Man’s cross-Canada horseback trek raising support for veterans

MONCTON – One man’s cross-Canada horseback trek is shedding light on veterans issues across the country. Army veteran Paul Nichols left British Columbia in April and has been riding across the country to raise more support for fellow veterans, some of whom may be living with PTSD, like himself.

“I have had long days and I am getting a little bit sore,” he said “The idea of my ride is to reintroduce Canadians to their veterans.”

Nichols has traveled over 7000 kilometers in the saddle to support what he calls the “brotherhood”.

“So often when we think of veterans we think of the old boys who stormed the beach of Normandy and we don’t think about the 25 year old with a couple of combat tours in Afghanistan.”

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Nichols, now 46 years old, retired from the military in his late twenties . But he still very much feels the perils of serving in modern war and lives with PTSD.

“We don’t want to promote the stereotype of the broken warrior or the wounded worrier. If you tell people are they broken they will be broke.”

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Instead he says he wants to show veterans, some of whom also may be living with PTSD, that they are not alone. More than 300 veterans have already joined Nichols on sections of his cross-Canada trek.

First, they get a free riding lesson from his wife, Terry Nichols, who is a therapeutic riding instructor.

“I had a triple amputee veteran from Afghanistan who lost two legs and an arm while serving and I was able to get him up on my horse, Skip, and it was incredible and very motivating for him,” Terry said.

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“Everybody that joins the ride across Canada goes through me first before they can use our horses and join Paul on the road.”

Soldiers Danny Legace and Monique Barlett took their very first riding lesson Tuesday in Moncton, while they try to reign in feelings of stress and anxiety brought on by active military service.

“There’s no mines here, nobody is shooting at me you know nobody wants to do bad things to me and that’s where the horse is really good,” Legace said.

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“Sometimes there is a sigma out there that if you are a soldier you should not have any kind of mental illness, and those of course you can’t see and I feel like horses really help,” said Bartlett

She says riding alongside a former brother in arms, who’s been down a similar path, also helps her.

“It’s an honour and I am very blessed that I got to share this experience with them,” Bartlett said.