41 DAY PROGRAM
Heroes and Horses offers Veterans a demanding 41-day experience that challenges students to reframe their perspective on hardship and adversity as an inevitable component to life and as a tool for finding clarity and personal meaning.
The program takes place on the Double-H Ranch in Montana. You will receive instruction on the full spectrum of horsemanship, animal husbandry, farrier work, packing, and equine medicine.Mornings are routines and ritual based being foundational to one’s development through fitness, mindfulness and working with nature’s elements. The days are long and dense with information and experiences. While this is true, there will be more than enough time for you to spend riding, journaling, dialoguing, and reflecting. The Double-H Ranch is a working ranch. Participants integrate into all ranch operations, learning new skills and participating in all ranching elements. This is hard but productive work.
You will be given all the tools necessary to conduct the final element of the program. Your class will go to the backcountry of Montana for 11 days with horses and mules to put into practice all the things you have learned at the ranch. The quiet and solitude of this experience will allow you to assimilate all of the things we have discussed during the program. It will allow you an opportunity to decide how you will put into practice critical insights that you have found along the way.
Our program is 41 consecutive days long, and you are expected to attend the program in its entirety. We expect your commitment level to your own health opens to match our commitment to you. We only have 32 slots available, and hundreds of applicants apply. It will be a challenge. There is incredible value in the work you will do here and it will transform your life.
HORSEMANSHIP
Building Trust, Grit, and Growth from the Ground Up
In the Heroes and Horses 41-Day Program, horsemanship is more than riding—it’s a powerful tool for transformation. Veterans begin by learning to care for and connect with their horses, developing patience, communication, and trust. This foundational bond challenges participants to step outside their comfort zones and engage in something unfamiliar, forging deeper self-awareness and emotional resilience.
As the program progresses, veterans take on increasingly difficult tasks, working with their horses in rugged, backcountry environments. These challenges demand teamwork, grit, and mental toughness. Horsemanship becomes a mirror—revealing personal strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth. Horses respond not to rank or title, but to authenticity, consistency, and leadership.
By the end of the 41 days, horsemanship leaves a lasting impact. Veterans don’t just learn to handle a horse—they learn to navigate life with greater clarity, responsibility, and confidence. The lessons learned in the saddle and on the ground become tools for long-term success, helping each participant redefine what’s possible beyond the battlefield.
ELEMENTALS
Reconnecting Through Nature, Challenge, and Simplicity
The Elementals phase of the Heroes and Horses 41-Day Program strips life down to its core essentials—fire, water, shelter, and food. In a world free of modern distractions, veterans are immersed in the raw power of nature. This phase is designed to reconnect participants with themselves and the world around them by removing the noise of everyday life and focusing on survival, simplicity, and presence.
Living in primitive backcountry conditions, participants are challenged to adapt, overcome discomfort, and rely on one another. They learn the value of discipline, resourcefulness, and humility through hands-on experiences—building shelters, starting fires, purifying water, and preparing meals. These elemental skills are not just about survival; they represent the foundation of personal transformation and resilience.
The Elementals experience fosters clarity, mental toughness, and a renewed sense of purpose. By facing the rawness of nature and enduring hardship without escape, veterans begin to shed the layers of old identities and limiting beliefs. They leave this phase grounded, recalibrated, and prepared for the next steps of the journey—both in the program and in life beyond.
NUTRITION
Fuel for the Mind, Body, and Mission
Nutrition plays a critical role in the Heroes and Horses 41-Day Program The cookbook (LINK) the Anti-Inflammatory Farmacy serves as a foundation for physical performance, mental clarity, and overall well-being and understanding out relationship to food. Participants are introduced to a whole-food, high-performance eating designed to support the intense physical and emotional demands of the program but also to heal from the inside out. This isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about long-term, sustainable health rooted in purpose and discipline.
By removing processed foods, sugar, and stimulants, the body begins to heal, regulate, and reset. Veterans learn how food directly impacts energy, focus, recovery, and resilience. With guidance from experienced coaches, participants develop an understanding of how to fuel their bodies with intention, aligning their nutrition with their goals—both in the backcountry and beyond. The impact of proper nutrition extends far past the 41 days.
STRUGGLE
Where Growth Begins and Identity Is Rebuilt
Struggle is not an obstacle in the Heroes and Horses 41-Day Program—it’s the point. Designed to push participants far beyond their perceived limits, the program uses intentional hardship to break through mental barriers, old patterns, and self-doubt. It’s in the discomfort, fatigue, and uncertainty that veterans begin to confront who they are and who they want to become.
From grueling physical challenges to emotional introspection, the struggle is raw and unfiltered. There’s no escaping the work—whether it’s climbing a steep mountain with a pack mule, managing fear in the backcountry, or sitting alone with difficult thoughts. This process forces veterans to face the truth of their past and redefine their future through discipline, resilience, and accountability.
Through struggle comes transformation. By enduring what many would consider impossible, participants build the grit, confidence, and self-leadership needed to thrive beyond the program. Struggle becomes the forge in which new identities are formed—not as victims of their past, but as capable, driven individuals ready to lead their own lives with purpose and strength.
FORTY ONE DAYS – FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
We start accepting application for the 2026 SUMMER CLASSES on January 1, 2026
Stay connected with Heroes and Horses by signing up for our newsletter. Get exclusive updates on veteran programs, inspiring stories of transformation, upcoming events, and ways to support. Be the first to know about our expanding efforts—including future programs for spouses and children.