ARLINGTON, Va. -- To shed light on the epidemic of veteran suicide, BraveHearts - the nation's leading equine rehabilitation program for veterans - started its first of three "Trail to Zero" rides last week in northern Virginia.

The 20-mile ride commemorates the number of veterans lives lost on average each day, and has a goal of educating people on equine-assisted services, benefits and healing effects.

Army Veteran Tim Detert is one of the Trail to Zero riders to participate in the event. Having served from 2005-2010 with the 82nd Airborne, Detert deployed to Iraq twice for 18-month and 13-month tours. Following his service, Detert said he started suffering from depression and anxiety, turning to alcohol and opiates.

Four friends ended their lives. After a suicidal spell, a friend recommended equine therapy to him.

"It's completely turned around my life," said Detert, who has been sober two years. "It's given me a lot of hope and joy. I was so depressed and down before I came to this program. I was just looking for something and I hadn't found it until I started working with the horses."

The BraveHearts president and chief operating officer said she's seen veterans greatly improve their well being through equine therapy.

"I can't even tell you now how many times I've heard veterans tell me personally that they wouldn't be here if it weren't for the horses," said Meggan Hill-McQueeney. "They find peace with the horses, they find hope with the horses, and they find purpose with the horses. Alternative therapies like equine therapies are tremendous opportunities."

EQUINE PROGRAMS

Currently, 64 VA medical centers across the country participate in therapeutic riding programs. These programs use equine assisted therapeutic activities recreationally to promote healing and rehabilitation of veterans for a variety of physical disabilities and medical conditions, said Recreation Therapy Service National Program Director Dave Otto. These include traumatic brain injury/polytrauma, blind rehabilitation, other physical impairments, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental health disorders.

Additionally, VA awards adaptive sports grants annually for organizations and groups that provide adaptive sports opportunities for veterans with disabilities, Otto said. These grant recipients also partner with VA facilities within their region to coordinate such adaptive sports opportunities for veterans. During fiscal year 2018, VA awarded nearly $1 million to 12 grant recipients providing equine assisted therapy to veterans with mental health issues. VA will award up to $1.5 million of these grants in fiscal year 2019.

BraveHearts is the largest Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) program in the country and serves veterans at no cost to veterans. The program offers equine services to provide emotional, cognitive, social and physical benefits. Veterans at BraveHearts have reported increased self-esteem, self-worth, trust for others, community integration, and decreased depression, anxiety, post traumatic disorder symptoms and self-inflicting thoughts.

Trail to Zero has additional rides planned for Sept. 14 in New York City and Sept. 28 in Chicago.


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To learn more about VA's recreation therapy services, visit http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/rectherapy/.

For more about BraveHearts, visit braveheartsriding.org. To learn more about the Trail to Zero rides, visit www.trailtozero.org.