News & Media

Philly schools are starting a new therapeutic program for students — featuring horses and donkeys

By Kristen A. Graham
​The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Cheered by the success of the [Leading the Way] pilot, the Philadelphia School District is expanding the program to 12 schools this academic year — Morrison, Harding Middle School in Frankford, Hancock Elementary in the Northeast, Hunter in North Philadelphia, Sharswood in South Philadelphia, and Roosevelt Elementary in Germantown this fall, and six to-be-determined schools in the spring."

"As a school leader, the impact that this actually has in the building is tremendous," said Lowe. "We have kids that are talking about physical safety, and emotional safety, and boundaries and respect."

For Immediate Release

October 28, 2024
​Malvern, PA
Gateway HorseWorks is pleased to announce a generous grant from the Foxwynd Foundation. This funding supports the expansion of Gateway HorseWorks' innovative "Leading the Way" program, which partners with the School District of
Philadelphia to deliver impactful equine-assisted learning services to students receiving emotional support. This grant is part of a collaborative effort of funders, including the Neubauer Family Foundation, the Anderson Family Foundation, and the Germeshausen Foundation, each committed to helping address critical mental health needs in the community.

Let's Talk About It 

Chelsea Kunkel
Let's Talk About It, WCHE
Take a listen to learn about the impact of the Beyond the Barn Program.  In this podcast, “Let’s Talk About It,” hear from a past program graduate who shares her experience and perspective about the importance of making innovative mental health available to young people. Special thanks to Chelsea Kunkel from Chester County ACEs Coalition for inviting us on!

For some people struggling with addictions, spending time with horses is healing

Scott Simon
Weekend Edition, NPR
Equine therapy can help those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Two men receiving treatment near Philadelphia talk with NPR's Scott Simon about their special bond with horses.

Taking the Reins for Mental Health

by Jamie Agamalian 
City Lifestyle, West Chester Lifestyle
"While talk therapy can help in many instances, horses open up individuals to new experiences and new ways to heal."

Therapy of a Different Color

by Dan Sullivan
​Lancaster Farming, Mid-Atlantic Horse 
"Gateway HorseWorks offers a path to trust for a broad range of clients looking to heal."

A Day in the Life- Kristen de Marco

Philly Current - Bet Issue
​Photography by Revati Doshi
"Given the opportunity, you can bet the farm that Kristen de Marco would bet on the horses every single time. No only is she the Executive Director of Gateway HorseWorks, but she's also a firm believer in equine therapy - a form of animal therapy that helps to build trust, compassion, and even offer the perspective of another living being. Skills that we could all use the help navigate the world around us. Ride along with her on this peaceful journey towards understanding and enlightenment. Giddy up!" 

The horses at Gateway HorseWorks are helping people heal from trauma

by Beccah Hendrickson
6abc Action News - Localish - June 13, 2022
As the world learns more about mental health, it's important to have a plethora of different therapy options for patients to assist them in their well-being. 

Chester County nonprofit aims to use horses to help heal people from trauma

by Beccah Hendrickson and 6abc Digital Staff
6abc Action News - May 25, 2022
"No one is disposable, and everybody has a purpose." 

Water and Wellness:
Essential Elements for Weathering the Storm

by Kristen de Marco
"Reaching out for help takes courage and strength, something we, as women farmers, know a little something about."
​

Horses Key To Award-Winning Therapy Program at Chesco Prison

by Marlene Lang
All too often, contact with the criminal justice system pushes people further to the margins, especially when it comes to prioritizing mental health treatment in jails and prisons. We are proud to serve people from the #commonwealth returning to our community, and look forward to scaling our program statewide, and eventually, nationally.

​Read the article to hear about our Stable Pathways program, connecting horses for the mental health treatment of people for those at the Chester County Prison. 

5 Ways That Businesses Can Help Promote The Mental Wellness Of Their Employees

by Parveen Panwar for Medium.com
Join Executive Director, Kristen de Marco, in creating a culture of care and mental wellness in the workplace in her conversation with Parveen Panwar for Medium.com. Kristen shares strategies for company and organization leadership to embrace mental health as a top priority.

