Volunteer Spotlight: Larry

At Zenhorse®, every volunteer brings something unique to the herd—and some bring a lifetime of wisdom, service, and curiosity right along with them.

This month, we’re honored to spotlight Larry Jeude, a longtime experiential educator, photographer, and now a deeply valued member of our Zenhorse® community. What began as a tentative connection through a friend has grown into a meaningful service-learning journey—one that includes muck boots, mustangs, and a whole lot of heart.

“Zenhorse’s mission is to support the healing and empowerment of both humans and horses who have experienced trauma by working in partnership with one another. By the very nature of the horse human relationship this profound connection can facilitate emotional healing.

The 13 horses of the Zenhorse herd, all rescue animals, play a pivotal role in equine-assisted therapy. Through professional guided facilitation of the human – horse interactions these majestic animals help clients gain self-awareness via their intuitive nature and connection with humans. The horses assist clients in gaining a better understanding of themselves by mirroring the emotional states of the humans with which they engage.

Board members and volunteers are the life blood of the Zenhorse organization and are critical to providing the necessary capital and labor needed to take care of the 13 horses on a daily basis. The horses are all rescue animals, adopted from other agencies during organized wild Mustang roundups in the western United States.

Turning wild mustangs into animals suitable for Equine Assisted Therapy takes time and patience. This process known as “gentling” is a key aspect of the Zenhorse operation. The goal of the Gentling process is to allow the horses to safely and meaningfully interact with humans. The therapeutic efficacy of the horse –human interaction is predicated on the horses’ remarkable ability to provide clear, direct, and rapid biofeedback.

During interactions between horses and humans this unique bond counts on the honest and unbiased biofeedback of the horses which enables humans to deepen their self-awareness and promote emotional healing. It’s not about horses adapting to the human world and human communication but about teaching humans the non-verbal language of the horse so the humans are the ones who ultimately learn how to become a member of the herd.

I have been fortunate to make my living as an experiential/adventure educator for the

past 40 years. In that capacity I have found many threads that connect the myriad of

ideas, strategies and methodologies that are encompassed by the term “Experiential

Education”. A prominent strand among this mélange is that of “Service Learning”.

The idea of service learning is just what it sounds like; the student learns while being in

service to a community, organization, or society at large. The learning approach in this

context means that it is hands-on, with immediate feedback, and contributes to the

betterment of the recipients of that service.

Originally my association with Zenhorse was tentative at best. My late wife and

Peggy Lewis were old (won’t say how old) friends and from time to time we visited

Peggy at the ‘ranch,’ and I was intrigued by the idea of Equine Assisted Therapy.

My professional work was mainly working to help create effective teams through structured

experientially based activities that were predicated on 5 key concepts; 1. Effective

Communication, 2. A Systematic approach to Problem Solving, 3. Situational Decision

Making, 4. Goal setting, and 5. The one that rules them all: Trust.

When my wife passed away Peggy was one of the people who unselfishly

reached out to me and provided support and compassion in that most trying of times.

When she invited me to be part of a “Barn Day” and help work around the Blue Sage

Ranch I was glad to return some of that compassion and caring and readily accepted

the challenge.

I have little experience with horses especially the care, feeding and daily

“maintenance” (mucking stalls etc.) of the animals. So, for me, my mental health, and

just my innate curiosity, I started to volunteer on a regular basis. This became a

“Service Learning” opportunity for me where I could learn about horses, equine assisted

therapy, explore the spiritual connection in the horse-human interaction and help a

worthy non-profit at the same time. I was walking the walk of how I believed education

should happen.

Another thread in the warp and weft of creating a relationship tapestry with Zenhorse

comes from photography. When I retired, I needed an intellectual outlet to keep my

mind sharp and, after my wife’s passing, I found that filling time with photography was a

great way to satisfy my need for social interaction, desire for adventure and the need for

intellectual stimulation.

I started to take photography classes at Meramec Community College, and low and behold, I found great inspiration, subject matter, and opportunity in my time volunteering at Zenhorse. This intersection has culminated in a final project for my last class consisting of 22, 11 X 14 images, which depicts the story of Zenhorse as I have seen it to this point in time.”

Larry reminds us that learning doesn’t end with retirement—and that healing, connection, and contribution can take many forms. Whether he’s capturing the essence of the herd through his camera lens or helping out on Barn Days, Larry brings intention, insight, and genuine presence to everything he does.

We’re also excited to share that Zenhorse® is currently working with Larry to collaborate on a new offering:The Adaptive Edge: Leadership & Resilience in a Changing World—an immersive experience designed to help teams and leaders cultivate adaptability, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking through experiential learning in a nature-based setting (with the mustangs, of course).

Larry, thank you for walking the walk—and for being part of our story.