Horses and humans share an ancient bond — a partnership forged across centuries of survival, exploration, and shared toil. Though the engine may have replaced the horse in our daily lives, the prestige of these majestic animals endures. So what happens when you pair the quiet strength of a horse with the courage of a combat veteran? In the mountains of Montana, you find one of the most powerful answers.
A Mission Born From Service
Founded in 2013 by 10-year combat veteran Micah Fink, Heroes & Horses exists to redefine the relationship between challenge and purpose. Their 41-day program reintegrates combat veterans through an innovative process built on three pillars: the wilderness, the human-horse connection, and a proven leadership model. Each veteran is paired with a rehabilitated wild mustang, and together they navigate the unforgiving backcountry — learning self-reliance, perseverance, and the kind of resilience no prescription can provide.
The organization's vision is bold: a world where the over-prescribing of medications is replaced with ownership, and loss is replaced with hope. It is a world where the narrative around PTSD shifts from damage and disorder to empowerment and forward movement.
Meet Jesse and Jack
In 2018, the J.W. Couch Foundation contributed a grant to support the adoption of two wild mustangs into the Heroes & Horses program. Working alongside renowned horse trainer West Taylor, the team takes each mustang through a rigorous training process designed to prepare them for a lifetime of service to veterans. Once trained, the horses are permanently integrated into the herd, where they will help rehabilitate combat veterans for years to come.
We are proud to introduce Jesse and Jack — two mustangs whose journeys from wild to working partner mirror, in many ways, the journey of the veterans they will one day walk beside.
Our family has always had a passion for horses, and now that admiration can be paired with our respect for those who have chosen to serve our country. My grandfather was a proud WWII veteran, and he would have been impressed by this innovative program.Sean Couch, President & Co-Trustee, J.W. Couch Foundation
Healing the Whole Human
What sets Heroes & Horses apart is its commitment to healing the whole human — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. By stripping away the noise of modern life and replacing it with wilderness, hard work, and the steady presence of a horse who has known its own kind of struggle, the program offers veterans something rare: a chance to know themselves again.
For Jesse, Jack, and the veterans they will serve, this is just the beginning of the journey — one of transformation, growth, and a renewed sense of purpose forged in the mountains of Montana.
