OUR MISSION AT HEROES AND HORSES
The experience of bringing together a group of combat veterans--each dealing with the process of returning to the normalcy of everyday life after war and each looking to communicate that process with others of the same mind--is invaluable. No classroom, no respite, no program can provide the opportunity to accomplish a goal, learn a set of skills, and challenge the mind and body like the great outdoors. No companionship is as effective as that found around a campfire at 9,000 feet, with no parameters and no guided limit or canned focus. No sense of accomplishment compares to the first time you and your horse have climbed a mountain with the confidence of competence, then looked out over the grandeur of America--the greatest country in the world--with knowledge that is yours and available always for your enjoyment and that of your friends and family. This is freedom worth fighting for. It should be capitalized upon like the spoils of war. It is a reward in itself. It should be enjoyed by our soldiers upon their return. It is uniquely theirs.
Being around horses and working with them for many years, the principals of this project have lived and learned the special relationship and bond between man and horse in their own lives. They have created Heroes and Horses to bring that relationship and healing to returning veterans.
Scientific studies have proven what "horse people" have long known: the emotional behavior of horses can change the emotional state, leadership and organizational skills of all types of people. Many professionals in the equine field have long asserted that horses tend to mirror or reflect the human emotional experience, and claim that horses are effective partners for facilitating human healing and achieving higher levels of personal growth and leadership development.
Through the efforts and long time friendships of Mark and Jean White, Jeff Pappas and Kail and Renee Mantle, we are able to offer a 7 day working horse ranch experience for combat veterans at the Mantle Ranch ,offering progressive professional instruction that will equip participants with the necessary knowledge to enjoy the freedom of a horseback excursion in the backcountry under the Big Sky of Montana.
Without any doubt, the trip to the Mantle Ranch will be a life-changing experience for any veteran. It sparks within them a cascade of recreationally creative and entrepreneurially exciting ideas.
Now there are a number of new studies and programs that focus on results of certain scientific studies showing quantitative results of horses influence upon humans and human behavior. Many of these studies measure the presence of emotional coherence between horses/horses and horses/ humans.
Some of these studies have proven that the emotional behavior of horses can change the emotional state, leadership and organizational skills of all types of people.
Many professional in the equine profession field have long asserted that horses tend to mirror or reflect the human emotional experience, and claim that horses are effective partners for facilitating human healing, and achieving higher levels of personal growth and leadership development. Some leading experts in the equine world also believe that horses have similar patterns to those that humans have when they are in coherent and incoherent emotional states. Interestingly, some of these experts noted that horses seem to live in a more coherent state most of the time and humans tend to live in more incoherent states. This could be significant when examining the horse-human bond.
Of course being around horses and working with them for many years, the principals of this project have lived and learned the special relationship and bond between man and horse in their own daily lives.
Heroes and Horses
Heroes & Horses is designed to provide a challenging, educational, and goal-oriented real working horse ranch and backcountry experience for war veterans who can benefit from the resulting knowledge, camaraderie, and skills. Utilizing the equine expertise of the Mantles and Whites, the beauty and reality of the Mantle Ranch and its 400 horses and working ranch facilities, the location in spectacular Big Sky country and the sheer challenge, Heroes & Horses empowers candidates to enjoy life, the great outdoors and horses. It influences them to become creative both recreationally and entrepreneurially.
A Heroes & Horses trip to the Mantle Ranch is designed to be a life-changing experience for any veteran.
See our PROGRAM.
Soldiers' Angels
"May No Soldier Go Unloved"
Change A Life Today!
Soldiers Angels
Mark Seavey US Army
Mike "Mongo" Denton US Army
Mark Seavey US Army & Mike McNulty USMC
Ryan Pitts US Army
Heroes And Horses.com
