Restoring Balance Through the Healing Power of Horses
Where Horses Help Heroes Heal
Boots Off The Ground was founded on a simple but profound belief: time spent with horses can help heal the invisible wounds carried by those who have spent their lives protecting and serving others.
Founded by Tim Dempsey, a retired homicide investigator and lifelong horseman, Boots Off The Ground exists to support members of the HEROES Class—military veterans, first responders, 911 dispatchers, and emergency room personnel—through equine-assisted activities and fellowship.
After nearly four decades in law enforcement, Tim witnessed firsthand the toll that service can take: colleagues lost to suicide, families strained, and lives forever changed by trauma. Horses became his sanctuary—a place where honesty, patience, and partnership replaced chaos, command, and control. It was there he began connecting the dots between the quiet strength of equines and the unspoken pain of those who serve.
Boots Off The Ground isn’t about diagnosing disorders or labeling people as broken. It’s about creating space for reconnection, reflection, and renewal. Horses, after all, don’t judge—they simply respond. Their calm presence mirrors our own energy and helps us see ourselves more clearly than people sometimes can.
We believe that the same traits that make HEROES exceptional in crisis—courage, vigilance, decisiveness, and control—can become obstacles in healing if not understood. Through groundwork, riding, and caring for horses, participants rediscover balance, trust, and peace on their own terms.
Here, we replace isolation with fellowship, structure with simplicity, and trauma with trust. Around the barn, or gathered by a bonfire sharing “questionably accurate war stories,” the mission is simple: to give back to those who gave so much.
Boots Off The Ground
Respect. Trust. Fellowship. Horses. Healing.
About Tim Dempsey
Tim Dempsey served in law enforcement for over thirty-eight years. During the latter part of his career, he investigated homicides, officer involved shootings and public corruption. He developed a passion for horses, and learned through his interaction that these majestic
animals had a therapeutic effect over him. He traded in his gym membership for a pair of muck boots and a manure fork.
Tim went back to school and completed a two year degree in equine science, subsequently using this education to investigate cases of animal cruelty, and neglect. Tim honed his equitation skills in competition, riding in the back country, training with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and completing every course offered through the California
Mounted Officer’s Association and Western States Mounted Officers Association.
He served as a board member with both organizations, where he developed close ties with mounted LEO’s from around the western United States. He is a POST instructor in mounted patrol, and continues to provide training opportunities to mounted law enforcers.
Tim saw how much equines helped him, so he studied to become a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. His path towards certification helped him transition from hard-nosed cop to care-giver. He has seen firsthand how much horses can help the so called “Heroes Class”. Tim considers the equines to be the true agents of change, the therapists. He just rides them to their appointments.
Mission Statement
To promote healing, resilience, and reconnection among military veterans and first responders through equine-assisted programs that restore trust, confidence, and well-being.
Vision Statement
A world where every HERO—those who protect, serve, and heal others—has access to a safe, supportive space to rediscover peace and purpose through the human-equine bond.
Core Values
Respect: We honor each individual’s service, sacrifice, and personal journey.
Trust: We cultivate honesty and consistency—in our horses, our team, and our participants.
Fellowship: We believe healing happens in community, not isolation.
Integrity: We lead with transparency and remain faithful to the mission.
Compassion: We meet every participant with understanding, patience, and empathy.