MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in the healing power of horses. Tony Cowan is the founder and executive director of Boys to Men of Memphis Mentoring Program, a non-profit organization designed to help at-risk youth combat peer pressure through equine-assisted therapeutic activities. "This is my place of peace. when I come down here, I don't allow any ignorance to take place," said Cowan. "I teach them how to utilize the life lessons that they obtained by working with the horses. I help them overcome fears, and build their self-confidence, and I help instill a mindset the leaders lead which helps them combat peer pressure in the streets." Memphis grief center offers hope, healing for those coping with loss After school and on weekends, they offer one-on-one sessions for young men ages 12 to 19 at no cost. "Once we sit down and talk, we figure it out, we go and we get the horse. We start grooming the horse, brushing it up, and getting her ready. So while we're doing it, I let the young man get his time. So I go away and he and the horse can connect," said Cowan. Once the connections are made, Cowan shows the boys how to properly care for the horses by grooming their mane, tail, coat, and of course hoof cleaning.   In addition to time with the horses, they also teach the boys how to play chess. "In chess, every move has a consequence, just like in life. So now the young men are avid chess players," Cowan said. As well as golf. "Because in golf, you naturally learn discipline when you play golf unintentionally. Because every time you hit a golf ball, you have to stand in an uncomfortable position every single time," he said. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Boys to Men of Memphis Mentoring Program. Because horses can be part of the therapeutic transformation.