Wild Heart Mustangs ~ Wild Mustangs Mirror the Inner Turmoil of the Veteran's Soul

I was excited to be asked to write an article for Wild Heart Mustangs Magazine.

I didn’t grow up as a horse person, but I got my feet wet with some remarkable staff and veterans at BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding andEducational Center. I write about them often, but I really can’t say enough about the heroes I meet there. I am humbled to be in their presence.

I have been privileged to write about Nick (United States Marine Corps. Cpl Nicholas Montijo) quite a bit, but for this article, I also was given the opportunity to speak with Mitchell Reno. The unassuming United States Army Veteran who hails from Texas is one of the most eloquent men I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. He is articulate and raw, and he is honest and passionate.

You all know just how much I have come to love how therapeutic horse riding and veterans intersect at BraveHearts -- and at Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International accredited centers across the nation. Through the many interviews I have done, I have seen first-hand the healing that occurs in the bond between a horse and a human, and – most powerfully – between a mustang and a veteran.

Our military men and women protect our country, our lives and our freedoms. Mustangs represent American freedom.  When both find themselves together, miraculous things happen. Healing happens, caring happens, bonding happens, love happens.

You can read my article here: (Wild Mustangs Mirror the Inner Turmoil of the Veteran's Soul). When you do, I hope that you remember how mustangs serve a purpose – they help give a renewed purpose to veterans. The veterans I have interviewed have been very honest: they might not be here if it weren’t for the opportunities afforded to them by BraveHearts through the Operation Mustang program. Veterans live lives of purpose. Mustangs live lives of purpose. They belong together.

Thank you Mary Lainhart for such a great e-zine and for drawing attention to the plight of both the mustang as well as the veteran. Thank you to BraveHearts for supporting our veterans. And, thank you to our veterans – we are able to live our lives because of you. There are no words to appropriately thank you for everything you do.