“True connection is formed by building trust over time, and valuing people over bottom lines.”

Plaidcast: Episode 195

The Plaid Horse Magazine - September 2020
"Believing in the healing power of horses and wanting them to be accessible to everyone rather than an elite experience, Kristen is leading the way by developing, promoting, and providing equine-assisted learning and equine-assisted psychotherapy services throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region." 

Listen now to this episode of the Plaidcast to learn more from Kristen de Marco, Executive Director, about how horses are helping people's mental health.

Gateway HorseWorks is Looking for a Forever Home

Fox 29  - May 2020
 "Horses have an ability to help us see different parts of ourselves through the relationships that we form with them. When you're working on the ground with horses you have to find your own solutions to the challenges you're facing."

Therapeutic Programs Adjust to a
New World of Social Distancing

East Coast Equestrian - May 2020
"This experience is humbling in a way where we feel so out of control and helpless.  But what we keep reminding ourselves as a team is to control what we can control.  We can choose to do something, like giving back."

Equine assisted therapy helps Veterans return to life after combat

Fox 29 - November 2019
Fox 29's Bill Rorher has more on how equine-assisted psychotherapy helps Veterans transition to life after combat.

Equine Therapy at Gateway HorseWorks

Comcast Newsmakers - October 2019
Kristen de Marco, Executive Director for Gateway HorseWorks, talks about incorporating horses for the mental health treatment of people in the Philadelphia region.

On a Chester County farm, these horses help people heal.  Soon, they'll need a permanent home.

Philadelphia Inquirer - September 2019
"I've seen over the years how resilient people can be," de Marco said.  "People have the ability to heal themselves."

This Main Line Equine Specialist Uses Horses to Heal Folks From Trauma and Mental Health Issues

Philadelphia Magazine - September 2019
​Working with people and horses continues to reaffirm for me the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of incredible adversity.

The Streets Raised Us… and Horses Saved Us, with Kristen de Marco

Because of Horses Podcast - June 2019
Today’s guest is Equine Specialist, Kristen de Marco. Kristen is the founder and Executive Director of Gateway HorseWorks, a Philidelphia-based nonprofit that offers Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) in a farm setting to children, adults, and families.

​Flashpoint: Changemaker of the Week - Gateway HorseWorks

Flashpoint with Cherri Gregg - June 2019
The changemaker of the week is Gateway Horseworks, a Malvern based nonprofit that provides horse psychotherapy to the community.

​Gateway HorseWorks helps struggling humans find even footing.

FeeditForward.org - June 2019
Fannie and Rimtianna aren’t your typical therapists, but at Gateway Horseworks, the duo is part of a unique herd of horses that provide critical stepping stones toward healing for trauma survivors, including women escaping human trafficking, justice-involved youth and inmates preparing to re-enter society.

Film Screening Puts Gateway HorseWorks In Spotlight

Chester County Press - May 2019
To kick off the Devon Horse Show week, Gateway HorseWorks, a non-profit that incorporates horses for the mental health treatment of people, is holding a screening of the Sundance hit executive produced by Robert Redford, “The Mustang,” about prisoners healing via work with horses.

Eagala Essentials: Member Highlights

Association News & Rescources Newsletter - February 2019
Gateway Horseworks in Pennsylvania has been getting some wonderful media attention. Check out this wonderful article on Eagala with traumatized women. And then check out this recent news coverage video on the success of Eagala with addictions, how clients stay in treatment over 50% longer, and their new partnership with Recovery Centers of America! ​

​Equine Therapy for Recovering Drug Users

NBC10 Philadelphia - February 4th, 2019
Gateway Horseworks and The Recover Center of American in Devon, Pennsylvania, have teamed up to give people recovering from drug usage a new outlook on recovery. 

​'It’s What The World Needs': Gateway Horseworks Gives Traumatized Women Purpose, Empowerment, And Healing

Noellefloyd.com - January 23rd, 2019
Inmate Tammy James* was completing her jail sentence at the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. She was chosen to participate in the Chester County Women’s Reentry Assessment & Programming Initiative (WRAP) – a program developed specifically for female survivors of trauma who are transitioning back into the community following their sentence. She was also selected to participate in a new equine-assisted psychotherapy program (EAP)...

