BraveHearts, the leading equine-assisted services program for military veterans in the nation, marked the end of Suicide Awareness Month with its annual “Trail to Zero” horse trek through Manhattan on Sept. 30.
Alongside the mounted units of the NYPD, Park Police, and State Police, 13 BraveHearts veterans on horseback stepped off at 102nd Street and Central Park for the 20-mile journey aimed to raise awareness about veteran mental health and end veteran suicide.
According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, about 20 veterans and active service members die each day by suicide, and the trek’s 20-mile distance represents the lives lost.
Equine therapy has proven to be a powerful and successful treatment for PTSD in a fairly short time, and BraveHearts, a not-for-profit organization based in Illinois, provides free services for military veterans and Gold Star families. Programs include therapeutic horseback riding, hippo-therapy, and non-equine outpatient services in speech-language pathology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
Veterans see increased self-esteem and reduced PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, according to Meggan Hill-McQueeny, president and chief operating officer of BraveHearts.
“Traditional approaches to mental health may not always yield the desired results, so we want to reach veterans who are grappling with mental health challenges and show them there are alternative approaches that may be able to offer the solution they’ve been seeking,” Hill-McQueeny said.
The New York City trek was the third “Trail to Zero” ride in the U.S. this year, and last June BraveHearts went on its first international “Trail to Zero” ride in Normandy, France.
Hill-McQueeny has been part of every “Trail to Zero” event since its inception and also went to Normandy.
“[Normandy] was so amazing. And we were so blessed to be around such wonderful people who hosted us,”…
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