Ledyard — Veteran’s Equine Therapeutic Services has relocated here and is offering new programming to the current and former military members it serves.

The new location, Leaning Birch Equestrian Center at 463 Pumpkin Hill Road, will allow the organization to continue its therapeutic programming to veterans, after losing use of the Stonington property it had used for more than a decade.

V.E.T.S. is a nonprofit organization that uses free, hands-on programming to help veterans deal with the challenges of life during and after military service.

The group had used the Lighthouse Homestead on New London Turnpike, owned by Lighthouse Voc-Ed Center, as well as three of the facility’s six horses to provide therapeutic services to veterans since its inception in 2014.

The sale of the property earlier this year left the organization scrambling to find a new home for the program, which has served more than 1,000 veterans and active-duty service members in the past 10 years.

Instructor, curriculum developer, and co-founder Thor Torgersen said the new location offers the opportunity to continue working with participants struggling with reintegration or adjustment issues after deployment, transitioning to civilian life, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He said Leaning Birch is a larger facility which has the space to potentially expand programming beyond the currently offered introductory equine program and riding program and boasts 12 horses veterans can work with.

Torgersen said that, despite the changes in structure and location the organization has undergone since the death of co-founder and Executive Director Craig McAlister a little more than a year ago, V.E.T.S. is still going strong, and in fact is growing.

The organization recently partnered with another farm in Ledyard, Heritage Hill Farm at 10 Pleasant View, where it will introduce new programs.

“They have 30 miniature donkeys and six horses, so we’re working on developing programming around that, because it’s just a very different kind of experience that we can offer,” he said.

Torgersen said within the next several weeks, the organization will begin to bring participants out to experience what he described as a “quiet, meditative space,” and “boundless, unconditional love,” as the donkeys rush up to visitors, competing for attention.

“It’s hard to feel crappy when you’re surrounded by that,” he said.

He explained the new locations offer a unique opportunity to deliver services. Because humans are predators, working with prey animals like donkeys and horses teaches important life skills like trust-building, empathy, patience, self-regulation, and non-linear problem solving.

“Understanding that dynamic helps you approach people differently,” he said, pointing out that all of V.E.T.S.’ programming is structured similarly, by teaching a base set of knowledge and skills that are transferable to the real world.

He said that in addition to the archery program V.E.T.S. offers at the Mystic Rod and Gun Club, the outdoor skills program it offers in multiple locations, the new expanded equine program location and the forthcoming programming at Heritage Hill, there is more on the horizon.

The organization has partnered with Kitch in Olde Mistick Village to bring back its popular cooking class “Cowboy Kitchen,” which will begin in the coming months, and has secured permanent office space on Route 12 in Gales Ferry. Torgersen said the office is open limited hours currently, but he hopes to expand the hours as the organization grows.

Recently, V.E.T.S. has also partnered with a mental health professional who will begin more traditional talk therapies with groups beginning later this summer, and ideally, the organization would like to offer specific programming to female service members and veterans.

“I really want V.E.T.S. to become a New England Institution ― that it becomes a jewel for New England with what we’re doing for veterans ― and when people think of veteran support or equine therapy, they think of our organization,” he said.

For more information about the organization, its services or to donate go to www.vetsct.org.