New Year’s Resolutions: 21 Ways to Volunteer in and Around Philly

PhillyMag.com - January 5th, 2019
Want to start your year off on the right foot? Start here.

Watch the Kentucky Derby At West Laurel Hill Cemetery to benefit Gateway HorseWorks

NBC10 Philadelphia - May 2nd, 2018

Horseplay: Eagala Organization Shows How Horses Help Lead Struggling Humans to Higher Ground

BOROPOST.COM - March 1st, 2018
Since almost the dawn of time, humans and horses have had a fluid relationship that has changed over the centuries, from carrying us into the battlefield to plowing our fields.
​
Recently this relationship has developed into equine-assisted psychotherapy, in which horses are being used in treatments for various mental health issues. 

Women Inmates Helped by Horses

The Daily Local News - November 25th, 2017
On a recent fall morning, four women inmates from Chester County Prison entered an indoor arena at the Thorncroft Equestrian Center and began to meet the duo who have been helping them navigate their way toward success outside of the prison walls.

But Jubilee and Mia are not your traditional counselors or social workers. Rather, they are the horses the quartet have come to know while engaging in equine therapy at the center outside Malvern, a developing part of the county’s acclaimed Women’s Reentry Assessment and Programming (WRAP) initiative.

Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy:
​An Emerging Trauma-Informed Intervention

Wednesday, September 27th, 2017
Written by Dr. Page Walker Buck. Dr. Nadine Bean, and Kristen de Marco

We are excited to share this recently published article from the peer-reviewed journal, Advances in Social Work! Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy is emerging as a promising trauma-informed intervention recognized in mainstream academic literature.

Marilyn Russell's Remarkable Women Radio Interview

Monday, June 5th, 2017
Marilyn Russell's Remarkable Women is an award-winning program hosted by Marilyn Russell of the Breakfast Club. Marilyn talks with two of the finalists of the 2017 Women's Achievement Awards on Wednesday June 28th at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. First Marilyn talks with Nicole Allen White, Director of Government Affairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She manages city, state and federal initiatives and external relations in the local and regional community. Then Kristen de Marco joins Marilyn. Kristen is a Certified Equine Learning Specialist and Executive Director - Gateway HorseWorks, educating the mental health community about Equine Assisted Psychotherapy with a focus on underserved and marginalized populations. Listen to the interview below.

Women's Achievement Awards Rising Star Honoree: Kristen de Marco

KYW News Radio 0160 - May 8th, 2017
Kristen de Marco has shown in a few years what can be accomplished by one woman with vision, commitment, and an understanding of critical unmet needs in her community.
Believing in the teaching and healing powers of horses, and wanting them to be accessible to everyone rather than an elite experience, she is leading the way in developing, promoting and providing Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) services throughout the area.

Perspectives on Parenting Radio Interview

1520 WCHE Radio - April 3rd, 2017
On this radio show, Julia hosts Kristen de Marco with Gateway HorseWorks, whose mission is to provide transformative Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Services to children, adults, and families in a healing, farm-based environment. Julia hosts a variety of guest experts on her weekly radio show on WCHE 1520 a.m., “Perspectives on Parenting with Julia Sherwin.” You can listen via the Tune In app or at WCHE1520.com.

Gateway HorseWorks Saddles Troubled Youth with Useful Tools​

Main Line Today - Fall/Winter 2016
A horse nipping at someone’s jacket sleeve isn’t normally a big deal. Kristen de Marco, however, saw it as an opportunity for a therapeutic exercise. “How do you get him to stop?” she asked the patient standing with her in the enclosed arena at Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Malvern. 
​
The patient didn’t know, so de Marco demonstrated. She held up her hand, turning it into a stop sign, then said, “No,” in a firm but calm voice. Hand raised, de Marco slowly but assertively walked toward the horse, who retreated as she approached. Not offended in the least, the horse wandered off and found something else to occupy its attention.