Cancer Survivor Leads Ohio Horse Therapy for Patients

When Erich Hunker went through breast cancer treatment in 2024, he discovered something unexpected at a horse therapy center in Blacklick, Ohio. Just being around the horses made him feel like himself again, even when chemotherapy left him too weak to work as CEO of Columbus Humane.

Now cancer-free, Hunker has become executive director of Dreams on Horseback, the same nonprofit that helped him heal. His first major project launches this April: a free cancer support program that uses horses to help patients and survivors find calm amid the chaos of treatment.

The program pairs Hunker with Rona Orbovich, a volunteer and breast cancer survivor who serves on the board of Cancer Support Community Central Ohio. Orbovich completed specialized certifications in Equine Assisted Learning, which teaches confidence and coping skills through working with horses.

"I get to help show people how horses can help calm their nervous systems, get them into the present moment and forget about their worries," Orbovich says. She's inviting the first group to the center next month.

The science backs up what Hunker and Orbovich experienced firsthand. Interacting with horses can lower heart rates, reduce stress hormones, and create moments of presence that cancer patients desperately need. Unlike traditional support groups, this program gets people outside, moving gently, and connecting with animals who respond to human emotions without judgment.

The Ripple Effect

Dreams on Horseback has operated since 2002, originally serving urban kids who'd never had access to horses. The cancer program expands their reach to serve military veterans, people with disabilities, and senior citizens alongside cancer patients.

Development director Ellen Lee says kindness drives everything at Dreams. "The kindness in our horses, kindness of volunteers, kindness of our staff runs throughout everything we do here," she says.

Hunker's journey from patient to program leader shows how healing can multiply when people share what saved them.