The gift of animals

CHATFIELD — Bubba the Bold, Barron the Brave and Fernando the Fearless could be mistaken for fictional characters out of a storybook. For Cindy Forrer, they are her equine best friends, and they happen to live in her barn. Outside of Chatfield, along a peaceful riverbank, Forrer cares for therapy animals on her farm. Along with Forrer, these animals work hard to bring smiles to hospice patients, living communities for older adults, veteran home residents and other community members.

Forrer and her animals travel cross-country every year. They spend winters in Scottsdale, Arizona, before travelling back to Minnesota for summer, doing the same line of work in both states.

An equine specialist in mental health and learning, she is credentialed through the Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International. The science around equine therapy, or equine-assisted therapy, is evolving, Forrer said. A horse’s heart-field, or the electromagnetic field generated by the heart, is five times larger and stronger than a human’s, and being around horses has been shown to positively influence people’s heart rhythm and emotions, she said. It can be beneficial to people of all ages who are struggling with mental health, behavioral health or physical challenges.

Forrer has three animals in her care, and since her retirement from her day job three years ago, she said she can focus more time on their mission.

Baron, a Morgan-type miniature horse, stands 8.3 hands tall. A hand is a unit of measurement used for horse height, defined as 4 inches. Baron is qualified through the Miniature Equine Therapy Standards Association and has been providing therapy work for five years.

Fernando, a 30-inch micro-miniature donkey, joined their team six months ago. Forrer has plans to qualify him for the METSA program also.

Forrer launched her nonprofit, Valor Equine Assisted Services, in November 2025. Previously, she had been operating under the name Hero Horses.
Forrer said she rebranded when she decided to add a donkey to the team. 

Another of Forrer’s therapy animals, Bubba, is a 1,400-pound Friesian-draft cross. Forrer said while Bubba is a bit large to take into care facilities, he gives the best hugs, loves to be brushed and enjoys being petted, so she plans to give him a special role right on the farm, she said.

“For me, it’s all about sharing the horses and the donkey,” Forrer said. “I know what they’ve done for me. … If I can bring someone that kind of benefit, then I’ll do as much of that as I can.”

Forrer keeps Baron’s credentials up to date through the METSA program with requalification every two years. Forrer said she finds it helpful in identifying areas and skills that need strengthening. There is no downside to qualifying her animals through the program, she said, since therapy animals are exposed to so many different situations and rarely face the same challenge twice.

“While most facilities don’t require it (METSA), Baron and I work with Mayo Clinic Hospice and other health systems, and they can be very credential driven,” Forrer said.

Ten years ago, Forrer said she came across the opportunity to volunteer at a miniature horse rescue facility. A local woman, Joey Ogburn, was looking for help with chores, having just rescued 11 miniature horses.

“It was so eye-opening,” Forrer said. “Every one of those little horses had a different personality, and most of them were large personalities.”

Forrer helped with chores and eventually accompanied Ogburn and her horses on therapy visits. Forrer said she was fascinated by the experience and knew this was a road she wanted to follow.

“This work really resonated with me,” Forrer said. “So many of the positive things I credit to Joey. I learned so much from her. … It’s been an amazing road.” 

Forrer’s knowledge base, acquired through her experience and through her training as an equine specialist, really showed her how horses can help people who are struggling, hurting or just having a bad day, she said.

Baron’s history before coming to Forrer creates a meaningful, intuitive bond with veterans.

“Some of my favorite interactions have been with veterans,” Forrer said. “When they find out that Baron is full of high-power rifle pellets from somebody using him for target practice, … they immediately identify with him.”

When Forrer decided to become an equine specialist, she said, she spent two years volunteering at a rehabilitation facility in Arizona. She worked with teens who were victims of human trafficking.

“That is really where I first saw the power of what horses can do interacting with humans,” Forrer said. “We would partner with the horses to show these teens how boundaries should be established in relationships, and we taught self-care through horse grooming.”

Forrer said the experience taught her how fortunate she was. The victims she worked with only got to spend two hours a week with horses, and she was lucky to have spent her whole life around horses.

Forrer grew up on a farm just outside of Spring Valley. She said she was gifted her first pony at age 3. Horses were a constant presence in her life from then on. Throughout her 20s and 30s, after suffering the loss of her father and moving cross-country, she valued the one constant she had come to know and rely on — her horses.

“My horses were really my way of centering myself,” Forrer said. “They enabled me to navigate such huge, disruptive changes in my life. Keeping time with my horses was a priority.”

Working as a pharmacist for 40 years, Forrer was no stranger to medical conditions and therapeutic practices.

“As I went along in my life, I realized how horses have given so much to me,” Forrer said. “I wanted to give back.”

Forrer now spends her days attending mental health awareness, school and community events and visiting veteran homes and care facilities with Baron — and soon, Fernando.

“Memories run deep and are so dear,” Forrer said. “Sometimes, Baron triggers something … different for everyone, … but smiles and tears definitely go together.”

Forrer said she has heard many patients she visits speak about their experiences, the big lives they previously had, and how they often have a much more contained existence presently. Time with Forrer’s animals can often help these people relive cherished memories and reconnect to times in their lives when they had more freedom.

“It was pretty telling to me that it’s something you can’t really replace,” Forrer said. “(The only thing you can do is) bring it to them because their world might just be this one room now.”