(LEX 18) — A local equine therapy nonprofit is combining holiday spirit with fundraising this weekend, offering photo sessions with horses to support their scholarship program.
Annie's Answer, founded in 2014, will host holiday photoshoots with their therapy horses on Sunday. Odyssey Photography will capture the sessions, with proceeds helping fund scholarships for youth and adults in the program.
"Horses have a really strong electromagnetic field. And that's basically just saying that--as the kids would say--they put off good vibes. So whether or not you're interested in horses, you could just be within six feet of them and still get that benefit," said Alexandria Pannett, founder and director of Annie's Answer.
The nonprofit serves 250 people of all ages and backgrounds, including seniors and veterans. More than 20 horses of various sizes work with students in the program.
Pannett, who worked as a family court attorney when she started the organization, noticed trauma survivors -- especially children in foster care -- benefitted from working with her horse, Annie, who became the nonprofit's namesake.
"I was doing it informally, taking them out and working with the kids there, and then, before he retired, Judge Philpott said 'Annie is the answer for these kids. Bring Annie on into the courtroom, I want to meet her.' I said 'judge, Annie is a 1200 pound horse,'" Pannett said.
The organization serves people with physical disabilities and mental health concerns, offering support regardless of diagnosis.
"We serve people of all ages and backgrounds, all walks of life with any diagnosis. Or you don't have to have a diagnosis. We work with survivors of trauma, people with physical diagnoses, people with anxiety, depression, looking for stress relief," Pannett said.
Beyond mental health benefits, the program helps participants develop essential life skills.
"There of course is the mental health benefit of feeling that stress relief, you can have happiness, joy, but you can also build life skills. You can learn leadership, responsibility, self-regulation is a really big one out here," Pannett said.
If you'd like to learn how to book a photo session, click here: Annie's Answer Christmas Horse Mini’s with Odyssey Photography
If you'd like to learn how to volunteer or donate to the program, click here: Annie's Answer
