BraveHearts Brings Adopted Mustangs and Veterans Together
By Sarah Kinzbach Williams Photos courtesy of BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Education Center
On a back road in Illinois, just south of the Wisconsin border and hidden among fields of corn and soy, sits a horse farm. At first glance, the barns, arenas, pastures and buildings resemble those of any other horse facility. Look closer, though, and you’ll notice wheelchair ramps, accessibility features and lifts, as well as horses with unmistakable neck brands.
The farm is more than an average horse facility—it’s BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding and Educational Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, PATH-accredited center specializing in assisting military veterans and their families.
The program offers everything from physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology to therapeutic riding and independent horsemanship.
It’s also home to a unique herd of rescued mustangs.
Rising to a Wild Challenge
In 2013, BraveHearts launched Operation Mustang ® . The program pairs adopted mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management with military veterans.
“We’ve had veterans consistently participating for years,” says Meggan Hill-McQueeney, president & COO of BraveHearts. “We wanted to keep challenging them and expanding their horsemanship skills. Working alongside mustangs seemed like the perfect fit.”
BraveHearts and Operation Mustang ® now work with nine adopted mustangs and continue to adopt mustang rescues.
“The mustangs provide an immediate response to a person’s emotions and thoughts, and veterans identify with the mustangs,” says Hill-McQueeney. “They both understand the survival instinct and adjusting to new environments. It’s empowering and healing for both the veterans and the mustangs.”
Committing to the Herd
Alongside the mustang herd of Operation Mustang ® , BraveHearts manages a barn of nearly 50 horses, including former rescues and seasoned show horses.
“Once we take a horse here at BraveHearts, it’s going to be with us for the rest of its life,” says Hill-McQueeney. “We’re making that commitment, and we can’t afford to have a horse not succeed.”
Hill-McQueeney—who has been involved in the equine-assisted services industry for more than 25 years—says that the average therapy horse burns out in two years. The horses at BraveHearts, however, thrive well beyond two years because of the care they receive.
“In my opinion, therapy horses are the hardest working performance horses,” she maintains. “What they’re thinking and doing to help people through challenges is amazing.”
Caring for and keeping a worldclass herd of therapy horses of all ages and backgrounds healthy, content and thriving can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be complicated, says Hill-McQueeney. “We start with the basics of good, solid forage and make it up with a feed component, specifically Purina ® Strategy ® and Purina ® Equine Senior ® ,” she says.
BraveHearts provides extensive training to its volunteers on reading the horse’s body language and learning about pressure and release. The facilities are also set up with the horse in mind, with ample space around mounting ramps, plenty of turnout and space for quiet downtime.
“We provide high-quality management for the horses,” says Hill-McQueeney. “Without our horses, we don’t have a program. They are, without a doubt, the heart of the program.”
At the end of the day, BraveHearts and Operation Mustang ® continue to offer a safe space for adopted mustangs, rescued horses and military veterans to help heal each other.