Update on Horses for Heroes–longish
Hi everybody–I wanted to give a fast update for those who couldn’t be with us Sunday.
Sergeant Rhodes, as advertised, was very impressive, and talked a lot about his own experience of PTSD. There were definitely damp eyes in the audience when he talked about losing friends in Iraq and his own struggles with suicidal impulses after getting home.
Sam also described the Horses for Heroes program at Fort Benning as something that grew out of his own experience. He said “the horse doesn’t heal your wounds…but it provides trust, acceptance and freedom” . At Benning, they offer an ongoing riding program for vets, and also a one-day event that they hold periodically for new riders. The one-day events last all day and involve on-the-ground teaching, riding and a steak dinner–and they are very popular. Sam’s program also involves a partnership with a local high school riding group that supports both elements of programming.
This part of the presentation was intriguing, and Sam was encouraging toward the folks in the audience interested in starting veterans’ programs. He did not provide quite as much how-to-do-it nuts and bolts detail as I wanted in the talk, but did offer to be available by phone and email for continued consultation.
Sam also directed me to some reference materials from Walter Reed Army Hospital, which I am now chasing down, and will be glad to share. I do have the slide show he used in the presentation, as well, and can provide it to anyone interested. I know there were folks there from other barns and therapeutic programs–I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to everybody.
Interestingly, about a dozen vets expressed interest in joining a riding program after the event was over. So I think “if you build it they will come.” I’d love to be in touch with anyone who is interested in starting a vets’ program, just pm me!
