The HorseBack crew who went to the BraveHearts Trail to Zero ride along the Normandy beaches are back home, and we are absorbing their stories and experiences and what they learned.
These rides are part of an initiative by American veterans, who wanted to shine a light on the high suicide rates among their comrades. Suicidal ideation is something we are very familiar with at HorseBack, and it’s a subject of which we have extensive experience.
What is particularly interesting is that the US veteran rates and the UK veteran rates show different patterns. On the other side of the Atlantic, the most at risk appear to be older veterans, whereas here it is the younger ones who more likely to take their own lives. In Britain, older veterans, those who have served longest and, interestingly, those who have been in theatres of war, have about the same rate as the general population. Where the numbers shoot up, and are significantly higher than among civilians, is in young men who have been in the forces for a shorter time.
What this tells us is that it’s always worth looking into the details and the nuances. One of the reasons we are so proud to have taken part in this ride and to be a part of this initiative is that it encourages people to talk about this most painful and tragic of subjects, to dig into the underlying reasons and patterns, not to make sweeping generalisations. The more information people have, the more possibility there is for care and prevention.
It’s also important to remember that suicide ripples through families and communities. It can leave behind it guilt and shame and confusion, as well as hard grief. All of these emotions need to be shared and talked about and processed so that healing can take place. There is never one simple reason why someone chooses to leave this life, and the more the complexities of it can be examined, the better.
It is also frightening and traumatic, even to talk about. But it is a reality, and at HorseBack, we believe in facing down reality. However, it is not beyond human control. There are things which can be done to help people in acute pain and despair and we are devoted to giving as much of that help as possible. We have had many veterans through these gates who have told us that they believed they had nothing left to live for. A lot of our course participants had thought about suicide or attempted it. We listen to their stories without judgment and with huge compassion. There is no place for shame at HorseBack, and shame is such a horrible part of the despair and depression that can drain people of hope for the future.
Giving veterans hope for their future is at the heart of our mission. The horses here, who do such generous and willing work, are a great part of that. Sometimes, a veteran will look at the horses and say, ‘They saved my life.’ We know they often mean it literally. That is what we are here for, and that is what we will continue to strive for – the enriching and enhancing and saving of lives.
PS. Thank you so much to everyone on the ride who sent in such brilliant photographs. You can see what a tremendous group effort the event was.
