Standing Together

This program uses horsemanship to provide hope and healing for combat veterans and first responders.

- JULIA ARNOLD

U.S.Army veteran Patrick Benson knows firsthand the physical and emotional strain veterans feel on a daily basis. He served in the infantry from 1998 to 2004, spending time in combat zones throughout the Middle East. After he retired, Benson, like many, struggled to transition back to civilian life, battling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other invisible scars of service. The young veteran found light at the end of what could have been a very dark tunnel by studying under John Lyons and becoming a horse trainer.

Horses, he believes, saved his life.

“They gave me a sense of compassion, forgiveness, and humility,” Benson says. “I learned to be vulnerable again.”

It occurred to Benson that if horses saved his life, maybe they could do the same for others.

Mission Accomplished