Where Horses Heal Hearts
A veteran-led nonprofit where equine wisdom, pastoral care, and clinical healing converge — welcoming all who seek belonging, restoration, and peace.
Healing at the Speed of Trust
Presence
Honest feedback from the horse
Three pillars guide every encounter — with horses, with community, with self.
Connection
Building awareness and trust
Resilience
Strength for life’s challenges
Veteran-Led. Horse-Guided. Community-Rooted.
Hope for Healing was founded by Kim Slininger, an Air Force veteran who experienced firsthand what horses can do that therapy rooms cannot. Deaconess Kim Slininger, equines Emma and Penny believe that healing is relational, embodied, and deeply human.
We are not a clinical program. We are a community built for those who have served in the military or as first responders, who have suffered, and are ready to find their way back to themselves.
Programs & Services
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Structured sessions with Emma and Penny, guided by our EAAR (Equine-Assisted Attachment Recalibration) model. Grounded in attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology, this work helps veterans, families, and individuals process trauma, rebuild trust, and restore nervous system regulation — without needing to verbalize what happened. Available individually or in groups. Veterans and first responders served at reduced cost.
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A veteran-focused intensive combining equine-assisted work, peer connection, and spiritual grounding. Designed for those who have served and are navigating the transition home — restoring purpose, belonging, and identity after service. Veterans and first responders served at reduced or no cost.
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Offered by Deaconess Kim Slininger — spiritual accompaniment for those navigating grief, moral injury, identity rupture, or crisis of meaning. No religious affiliation required. Pastoral care walks alongside you without requiring you to be composed, certain, or well. Open to all.
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Individual clinical sessions by appointment, provided by a licensed mental health professional. Confidential, trauma-informed, and grounded in evidence-based practice. Integrated with the EAAR framework for clients also participating in equine-assisted sessions. By referral or direct inquiry.
Voices from the Journey
“I came to Hope for Healing skeptical. I left understanding something about myself I hadn’t been able to reach in years of treatment. The horses don’t lie — and neither does what happens here.”
— U.S. Army Veteran, Spirit Warrior Program
— Former Customer“Kim has a gift for holding space without judgment. The combination of equine work and pastoral care reached me in ways I didn’t expect. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I had to hold it all together.”
— Maine First Responder, Spirit Warrior Program
— Former Customer“Watching veterans find peace through this program has been one of the most moving things I’ve witnessed. Hope for Healing is doing work that cannot be replicated anywhere else in Maine.”
— Community Supporter & Donor
— Former Customer