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Heroes and Horses empowers combat veterans through a 41-day wilderness rite of passage—healing through challenge, horsemanship, and rediscovered purpose.
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HELPING VETERANS GROW FROM EXPERIENCE

KNOW THYSELF

Our mission

To awaken and enliven to the dignity of the human experience.

 

Heroes and Horses is a 501c3 organization dedicated to teaching through experience and healing through tradition. A place where combat veterans and their spouses can rediscover purpose and strength, realizing that the actual battle is within; the one against fear, identity, illusion, ego, and victimization. True healing comes not from avoidance but from facing the reality of being human, the consequences of our choices, and ultimately understanding the impermanence of all things. By learning to recognize and wield the power they already possess, it becomes apparent that we are not here to struggle; rather, we are here to transcend struggle. Moving from stagnation to transformation. Growth. The soul does not evolve in padded rooms but in the furnace.

 

Heroes and Horses offers a unique, intensive process where a person’s truth reorients their life in the silence of one’s own heart. We combine intensive horsemanship, physical challenge, digital detox, nutrition, and philosophical introspection with remote wilderness, mindfulness, and traditional rituals in a 41-day ceremony of self-discovery. This innovative approach empowers an individual to confront the complexities of their experiences and find a new sense of identity and meaning as they move forward in their lives.

Our mission

To awaken and enliven to the dignity of the human experience.

 

Heroes and Horses is a 501c3 organization dedicated to teaching through experience and healing through tradition. A place where combat veterans and their spouses can rediscover purpose and strength, realizing that the actual battle is within; the one against fear, identity, illusion, ego, and victimization. True healing comes not from avoidance but from facing the reality of being human, the consequences of our choices, and ultimately understanding the impermanence of all things. By learning to recognize and wield the power they already possess, it becomes apparent that we are not here to struggle; rather, we are here to transcend struggle. Moving from stagnation to transformation. Growth. The soul does not evolve in padded rooms but in the furnace.

 

Heroes and Horses offers a unique, intensive process where a person’s truth reorients their life in the silence of one’s own heart. We combine intensive horsemanship, physical challenge, digital detox, nutrition, and philosophical introspection with remote wilderness, mindfulness, and traditional rituals in a 41-day ceremony of self-discovery. This innovative approach empowers an individual to confront the complexities of their experiences and find a new sense of identity and meaning as they move forward in their lives.

HOLD ON TO WHAT IS GOOD
LET GO OF WHAT IS NO LONGER SERVING YOU

 

Letting go of what no longer serves you rips apart your illusions and shatters your identity, exposes your shadows, and burns every comfort you built your life around. It’s the end of who you thought you were. This is why most people retreat numb out and run back to the lies because waking up hurts more than sleeping. Letting go is choosing truth over comfort then. Not with words but with silence, devotion, humility and courage. Letting go of the version of you shaped by trauma, fear, societal conditioning and ego is not equipped to walk the path of your truth. What you have experienced demands a deal not a physical one but something more terrifying and ego death. The caterpillar becomes unrecognizable and so must we.

 

Your mind will turn against you.

 

When you keep peeling back the layers of the conditioned self and step towards truth the inner voices beneath the surface rise up in full force and fear will tell you that you are unsafe without the structure you are shedding. Shame will creep in and tell you to avoid this transformation and loop you in excessive thought patterns. Trying to pull you back into the comfort of unconsciousness.This happens because you’re no longer avoiding numbing or agreeing with them and the thoughts will try to drag you down. They will collapse as you stop identifying with your old identity. This is a paradox. They are rising because you disturbed them and they don’t want to be seen because being seen means to be exposed.and to be exposed is to be transformed. So instead of running from them you bring light and reclaim your power over your inner landscape. Make no mistake this confrontation will be brutal. But you have learned how to sit in the fire without fleeing  

Silence, Devotion, Humility, and Courage

Silence, Devotion, Humility, and Courage

ATTEND

 

Attend the Heroes and Horses 41-day program to reset your mindset, challenge your limits, and build resilience through rugged wilderness and purpose-driven experiences that forge strength and clarity.

VOLUNTEER

 

Volunteering for the Heroes and Horses 41-day program lets you empower veterans, build resilience, and be part of a life-changing mission that fosters healing, growth, and true transformation.

DONATE

 

Support Heroes and Horses to empower veterans through wilderness therapy and challenge-based programs—help them rediscover purpose, build resilience, and transform their lives.

TESTIMONIALS

  • Heroes and Horses is a physical manifestation of Valhalla here on this Earth. A Hall of Heroes! The beautiful thing about it is that everyone is doing the work, working on themselves..there..with you, together. A place of goodness, kindness, patience, and love. A place of Truth. I think about my time there everyday only these memories don’t hold me down they propel me forward. It’s like an endless song with lyrics that you fill in and every time you think about it a new truth is revealed. It allowed me to return to the best version of myself and showed me the Value of always being present and living a life of gratitude and light. It was the hardest thing I ever done and it can be the most important challenge you ever do but you have to have the heart of a warrior and the courage to follow it through and the willingness to change.

