Mooresville farm animals offer comfort to women and children dealing with trauma

A special animal farm in Mooresville offers comfort to women and children dealing with grief, trauma and abuse.

Amitola Care Farm founder Katie Wyatt is a skilled therapist who moved from the United Kingdom to the United States five years ago.

“And I was like, OK, what if instead of going into organizations and running workshops, doing one to one sessions, in Indiana,” Wyatt said. “What if we created this safe space in nature, that would be really healing and create a magical environment, if you like, with the animals?”

The farm is 8 acres and includes at least 36 animals.

“We started with miniature donkeys, and we have six miniature donkeys that are just really, really precious and then it sort of evolved to getting some miniature horses. And then we were offered a retired IMPD police horse, Cody, who came to us just over a year ago.”

Wyatt said the farm offers a safe place for women and youth who’ve experienced trauma, primarily abuse, to come and spend time with the animals.

“You see them just building this connection with an animal and maybe see a smile or just stroking them and that tenderness and just feeling that connection, or just simply building a relationship and, and that's enough for them to want to come back,” Wyatt said.

More information can be found on Amitola Care Farm’s website.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Taylor Bennett at tbennett@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @TaylorB2213.