OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Helping people heal through their connection with horses is a mission Valerie Buck has passionately pursued for more than a decade.

Buck spent 30 years working at racetracks for some of the biggest names in thoroughbred racing, including Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher, D. Wayne Lukas, Richard Mandella, and Randy Bradshaw. She rode some of the era’s top horses, including Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup winners, but her love for horses extended beyond their victories.

“I wasn’t there because they were winning races,” said Buck. “I was there because I loved horses.”

A New Beginning

As her racetrack career wound down, Buck turned to Parelli Natural Horsemanship to reignite her passion for working with horses. She moved to Ocala to take Parelli courses and became a Happy Horse, Happy Life instructor.

“I was getting pretty burned out at the track,” Buck explained. “When I left in 2011, it was because of a lot of injuries. It was time to go.”

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In 2013, Buck founded ACTT Naturally, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to retraining and rehoming retired thoroughbreds. Drawing on her experience volunteering with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Saratoga WarHorse, Buck sought to create her own program to help both horses and people.

“I wanted to do my own thing, and I wanted to help more people and more horses,” she said. “So, I ended up starting the nonprofit in 2013 with nothing. I had no money. It was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears at the beginning. but we came along.”

Expanding Impact

ACTT Naturally has since established a facility in New York, where it serves veterans and their families, as well as survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. The program collaborates with local organizations, including the Adirondack PEER to PEER group and domestic violence centers, to help participants heal and develop skills for personal growth.

Natural horsemanship principles are central to the program, Buck adds, noting that it ensures the horses are mentally, physically, and emotionally ready for their next chapter.

Hearts and Harmony in Marion County

Through a connection with the Parelli family, Buck met Donna Blem, owner of Evolution Horsemanship in Citra. This winter, Buck and Blem launched Hearts and Harmony, a collaborative program designed to serve Marion County. Based at Blem’s 55-acre farm, the program offers equine-assisted therapy to veterans, service members, first responders, and survivors of trauma.

The program emphasizes personal development, including skills like self-esteem, trust, leadership, and healthy boundaries.

“We’re just embarking on this,” Buck said. Hearts and Harmony held its first session on Jan. 15, 2025.

A Shared Journey

Buck sees parallels between retired racehorses and veterans transitioning to civilian life.

“Veterans have been living on somebody else’s terms; they’re told when to get up, they’re told when to go out and do this, they’re told when to go out and do that,” she said. “They live on somebody else’s schedule. The racehorses are the same. They live on somebody else’s schedule. When they come off the track, they have to learn how to go out and be a horse again, be out in a herd of horses and learn to speak their language. These veterans who come back, they need to learn to be civilians again.”

Upcoming Event

Hearts and Harmony will host a Horsemanship Extravaganza on Feb. 13, 2025, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Evolution Horsemanship, located at 18300 NE 45th Avenue Rd. in Citra. Gates open at 2 p.m.

The event will feature special presenters, including Ryan Rose, Jake Biernbaum, Emily Rose, Pete Rhodda, Jesse Peters and Family, Linda Parelli, and Patrick and Avery Sullivan.

Tickets are $50 per person. Proceeds will support the program’s equine-assisted therapy efforts. For more information, call 570-578-6377.