‘I wouldn’t be alive without it’: wild mustangs and veterans find healing together

At a stable in rural New York, traumatized soldiers and horses teach each other to leave the past behind

Sierra doesn't trust humans. She is quick to jump back in fear at loud noises or sudden movements. A bright sorrel color - much like the red rocks of the desert canyons in her home state of Nevada - Sierra grew up as one of the tens of thousands of wild horses that roam 10 western states in the US.

Captured from Nevada and shipped to the opposite side of the country by the Bureau of Land Management, she has never experienced human contact. Her mane is matted down, as no one has been able to groom her since she first arrived here in rural Monroe County, New York, 10 months ago.