    Michael | 2025 graduate

  • Concern, depression, hate, anger, denial, confusion are all feelings we all experience and what I was going through before coming to Heros and Horses. The journey is like nothing you have ever experienced. The guidance, the patience, and the balance of what is done throughout your 41 day journey is empowering. The brotherhood that comes along the journey and the healing is amazing. Being able to better yourself and have tools to continue to better yourself that you will get no where else. You’re not alone from day one until day 41. Love, value, pride, motivation, and honor is what you will feel upon completing your journey. I owe my life to Heros and Horses because they saved mine!

    Bryan | 2025 graduate

TESTIMONIALS

  • Heroes and Horses is a physical manifestation of Valhalla here on this Earth. A Hall of Heroes! The beautiful thing about it is that everyone is doing the work, working on themselves..there..with you, together. A place of goodness, kindness, patience, and love. A place of Truth. I think about my time there everyday only these memories don’t hold me down they propel me forward. It’s like an endless song with lyrics that you fill in and every time you think about it a new truth is revealed. It allowed me to return to the best version of myself and showed me the Value of always being present and living a life of gratitude and light. It was the hardest thing I ever done and it can be the most important challenge you ever do but you have to have the heart of a warrior and the courage to follow it through and the willingness to change.

    Michael | 2025 graduate

  • Concern, depression, hate, anger, denial, confusion are all feelings we all experience and what I was going through before coming to Heros and Horses. The journey is like nothing you have ever experienced. The guidance, the patience, and the balance of what is done throughout your 41 day journey is empowering. The brotherhood that comes along the journey and the healing is amazing. Being able to better yourself and have tools to continue to better yourself that you will get no where else. You’re not alone from day one until day 41. Love, value, pride, motivation, and honor is what you will feel upon completing your journey. I owe my life to Heros and Horses because they saved mine!

    Bryan | 2025 graduate

OUR IMPACT

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Where the Program Begins, Possibilities Follow

 

In life there is no map, there is no step by step guide, no universal timeline, no guaranteed destination. That reality terrifies the mind which is addicted to control, predictability, and structure. The mind craves certainty. There is no ‘do this then you will arrive here or there’. 41 days here is not a nice and neat journey. It is messy, linear, and deeply personal. This is how we heal. True freedom is not found inside the walls of predictability. It requires trust in the unknown, faith in the unfolding life, and a willingness to walk blind. You’re not here to follow anyone’s path, you’re here to chart the unknown.

 

The Heroes and Horses program provides veterans with more than just a respite from the stressors of reintegration or life—it offers a transformative experience that equips them with enduring life skills. Through physically demanding backcountry expeditions, immersive wilderness training, mindfulness, and discipline participants reconnect with nature, themselves, and their sense of purpose. The lessons learned—resilience, self-reliance, teamwork, and clarity of mind—are not theoretical, but earned through hardship and honest reflection. These lessons become foundational, altering how individuals view challenges, responsibility, and their own potential.

 

As veterans leave the program, they carry with them a sharpened sense of accountability and a renewed belief in their capacity to lead, contribute, and adapt. Whether navigating personal relationships, pursuing education, or entering new careers, they lean on the discipline and mindset instilled during their time with Heroes and Horses. The wilderness doesn’t offer praise or shortcuts—it demands action and rewards persistence. That same ethos translates powerfully into daily life. Veterans often describe a newfound ability to confront emotional pain, process trauma, build meaningful connections, and chart a new course. The work they do on themselves allows for the deep internal shifts that the program fosters.

 

Over time, the tools acquired through Heroes and Horses become not just survival strategies, but cornerstones of thriving. Participants often become leaders in their communities, mentors to others, or advocates for alternative approaches to healing. They develop a deeper appreciation for integrity, simplicity, and the value of hard-earned growth. The program doesn’t promise to “fix” anyone; instead, it shows participants how to take ownership of their lives in a way that empowers them to rise above past limitations and embrace a future defined not by circumstance, but by intention and courage.

 

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you can’t do it alone. You need people around you who understand, who’ve been there, and who can help you find your way back.”

 

MITCH
Participant 24-4

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

AN EVENING WITH HEROES AND HORSES

October 18th 2025

 

Join us for An Evening with Heroes and Horses—an annual gathering that offers a rare look inside the mission, people, and powerful impact of Heroes and Horses. Meet the team, hear inspiring stories, and experience a night of purpose and connection.

IN THE US, THERE ARE AN AVERAGE OF 17.6 VETERAN SUICIDES PER DAY

 

Our heroes have come home from Iraq and Afghanistan carrying both the visible and invisible scars of war.

 

The current system is failing our Veterans. It’s time for a new approach.

A REVOLUTION IS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR HELP

 

Help us expand life-changing programs for veterans and their families. Your support will fuel future initiatives, such as programs for the spouses and children of veterans, creating healing and renewal for the whole family. Give today and be part of a legacy of hope and transformation.

BETTER IS POSSIBLE – WITH YOUR HELP

 

Support Heroes and Horses—help us expand life-changing programs for veterans. Your donation fuels future initiatives, such as programs for the spouses and children of veterans, creating healing and strength for the whole family. Give today and be part of a legacy of hope and transformation.