Veterans, active duty personnel, first responders and their families can enjoy free equine services and other activities courtesy of Heroes, Cowboys, and Companions, a nonprofit organization located at 2208 Highway 52 in Pine Bush that was established last year by Jacque Transmeier and Dwayne Lallathin, two Middletown residents.

Transmeier and Lallathin founded the organization on December 24, 2022, and it officially became a nonprofit on January 21, 2023. Transmeier, an expert in horses and building relationships with them, was inspired by her late mother’s volunteer work and sought to support the veterans and first responders in her community.

“In February of 2022, my mom passed away, and at her funeral, I learned how much community service she did for the local area. And at that point, I decided I wanted to follow in her footsteps and do something good for the world,” Transmeier said. “It has always been a dream of mine to be able to take my profession of horses and share with others the amazing effects you can have from their relationships.”

Lallathin, a fourth-generation veteran and member of the American Legion, funded the organization and strived to help America’s heroes however he could.

“We cater to the most deserving of our society. To be so unselfish to risk your life for a complete stranger on a daily basis goes above and beyond the society norm,” he said. “Companionship being the keyword here. They know they can depend on us for help when needed. Not to mention we simply show them appreciation by letting them get away from what is holding them back.”

Equine Services
HCC allows participants to connect with one of its three horses, or miniature mule, and engage in several relationship-building activities. These exercises include spending time with the desired horse, whether inside or outside the pen, understanding the horse’s boundaries and learning about its gestures.

“It’s complicated, there’s a lot of nuances that go with it. It’s just getting comfortable in asking and making requests, and also meeting and being able to say ‘no’ to a horse’s request, and being able to understand the minute signals that they give, because it’s noncommunication,” Transmeier said. “It’s a lot of slowing down with understanding, reading, and being able to work with a nonverbal animal.”

These equine services are a type of trauma recovery that can help participants understand not only their relationships with their families and people around them but also internal relationships.

“It allows them to build a safe, healthy relationship and understand the principles, and to put the principles into effect and turn inwards,” Transmeier explained. “You can take outside of the animals and do that with others. And you can do it with yourself because a lot of us don’t have great relationships with ourselves.”

Clare, a participant, expressed how impactful HCC’s equine services were for her and complimented Transmeier and Lallathin’s relationships with their horses.
“The high level of respect you have for each of your babies and how you discipline yourself to communicate speaks volumes to me,” Clare said to Transmeier. “The way this is all connected with our communication as humans, especially on the nonverbal level, is a highly transformative opportunity for everyone to glean from.”

“Thank you so much for elevating my life. I am looking forward to be mentored in this type of healing-communication style,” she continued. “I see for myself on this journey of equine therapy is now I’m seeing myself as a vessel for healing others.”

Other Activities
Aside from its horses, HCC also offers one-on-one fishing trips, hunting trips, gardening, and group retreats, and both its farm and activities are handicap accessible. This year, for instance, Transmeier and Lallathin took Steve Valyou, a veteran who uses a wheelchair, out on a white-tailed deer hunt, and Valyou was delighted with the experience.

“This past year, we took a veteran from Northern New York out on a whitetail hunt. He was in a wheelchair, and we got him down to the blind and got him set up, and he was able to get a 10-point buck,” Transmeier said.

“Many people don’t realize what veterans like myself deal with daily, between the physical and mental challenges,” Valyou said. “Although I am stiff and sore from sitting in one position so long, the hunt has helped me breathe fresh air to help continue to push forward.”

Plans for Next Year
Starting in 2024, HCC will host “Saturday Salutes” on the third Saturday of every month, featuring learning sessions for mushroom inoculation, beehive management, sauerkraut implants, and more. Additionally, Transmeier is open to further expanding HCC’s activities if participants wish to do something else.

“I’m pretty open if they want to do any other activities. This isn’t like a cookie cutter, I’m not following anybody’s standard way of doing things,” she said. “I’m just hoping to get into the community and have them tell me what they would like to do. We have access to this beautiful farm and I’d like to be able to utilize it to its capacity.”

Transmeier and Lallathin currently fund the HCC themselves, but they look to host fundraisers and begin grant writing in the new year. The duo will also assemble a small group of volunteers this coming summer to help them with retreats and some trips.

“The volunteers would be able to assist if we’re doing a retreat or something to help us with the setup, the food. Just making that if it got to be a larger crowd, that everybody stays safe and within the boundaries of the farm,” Transmeier said.

For more information or to donate, call Transmeier at (914) 483-8633, call Dwayne Lallathin at (845) 664-2597, or visit their website at heroesancowboys@gmail.com.

If you are not a veteran, active duty personnel, first responder, or related to one, you can still participate in HCC’s activities and events by paying a fee. Equine services will cost $100 per session, and the other activities’ prices will vary.