In the coming weeks, Cayuse Communications will feature warm, functional, and stylish items from Kuhl, the outdoor clothing company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They’re part of our new “Gifts We Give Ourselves” section.
We’ll review:
Recently, Kuhl visited and dedicated gear and support to Heroes and Horses, a Montana non-profit that works with veterans and horses. (Coincidentally, Best Horse Practices Summit host West Taylor is starting mustangs for the organization.)
Micah Fink of Heroes & Horses
Heroes and Horses founder Micah Fink and his program were profiled here by Kuhl writer Jayme Moye.
Fink, a former Navy Seal, returned to civilian life and soon dropped into severe depression. Writes Moye:
Fink began to find relief from the listlessness, the numbness, when he started horse packing. The activity is a highly specialized style of backcountry camping in which campers ride horses instead of hike, and are accompanied by pack mules to carry their tents, sleeping bags, clothes, food, and cooking supplies. Unlike the activities that most veterans programs—which aim to reduce all forms of stress—recommend, horse packing is challenging, potentially dangerous, and comes with a steep learning curve. “It’s pretty much the opposite of the kinds of things I was told that I was supposed to be doing to heal,” Fink says, “and yet it’s all I wanted to do.”
On a milder scale, isn’t that what a lot of us experience?
Getting out on the trail and being with the horses is therapeutic even when you’re not necessarily in need of therapy.
We’re thrilled that Kuhl supports these vets-turned-horsemen and are looking forward to sharing reviews of their products.
A veteran in a Heroes & Horses program rides through water