"Each horse also had ribbons on its mane that included the last name and branch of service for a veteran who lost their life to suicide, Amber Eck, the veteran services director for BraveHearts, told The Post. The names are commonly submitted by people seeking to honor their loved one, and the ribbons are sent back to the respective family after the ride, Eck said."
"The Squad 18 firehouse on West 10th Street served as the snack checkpoint, around 3 p.m., as firefighters set out a gigantic blue bucket for all the horses to drink out of - save for one picky pony who refused and was bottle-fed lemon-flavored Gatorade. From there, they continued the final miles - covering 20 miles for the nearly 20 veteran estimated to take their own life daily - back to the One World Trade Center."
Fifteen former service members completed a demanding 20-mile horseback ride through Manhattan to advocate for suicide awareness and support trauma-stricken veterans. The ride lasted more than eight hours, traveling from Ground Zero to Times Square and Central Park before returning to One World Trade Center. Riders represented the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force and came from multiple states. Each horse carried a ribbon with the last name and branch of a veteran lost to suicide, with ribbons returned to families after the ride. The ride included checkpoints and symbolic elements linking the 20-mile route to daily veteran suicide estimates, and participants described the mission as deeply personal.
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