War Horse Creek (a program by nonprofit Living Free) now able to host veteran groups to assist with transition from military to civilian life using rescued wild mustangs

[Mountain Center, Calif., March 15, 2022] – After a full year of fundraising and buildout, the innovative veteran transition program called War Horse Creek has completed Camp Harris. Camp Harris is made up of the buildings and infrastructure that sits alongside the rescued mustangs who will work with the veterans during their stay.

Located in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California, War Horse Creek is a veteran-led program which rescues wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and brings them together with military veterans in an innovative approach called Collaborative Horsemanship. Similar in ways to the popular Equine Therapy approach, veterans must work to earn the trust and collaboration of the mustang, rather than use force or intimidation. These skills can be translated into every relationship they have, improving decision-making and long-term outcomes.

Camp Harris was made possible by generous donors from around the world who gave a total of $154,000, and local volunteers who helped during numerous volunteer days on location in Mountain Center, CA. 

Named and dedicated to the late Randall Harris, military veteran and former President of Living Free & War Horse Creek, Camp Harris will be the home to countless veterans as they work through post-traumatic stress symptoms and emerge as trained horsemen and women. 

“The pandemic continued to make life difficult. It may have slowed us down, but it did not stop us. On behalf of the veterans that War Horse Creek serves, I want to thank every donor and volunteer for your support. Without it, none of this would have been possible,” says Ray Barmore, Executive Director of War Horse Creek and Living Free Animal Sanctuary.

Camp Harris is now open and will begin hosting groups of veterans for 3, 5 and 7-day Collaborative Horsemanship workshops. Supporters will celebrate with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, to be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 1:30 PM PST. This event is open to the public and can be registered for here: www.living-free.org/CampHarris 

If you are a veteran interested in participating in an upcoming workshop, sign up for the War Horse Creek email list at this link. You’ll be alerted as dates and sponsorships become available. 

The next mission for War Horse Creek is to raise scholarship funds for veterans to participate at no cost to them. Those willing to support future veteran participation in the Collaborative Horsemanship workshops can do so through a donation here.

ABOUT WAR HORSE CREEK

Located on 155 acres in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California, War Horse Creek rescues wild mustangs and brings them together with veterans in an innovative approach called Collaborative Horsemanship. The results of the War Horse Creek pilot program have been life-changing, and the team is now seeking funding to build out facilities and expand to larger veteran groups. War Horse Creek is an initiative of Living Free Animal Sanctuary, which has been saving animals for 40 years. To find out more and donate, click here: /war-horse-creek/

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If you would like more information about War Horse Creek, please call Ray Barmore at  951-659-4687 ext. 0 or email warhorsecreek@warhorsecreek.com.