When Gabriella Guinn ’25 began her search for an internship last spring, she had no idea that it would ultimately lead to the reignition of a partnership between two Georgetown institutions dedicated to changing lives.

Growing up in California, Guinn has always had a special bond with horses. She began riding at seven years old and never looked back, ultimately participating in competitive dressage and other equestrian events. Horses also played a major role in her healing process from a series of surgeries to correct a cleft palate.

“Even though you can’t talk to a horse like you can talk to a human, they can still understand you,” Guinn said. “It’s a very special gift to have a bond with a horse where you can communicate with them without really saying anything. Horses have always helped me recover faster coming back from a surgery because those bonds are so powerful.”

After switching her major from biology to kinesiology, Guinn reached out to Assistant Professor of Instruction in Kinesiology Vanessa Mikan for help finding an internship for the spring of her junior year. Mikan knew just the place: ROCK, the Ride On Center for Kids.

Located less than two miles from the Southwestern campus, ROCK is a non-profit organization that has been transforming lives for 27 years through the power of therapy horses. ROCK provides equine-assisted services to children, adults, and veterans with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges.

“What really ties us as a kinesiology department together with ROCK is their mission – enhancing quality of life through movement,” Mikan said. “We say that ‘movement is life’ in our department. ROCK provides individuals with the opportunity to feel movement in a very different way. Someone who may be wheelchair bound has the opportunity to feel the movement of walking while on a horse. They are able to teach individuals how to overcome fears, try new things, and challenge themselves through movement.”

With a natural connection between the missions of ROCK and the Southwestern Kinesiology Department, Mikan began recommending the organization as an internship destination for students in 2017. After three successful years, the pipeline of kinesiology majors heading to ROCK for internships hit an abrupt stop during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the uncertainties surrounding the global pandemic, the relationship between the two organizations cooled – that is, until Guinn showed up.

After learning about ROCK through Mikan, Guinn began volunteering at the organization. Her time as a volunteer opened the door for a spring internship, which was then extended into a fall internship, and now Guinn is in the process of completing her senior capstone project at ROCK.

Guinn serves in a variety of capacities at ROCK, including as a sidewalker – someone who walks alongside the rider and horse to ensure the safety and comfort of the rider.

“One horse stride is about four human steps,” Guinn said. “When a person who is not able to walk gets on a horse for 45 minutes, that’s quite a few steps around. They’re able to feel what a human gait feels like through the horse. When I ask riders how it makes them feel, they say ‘I feel independent. I feel free. I feel like I get to be me when I’m on a horse.’ It’s amazing what horses can do, and it’s amazing that ROCK has so many horses and can include so many riders out there.”

ROCK began in 1998 with one horse and four riders. In the nearly three decades since, the organization has grown to 37 horses that serve over 400 participants a year, with the help of over 200 volunteers. Over the years, ROCK has added programs to help veterans with PTSD and anxiety, as well as programs in physical therapy and speech therapy.

“When I ask riders how it makes them feel, they say ‘I feel independent. I feel free. I feel like I get to be me when I’m on a horse.’ It’s amazing what horses can do.” – Gabriella Guinn ’25

The life-changing work that ROCK performs every day was captured in a new documentary, Where the Horses Heal the Soul, a powerful behind-the-scenes look at four individuals who have unlocked their full potential and embraced a brighter path forward through ROCK.

On Saturday, November 9, Southwestern will host the on-campus premiere of the documentary. The screening will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the McCombs Ballrooms and feature a Q&A with the film’s stars. The event is free and open to the public.

“I know it’s going to be an incredibly emotional film, because of the personal stories of these four stars,” Mikan said. “ROCK reconnected these stars with the value of life. That’s why it’s so emotional, because we’ve all faced life’s challenges, but some face them in so many other ways. The fact that you can truly say ‘a horse saved my life’ is pretty cool.”

The documentary premiered on October 14 in front of a sold-out crowd at the Georgetown Palace Theatre. Early reviews rave about the power of the film.

“Everyone that we’ve talked to that has seen it has said that you just leave feeling really good,” Mikan said. “It’s a feel good movie that makes you connect with life again, which, coming from a stress management perspective, all of us need every now and then. We’re hoping to get that same effect here on campus.”

“That’s why it’s so emotional, because we’ve all faced life’s challenges, but some face them in so many other ways. The fact that you can truly say ‘a horse saved my life’ is pretty cool.” – Assistant Professor of Instruction in Kinesiology Vanessa Mikan

The documentary’s two executive producers, Barbara and George Brightwell, provide another meaningful connection between ROCK and Southwestern University. Barbara was the Dean of Women at Southwestern in the 1970s, while George served as the University Registrar. After retiring from Southwestern, the couple remained pillars in Georgetown’s philanthropic community.

When ROCK was just beginning their mission, the Brightwells purchased and then donated the initial 20 acres of land to the organization. Nestled between Southeast Inner Loop and Sam Houston Avenue, just south of the Southwestern campus, this land continues to serve as ROCK’s home to this day, and has since expanded to 60 acres.

Barbara and George both passed away in 2023, but their legacy lives on at ROCK through Where the Horses Heal the Soul, and at Southwestern through the Brightwell Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Back at ROCK, Guinn is doing her part to honor the Brightwells and further strengthen the bond between the organization and the University. During her time as an intern, she has become a certified member of the feed team responsible for feeding the horses. She has also earned the title of arena assistant, helping assist instructors throughout their lessons. Guinn is currently in horse handler training, where she aims to soon become certified to lead her own lessons.

“It’s therapy for me, in a way, because sometimes I’ll be having a rough morning or a bad day, but when I go out to ROCK, I realize that the world is okay and that I’m going to be okay,” Guinn said. “It’s a relief to just walk in there because it’s so peaceful and open. It makes your heart happy.”

After logging over 80 internship hours at ROCK, Guinn is entering the next phase of her relationship with the organization. Seeing first-hand the powerful work that the organization does, Guinn approached ROCK Founder and Chief Executive Officer Nancy O’Meara Krenek about potentially completing an experiential senior capstone project at ROCK.

“The wheels started turning last spring,” Guinn said. “I was talking to Dr. Krenek and I told her that I’d like to do my senior capstone out here. I asked her, ‘what would you like me to look into or research more? Is there a need that I can fill or a question that I can answer? How can I help you?’”

Krenek eagerly tasked Guinn with determining exactly how ROCK is improving the lives of their riders. Guinn then developed a capstone project to identify and quantify just how ROCK is able to carry out their mission of “improving independence and life skills in partnership with the horse.” A core piece of the project is a questionnaire that will soon be distributed to all participants in the ROCK riding program, asking about their personal connections to the mission statement and how it relates to their own independence and life skills. ROCK plans to use Guinn’s findings to further enhance the services they offer.

For Mikan, this type of internship and capstone experience is what the kinesiology department prides itself on.

“Anything that has to do with enhancing quality of life – mentally, physically, and emotionally – is what kinesiology is all about,” she said. “With Gabby being there and pulling me more into it, I have learned and heard more of the stories. That has made this partnership more meaningful because now I know how many lives they are touching through movement, which is so important to us. That’s what I love about experiential capstones: not just making a connection with a community partner, but building and nourishing a really deep, meaningful partnership. For a faculty member, it’s a dream.”

Join the Southwestern University community at the on-campus premiere of Where the Horses Heal the Soul on Saturday, November 9 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. inside the McCombs Ballrooms. Entry is free and tickets are not required. For more information about the documentary, please visit wherethehorseshealthesoul.com.