Arizona in the Saddle | Page 10

continued from page 9 him more timeā€¦and that was just what he needed. After nearly a year of uncertainty, all of a sudden DEVGRU inexplicably began progressing by leaps and bounds and by early 2014 was going on long rides in the desert. He is now sound enough to be lightly trained and ridden but nothing more strenuous. It became time to find DEVGRU a job he was capable of doing and an answer came with almost serendipitous timing. Vicki, a Gold Star mom, having lost her son Corey in Afghanistan, holds a special place in her heart for returning veterans. This, coupled with her lifelong love of horses, led her directly to Horse Rhythm Foundation; a Phoenix based organization dedicated to the therapeutic use of horses in treating returning vets and first responders. As fate would have it, there were five horses in the program with a need for one more. Vicki recognized that DEVGRU might be a good fit. Vicki wasted no time in setting up a meeting with Sahika Riley, founder of Horse Rhythm Foundation and Dennis Miller. It was quickly agreed that CANTER would partner in getting DEVGRU trained and certified to work with vets and first responders so that he could get the job, If all goes well, he will be a full participant in a program that benefits brave veterans and first respo