unique method to help them process trauma and build resilience. Through Gaits to Healing, Gina is dedicated to breaking the stigma around mental health and ensuring these communities have access to essential resources.