Through our support of Racing To Relate, the international non profit foundation ‘Helping Racehorses To Help People’, Beavis Morgan group is delighted to share that BraveHearts Goes Global have announced their inaugural Trail to Zero Normandy Ride ahead of the D-Day anniversary. In a significant move, BraveHearts, the largest equine-assisted services programme for veterans in the United States, will bring their 20-mile horseback ride to France, aimed at combatting veteran suicide.
BraveHearts has organised similar rides across major U.S. cities over the past seven years to raise awareness about the high number of veteran suicides and the therapeutic benefits of horses. In collaboration with the American foundation Horses & Humans Research Foundation and Racing to Relate BraveHearts is expanding Trail to Zero to France. The ride aims to increase awareness about equine-assisted services and the issue of suicide in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Six U.S. veterans from BraveHearts will join forces with veterans from HorseBack UK for the 20-kilometer ride. The event will take place in Deauville on 2 June and on Utah Beach, Normandy, on 3 June, just before the 79th anniversary of D-Day.
BraveHearts, a 501c3 non-profit and PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center, provides equine-assisted services at no cost to veterans, offering emotional, cognitive, social, and physical benefits. The organisation’s work has shown positive outcomes, including increased self-esteem, trust, community integration, and decreased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The collaboration will culminate in an international symposium titled “The Universal Language of The Horse,” hosted by the Horses & Humans Research Foundation on 31 May at the Longines International Equestrian Centre in Deauville. The symposium will showcase live demonstrations and interactive sessions, highlighting the connection between horses and veterans.
Racing to Relate will assist in coordinating the events, bringing together the equine-assisted services community, military organisations, and the thoroughbred industry. The horses for Trail to Zero will be carefully selected from the stables of French polo player Pierre Henri Ngoumou, encompassing various backgrounds such as horse racing, show competition, and leisure.
The success of these events would not be possible without the support of the local Normandy Horse Council, the towns of Deauville and Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (Utah Beach), the International Equestrian Complex Longines-Deauville, local affiliates, and generous donors.
BraveHearts’ mission is to extend their equine-assisted services to every veteran in need. To learn more about BraveHearts or to offer support, please visit braveheartsriding.org.