This company and its mission are part of my own healing from the invisible

wounds of war. The name HGY6, which is short for “Horse Got Your Six,”

honors the journey that brought me to this point, and it reflects how I

envision enlightened communities integrating and caring for veterans.

​

“I’ve got your six” is a phrase that military and law enforcement

professionals use to say, “I’m watching for threats behind you that you

can't see.” There is nothing more comforting in a dangerous situation than

knowing someone you trust “has your six,” and it is hard to describe the

bond that forms between people who stand back-to-back, each placing

themself at risk to protect the other. Leaving the military can mean losing

association with such comrades, and the void can be devastating. Many

veterans are left wondering, "Who do I turn to? Who can I trust? Who will

watch my back?" This can lead to intense anxiety and social isolation,

especially for those living with the effects of trauma.

​

Fear of being unable to perceive threats, especially in a crowded or noisy 

environment, became one of the most distressing problems for me

personally, but I found a kindred spirit in a horse named Tanga. She joined

my family not long after my sixth deployment, and as I spent time with her,

I started to notice what looked like the same anxiety I was feeling,

especially when I had her separated from the rest of the herd.

​

As prey animals, horses in the wild cannot afford to be complacent.

Millennia of evolution with swift and powerful predators in their midst

have made them hypervigilant, reactive, and prone to flight. Domesticated

horses retain these traits to a large degree, meaning they constantly

evaluate their environment to know whether they must flee to avoid

danger. This is why the social structure of a herd is critical for a horse's

mental state. Within the herd, horses find safety and companionship with

others they trust. They “have each other’s six.” Away from the herd, Tanga

felt unsafe, and I wasn't offering the reassurance she needed. My own

dysregulated state early in our relationship probably made things worse.

​

Observing Tanga and the dozen or so horses she shared a pasture with, I

longed to be accepted by them. I wanted to feel and offer trust and safety

the way they did for one another. Achieving that goal took almost five

years because the psychological wounds I carried home from Afghanistan

made it difficult to apply this fundamental truth: If I wanted tranquility

from the horses, I needed to bring tranquility to the horses. I had to learn or

re-learn to regulate my own internal state and to correctly perceive and

adapt my behavior to the internal state of the horses. I would later learn

that this process of honing and exercising relational skills caused changes

in my brain that literally had a healing effect.

​

I formed HGY6 in early 2020, while studying to become a counselor. The

plan was to eventually create a private therapy practice where I could help

other veterans heal. That purpose still fuels my passion, but my vision has

expanded in a way that caused me to alter my approach. Click on my

BLOG to learn more or click on SERVICES to discover how we might

work together to better integrate the veterans in your own "herd."