Ellen Downey is the director and founder of the TUFF Therapeutic Riding Program, a charity outside Alliston, Ont., where horses help at-risk youth — including 2SLGBTQ teens and those who use substances or have been trafficked — address their mental health needs. The aim is to help them reclaim their lives with the support of these 1,800-pound therapists.

NEED Before I began the TUFF program, the only mounted equine-assisted therapies in Canada were for disabled and neurodivergent populations. At-risk youth often struggle with trust, which can make relationships tricky. Most of them put on a tough exterior: they dislike talking to adults and are resistant to traditional forms of therapy. But horses — incredibly giving animals — can reach them in ways people often can’t.

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