Meet Eileen Shanahan of the Warrior Ranch Foundation

When it comes to helping others, Eileen Shanahan of the Warrior Ranch Foundation, has definitely stepped up. The Warrior Ranch Foundation works with veterans and first responders, as well as horses in need of rescue.

She is founder and president of the Calverton-based organization that has helped more than 500 veterans and first responders from all across Long Island. She believes in the therapeutic value of hard work, sunshine, animals, and fellow humans.

“I’ve had people who come out to the Ranch three or four times and then want to volunteer,” Shanahan says of the ranch that needs constant maintenance. There’s always the barn to patch, fences to build, and gates to repair. There are also horses that need grooming, training, and feeding. “The thing about horses is that they can feel goodness in you.”

Shanahan says that, though the horse is being rescued, at the same time it is building a bridge for the veteran or first responder to use to begin to regain a sense of him or herself. Warrior Ranch acquires horses in need of rescue and rehabilitates them. They recently received a donation from Todd Miller and Greg Caggiano, founding attorneys of Miller & Caggiano, LLP. Shanahan says it costs about $10,000 to adopt a horse, which covers fees, transportation of the horse to the ranch, veterinary bills, and feed. Their goal is to rehabilitate and repurpose the horse and then put it up for adoption into a forever home. Currently, there are three rescue horses living at the ranch.

“One of our rescues is Sully, a standard race horse who was in a kill pen when we found him,” Shanahan says. “He’s our ambassador. He has one eye and had a hard time relating to others when we got him. Many of our veterans relate to him because of his injury; many of the vets and first responders have injuries, even if you can’t see all of them.”

Shanahan says that witnessing Sully transform from a frightened animal who favored his injury to a confident animal is not only great for the horse, but also for participants. The two other resident horses are Chevy and Ranger.

“You can see how the animal begins to relax as the participant begins to relax,” says Shanahan, who owns two horses that she often brings to the ranch for the veterans and first responders to ride and work with. “You can see how the horse responds to the person working with him. If that person is anxious or having difficulty, the horse will sense that and become more anxious. And, when the participant becomes aware and begins to calm down and regulate his breathing lowering heart rate; consequently, the horse begins to settle down.”

“Most of the participants who come here haven’t really worked with horses,” Shanahan says, “but the horses are intuitive. They sense what the human needs and offer their warmth. You really have to learn about yourself before throwing a leg over a horse.”

The Warrior Ranch Foundation was established as a not-for-profit in 2016. At first, they worked with individual participants using their personal horses. They rescued their first horse in 2021.

“We had to have twenty thousand dollars in the bank before we could rescue a horse,” explains Shanahan, who grew up in a military family. “We didn’t win the lottery, so we had to learn to do what we could where we were with what we had. We eventually got a lease on this property through Suffolk County. We started working with County Executive Steve Ballone in 2017 and leased the property in 2019. The location was an abandoned beagle club, overgrown, and in need of renovations.”

It took a lot of work, but thanks to donations from benefactors like Miller & Caggiano, Suffolk Securities, Local 138, American Regent, and many others, they transformed the property into a ranch. Warrior Ranch gratefully receive free veterinary care for the horses. Riverhead Building Supply has been generous to provide lumber and other building materials.

Military veterans and first responders are invited to attend clinics and workshops where they learn from an expert how to work with horses in a variety of capacities. Warrior Ranch accommodates all levels of participants. Activities include grooming, feeding, and ground exercises. As participants engage in these non-riding activities, they develop bonds, give guidance, demonstrate leadership and help horses overcome certain fears. While there are some long-time equine residents, the primary goal is to rehabilitate troubled horses, making them fit to return home or be put up for adoption.

The veterans and first responders also gain many advantages from their interactions. In addition to basic horsemanship, the veterans learn ranching skills such as fixing fences, feeding animals, harvesting hay, and building paddocks. According to Tufts University, equine-assisted therapy has been proven to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I think one of the most important things we offer is camaraderie and a sense of purpose,” Shanahan says. The Ranch is open three or four days a week staffed by approximately 20 consistent volunteers and two part-time employees. The goal is to receive enough financial support to be able to hire three full-time and two part-time employees. “We could use more people, because we would like to be open seven days a week. There is always something that needs fixing. We have six acres and want it to  be a welcoming safe haven for the animals and the humans.”

All services are provided free to veterans and first responders. For more information, call 631-740-9049 or visit warriorranchfoundation.org.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.