A Story About Braydon

Written by Katie Navarra Bradley

From childhood, we’re asked, “What are you going to be when you grow up?”  We’re encouraged to dream big and spend our lives chasing those dreams. For many young people, the answers evolve, shaped by interests, opportunities and experiences.  

But for Braydon (16), that question once felt impossible to answer. Living with a complex set of diagnoses, including severe social anxiety, agoraphobia, Tourette’s and others, made just leaving his home feel overwhelming. 

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified his feelings of isolation. He struggled not just with academics but also with confidence, connection and a sense of direction. When in-person school resumed, his family decided homeschooling was a better option for him. 

“He was really struggling during COVID and did not want to leave the house, so we decided to homeschool him,” explained his mother, Jackie.  

Despite his extreme discomfort leaving home, Braydon began asking about volunteering at Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS). Years earlier, he had accompanied a sibling to equine-assisted therapy sessions held at THS and remembered feeding the horses carrots. The connection stayed with him. 

“I didn’t feel like it was the right time for him because he struggled so intensely in social settings,” Jackie said. “He never had a lot of confidence and hadn’t found his voice to say that a situation made him feel uncomfortable.” 

No Fear of Horses 

In 2025, Jackie contacted THS to explore whether there might be a way for him to get involved. The THS team worked with his family to identify tasks he could do, creating a path forward that felt manageable and meaningful.  

On his first day, Jackie wasn’t sure he would even get out of the car. Instead, he stepped out, turned to her, and said, “Alright, Mom, I’ll see you later.”  

While interacting with people felt challenging, he had no trouble interacting with the horses, even though he had never been around them before.   

“He was fearless around the horses,” Dr. Sisk said.  

“They give me a calm feeling. Being around them is peaceful to me and I don’t think about the what ifs,” he said. “Shortly after I started volunteering, I was told I really had a way with the horses, that I had a natural ability with them. It gave me such confidence, and I felt good knowing they saw that because I really do love being around the horses and taking care of them.” 

Outside of farm maintenance tasks, Braydon often volunteers as part of the two-person horse feeding teams, where he assists the feeder from outside the paddock. Soon he will  begin a horse care class where he’ll learn safety and horse-handling skills so he can become more involved in the direct horse care part of volunteering, too. 

“Braydon arrived at the farm as a hesitant young man, but it wasn’t very long before asking to take on new tasks and learn new skills,” said psychologist Erin Christopher-Sisk, executive director at THS and owner of ECS Psychological Services, P.C. “He did what he asked but kept to himself and was pretty quiet.” 

A Sense of Belonging 

At the farm, Braydon found something he hadn’t experienced before: a sense of belonging. Surrounded by horses and supported by a welcoming community, he began gaining confidence.  

“Every time I am there, they make me feel welcome, like I am part of the team and family,” he said. “Every time they teach me something new or have the confidence in me to do something and learn something and trust me to do it means a lot to me.” 

Braydon, who once struggled to be around others, began volunteering at farm events, welcoming visitors, answering questions and sharing his knowledge about the horses. What might have once felt overwhelming became an opportunity to connect. 

“I don’t mind being around people at the farm,” he said. “If they have questions, it’s about the horses, and I love talking about the horses.”  

As Braydon’s confidence grew at the farm, it began to carry into other areas of his life. He began advocating for himself in other ways. During a public event, he told a staff member that a task made him uncomfortable. For Jackie, it was a powerful moment: the first time she saw him speak up for himself without relying on her.  

He also began to handle challenges differently. When faced with online bullying and strained friendships, Braydon showed resilience, which Jackie says came from the confidence built through volunteering at THS.  

“It’s night and day,” she said. “He’s a completely different kid when it comes to the farm. The confidence, the happiness, it’s everything.”  

For the first time, Braydon started talking about his dreams and goals. He wants to work with horses, have land of his own one day, and create a space where other kids who feel “different” can come and feel accepted.  

“I know people always talk about their dreams,” he told his mom. “But I’m telling you, I’m going to do this.”  

The Unexpected Impact 

Dr. Sisk knew that when she co-founded THS, the horses would support clients receiving therapy through ECS Psychological Services. What she didn’t anticipate was how powerful the impact would be for volunteers like Braydon. 

Another volunteer recently told Dr. Sisk, “I won’t say that it (volunteering with horses) saved my life, but it really has made a huge difference,” and others often say, “I feel like I found my people, my purpose, my you know, I feel so good when I leave here.” 

“Our plan was to help the mental health of people in the community, but it never occurred to me that the volunteers would gain from that,” she said 

Of course, that’s what horses do. They see where a person is struggling and quietly offer the opportunity to create nonjudgmental, unconditional interactions.  

“Some studies say it’s the energy field around the horse’s heart, and ours is a part of why it feels so good to be around them,” Dr. Sisk said. “But horses see a person really, their naked truth, for who they are. There’s no getting around that. So, it really makes people own that and work on it, if that’s something they want to change.” 

Braydon, like many of the volunteers, didn’t just find a place to volunteer. He found a sense of belonging, a path forward and the confidence to dream about the future. Before volunteering, simply going out into the world felt overwhelming, making it difficult to dream about the future. Today, he has a vision for what’s possible and the confidence to pursue it.