Joint Base Lewis-McChord spouse Allison Clifford couldn't help but crack a wide smile when she saw Navy veteran Jim Mitchell atop his horse, Nifty Dan, as the large animal broke into a brisk trot around the outdoor arena.

"He's progressed a lot," Clifford said of Mitchell's riding skills. "It's exciting. For us (volunteers), watching them progress validates what we do. To be a part of that is amazing."

Clifford, a volunteer who works with the Horses for Heroes program at Changing Rein in Graham, comes out every Monday to help veterans in the American Lake Veteran's Affairs' equine program.

"It's so important to have programs like this," said the 30-year-old Clifford, who grew up around horses and has volunteered with the program for about a year and a half. "You can just feel the connection between the riders and the horses."

Mitchell was one of three veterans riding horses around the arena Monday as part of the program. The 42-year-old veteran suffered a traumatic brain injury 13 years ago while serving in the Navy. He takes anti-anxiety medication (as needed) to help him cope with some of the effects of the injury.

But for two days after each riding session at Changing Rein, Mitchell doesn't feel the need to take medication, said Vicki Booth, the VA equine program's recreation therapist.

"While they're on the horse, they have to just focus on the here and now," Booth said. "It relaxes them and takes their stress levels down."

Led by program director and Changing Rein owner Sandra Boe, veterans - with the assistance of a volunteer side walker - lead their horses through mini obstacle courses laid out throughout the covered arena. Veterans who have more riding experience, such as Mitchell, get the opportunity to lead the horse on their own.

"This has been the best therapy I've gotten," Mitchell said while grooming Nifty Dan after his riding session. "I don't understand it. It just calms me down."

The program also helps with Mitchell's short-term memory, as the routine includes preparing and undressing the horse after the riding session.

"The repetition is good for me," he said.

Changing Rein offers services to local veterans and active-duty servicemembers from the VA, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Bremerton Naval Hospital. Most military riders who attend the eight-week riding sessions do so at no cost thanks to grants and independent sponsorship by the VA and private donors.

"It's part of a bigger piece of (each veteran's) therapy," Booth said. "We're also training to teach them life skills. The VA is able to give them an opportunity to reconnect with leisure interests."

The rider/horse relationship is the key to the program.

"There is something inherently calming to people when it comes to working with horses," Boe said. "I've had many military folks tell me that horses make the best therapists because they don't ask a lot of questions."

After going through an eight-week session, Boe hopes the experience gives veterans a renewed sense of self-esteem, peace and well-being.

"Sometimes they can carry that into other aspects of their life," she said.

Boe hopes to expand the Heroes for Horses program's footprint even more in the future, using equine therapy to help more servicemembers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. She would also like to be able to host military families going through stressful times due to the deployment of a loved one.

"We have the horses, the training and the facility to do it," she said.