Windsor farm demonstrates therapy animals on Open Farm Day (2024)

WINDSOR —Cara Cribb experiences post-traumatic stress disorder from a hand injury that happened to her six years ago.

Cribb looked for ways to soothe her experience with PTSD, but everything she saw was too expensive, including equine therapy.

So when her husband, Brian Cribb had the opportunity to work remotely during the pandemic, they moved from Rhode Island to Windsor, where Cribb found a new surgeon for her injury and they set up their lives on the farm.

Now two geese, three pigs, three sheep, 21 goats, 60 ducks and 19 chickens later, she wants to share the help she received from animals with other people.

“I would be lost without these animals in my life,” she said.

On Sunday’s annual Open Farm Day – when Maine farms open their gates and offer special events to the community, Anchor ME Farms offered to show anyone interested how they use farm animals as therapy animals and offer ways to destress through activities that include a support group.

Cribb hosted the few people who attended in their backyard, which looks like an oasis with trees, animals and animal sheds lining the way down a hill. She introduced her animals, who are all named after places in Ireland. The farm is growing so large that they have started turning to Scotland for names.

Sarah Merrill and her son, Redmon, 6, attended Sunday’s event and enjoyed spending time with the animals.

“I want to color with the goats!” said Redmon, excitedly.

Merrill said her son has never colored with the goats before, but that they visit the farm weekly to pick up gluten-free baked goods from Cara Cribb’s farm stand. Inside the farm stand, located right off of 584 Ridge Road, are goat soaps, eggs and gluten-free foods, including pizza dough, bagels and focaccia.

Cribb runs the bakery, which has fresh baked goods and meals like Asian noodles, also made by Cribb, on a daily basis.

She has volunteers who help run the shop and take care of the farm with her and Brian.

Christian Moon, 19, volunteers around five hours a week, helping where he can. Some days he’s helping repair a fence, and others he’s feeding the animals.

“I looked up the farm and saw they did stuff with veterans and kids and it’s been great meeting all of the kids,” said Moon of the goats, who are called kids.

Cribb and her husband bought their house in Windsor in 2020, when Brian Cribb’s job computer coding was moved online at the start of the pandemic. She was between jobs and wanted a place where she could build a sanctuary for healing, specifically for those who have PTSD.

With not much experience farming, the couple learned everything they know through trial and error and Google searches.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD impacts about 3.6% of adult Americans and occurs when someone is exposed to a potentially traumatic event. It can be developed at any age and not everyone who has PTSD has experienced a dangerous event. It is recommended by the institute that people are professionally helped by a physiotherapist or through medication if they experience PTSD, but additional studies show that a human-animal bond creates a positive psychological response to help combat intrusive symptoms or impairments.

The farm is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which Cribb hopes to grow into The Healing Village for people to visit year-round to pet the animals and participate in the activities she offers there, like goat yoga.

“Things are just getting started. We are just starting to get noticed by people. People come up to me and are like, ‘You exist? I didn’t know,'” said Cribb with a laugh.

Anchor ME Farm is located at 584 Ridge Road in Windsor and the farm stand is open daily from around 8 a.m. to sunset. Cribb posts events on the farm’s Facebook and Eventbrite pages and most events are free, besides goat yoga where they pay the instructor for her time.