FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — A quiet farm in Frederick County is becoming a powerful place of healing for veterans. Blending nature, horses, and community into a new chapter of care.
WATCH: How Platoon 22 and Fixing Fences are creating a healing space for veterans
Platoon 22 has officially opened Platoon Pastures at Good Intentions Farm through a new partnership with the nonprofit Fixing Fences. The 27-acre property is designed to support veterans and their families through wellness-focused, nature-based programming.
The farm offers wooded trails, creeks, equine experiences, carriage rides, and a veteran house that allows for overnight accommodations, creating space for rest, reflection, and reconnection.
For Good Intentions Farm owner and Fixing Fences vice president Paige Etzler, the mission is deeply personal. Her family has a long history of military service, and the farm’s purpose took shape through the legacy of Fixing Fences founder Robert Brian Allison, a veteran who purchased a Clydesdale named Glorious Mayhem before passing away from terminal cancer.
Etzler shared that Allison is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and part of Glorious Mayhem’s tail is also interred there, a symbol she says makes the farm uniquely connected to service and sacrifice.
Since the partnership with Platoon 22, Etzler says the farm has transformed.
“Now the farm has a heartbeat,” she said, explaining that more veterans are visiting, connecting, and finding purpose through shared experiences.
Platoon 22 Executive Director Nikki Falzone says Platoon Pastures expands the organization’s focus on holistic wellness especially healing through nature and animals.
The space is open to all veterans, not just those diagnosed with PTSD. Falzone emphasized that veterans dealing with traumatic brain injuries, mental health challenges, substance use, or simply the stress of transition can benefit from the calm and structure the farm provides.
Programming includes equine experiences, grooming and feeding horses, trauma-informed yoga, acupuncture, art therapy, and plans for gardening and agricultural therapy. The site will also host family-focused events for veterans’ spouses and children.
While the farm is already open and welcoming visitors, Falzone says the next few months will focus on upgrades, including trail accessibility, pasture connections, lighting improvements, and renovations with expanded programming launching in the spring.