ABOUT

Living with Nature

The beautiful thing is that we have great teachers in nature to remind us on a daily basis about nurturing our personal relationships. It’s what it’s all about, while experiencing the solace in the wide open spaces here on the Dream River Ranch.. We encourage you to book some horse time so you too can experience this wonder and peace. If you are interested, fill in the form on the Contact link.

We are pioneers and settlers creating change in society

Dream River Ranch, LLC, is on 80-acres in SW Idaho, established in 2007. We call it the high desert prairie. Elevation is 3,200 ft, with rolling foothills of the Danskin Mountain Range harboring abundant wildlife. The historical Oregon Trail and the Stagecoach King Ben Hollady's Overland Stage Route is within riding distance, and provides a rich history into our old western culture. The City of Boise is 30-min to the west of us and the small neighboring town of Mountain Home In Elmore County is 20-min to the east.

Our pioneering spirit finds us living like the homesteaders who came before us. Sometimes we have hardships, and we discover the reasons, purposes and how to reuse that energy for the good. We have endured and can now share with those who are seeking knowledge and dedicated to making that change in their lifestyle.

Our foremost vision is to develop the land to accommodate an equestrian lifestyle. Horses are a link to our human civilization, and how we arrived in the modern world. They provide a connection with spirit that reminds us to be humble and compassionate with others, while teaching us to find the leader within.

Relationships

Don’t skip over this part. Relationships can be hard and many people avoid the conversation. Re-connecting with nature can help soften the blow. Take horses for example. Try to imagine yourself in a herd. It’s easy. Humans are hard wired to live in tribes/herds. So are horses. That’s how they survive in the wild. Our horses provide great examples to our students with opportunities to learn better at how to interact with each other. Take what you learn and share in your personal relationships. Inquire about horse time through our Contact link..

Find out more about the horses on our Services page here under Students and Horses Excel, a 501 c3 charitable organization.

CO-FOUNDERS

Joseph

Joseph Morisette

CO-FOUNDER Joseph Morisette

Joseph brings years of problem solving experience to the Founder's Circle. He is a great mediator, financial officer and can fix everything that gets broken on the ranch.

Over the years he has volunteered for many civic positions. Here you see him in a fire fighter's uniform that he has worn for many years to help our local community in training and battling wild fires as well as the BLM. He was trained in structural fires and held a fire boss position in a small mountain town in Utah.

Joseph is a LCPC, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Over the years he established a Domestic Violence program in Ada County providing treatment to court ordered offenders. .

Following that he worked with juvenile offenders and general counseling with families and youth. He also assists with the equine therapy program with SHE.

Willa Rose

CO-FOUNDER Willa Rose

Willa continues to hold the Dream of making available horse activities to the public for the enrichment of the lives of youth, rebuilding the memories of the aged, connecting physical and mental signals in the neurodivergent, bringing peace to those who suffer from PTSD, and helping to heal wounded hearts of those who have served.

She also believes that we need to remember that horses are a key part of our human cultural development. Throughout time they have carried warriors into battle and gently helped heal them after such traumatic experienes with therapeutic activities.

Since the early 80s she has prepared for this decade of great change and expansion in extending to families and individuals the magic of the healing heart of the horse. *

*Interesting history of horses being used for therapy.

Earliest Known Use of Horses in Wounded Warrior Rehabilitation

The earliest documented use of horses for therapeutic purposes dates back to ancient Greece, where the physician Hippocrates (circa 400 BC) described the healing benefits of riding horses for physical and mental health Heroes, Heroines, and History+1. This early practice was part of broader ancient healing traditions, where horses were valued not only for labor but also for their calming and restorative effects.

In the centuries that followed, therapeutic riding was recorded in medieval and Renaissance Europe, sometimes prescribed for conditions like gout, neurological disorders, and low morale Heroes, Heroines, and History. However, the first clear example of horses being used in rehabilitation for wounded soldiers emerged during World War I. In that conflict, horses were incorporated into rehabilitation programs for injured troops, and their potential for both physical and mental recovery began to be recognized Medium.

While Hippocrates’ writings mark the earliest documented therapeutic use of horses, the first systematic wartime rehabilitation use for wounded warriors was in the early 20th century, specifically during World War I, when military medicine began to integrate equine-assisted therapy into recovery efforts Medium. This laid the groundwork for the formal development of equine-assisted therapy in the mid‑20th century, such as the Scandinavian polio rehabilitation programs in the 1940s Heroes, Heroines, and History.

Summary timeline:

~400 BC – Hippocrates documents therapeutic riding in ancient Greece Heroes, Heroines, and History+1.
17th–18th centuries – Therapeutic riding recorded for various ailments Heroes, Heroines, and History.
Early 1900s – Horses used in rehabilitation for wounded soldiers in WWI Medium.
1940s–1950s – Formal equine-assisted therapy programs emerge, especially for polio survivors Heroes, Heroines, and History.

So, while the idea of using horses for healing is ancient, the earliest known wounded warrior rehabilitation use began in World War I, with earlier therapeutic riding traditions predating it by over two millennia.