Cheryl Olsten never expected to build her life around horses. She was reluctant to ride at all. Then three horses entered her life at three pivotal moments, each changing something different—and one left her with a realization she never anticipated: “He took care of me.”

Those relationships changed more than Cheryl’s feelings about horses. They shaped the stories she writes and her commitment to helping the next generation recognize why horses deserve our care and protection.

Cheryl shares what difficult and previously mistreated horses taught her about patience, trust, and looking beyond an animal’s past. She also recounts remarkable moments she has witnessed between horses and people, including a nonverbal child speaking their first words while on horseback.

We discuss how horses can support autistic children, trauma survivors, and people navigating difficult seasons without treating the horse as a cure. Cheryl also explains how her relationship with three different horses influenced separate areas of her life, why she turned those experiences into children’s books, and how people can experience the horse-human connection without owning a horse.

This is not a story about horses magically fixing people. It is about what can happen when humans and horses are given the opportunity to care for one another—and why the animals capable of giving us so much deserve protection in return.

ABOUT CHERYL OLSTEN

Cheryl is the author of Big Wishes for Little Feet, inspired by her horse Lafitte. Lafitte’s winnings have raised funds for the EQUUS Foundation, where he served as its first equine ambassador. Before writing children’s books, Cheryl spent 12 years as publisher of New Jersey Life magazine.

CONNECT WITH CHERYL

Website: http://cherylolsten.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherylolsten/
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/cherylolsten

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Australia is shooting Brumbies from helicopters in the name of conservation. The NSW Government says aerial culling is necessary to protect Kosciuszko National Park. Wild horse photographer Kiki Sjöberg says what she has witnessed tells another story.

Originally released as an emergency episode before aerial shooting resumed in June 2026, this conversation examines what was at stake and why Brumby advocates were fighting to stop it.

The government’s plan calls for reducing the wild horse population to 3,000 within designated retention areas by June 2027, while removing Brumbies entirely from the remaining 68 percent of the park. Kiki questions the population estimates being used to justify the killing, the welfare claims surrounding aerial shooting, and whether enough has been done to pursue alternatives such as trapping and rehoming.

She shares what she has seen on the ground, why Brumby advocates fear these horses could disappear from much of the landscape, and what Australia stands to lose if an animal woven into its cultural identity is treated only as an invasive species.

Kiki also challenges the contradiction she sees in removing Brumbies in the name of environmental protection while the $12 billion Snowy 2.0 hydroelectric project is being constructed within the same national park.

This is not a simple argument between horses and the environment. It is a fight over who gets to define conservation, whose evidence is trusted, and whether animal welfare and cultural heritage are acceptable losses.

CONNECT WITH KIKI SJÖBERG

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brumby_strong/

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Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
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Follow The Touch of a Mustang as we uncover the places and principles that lead to healing, resilience, and freedom of mind.

Sometimes healing begins not by escaping the pain, but by finding somewhere safe enough to face it. For some veterans, that place may be beside a horse.

Kathleen Saucier is the co-founder of Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project, a nonprofit that rescues horses and brings them together with veterans searching for connection, purpose, and their own second chance.

Following the 2026 Horses for Mental Health campaign, Kathleen and I look beyond the money raised to what may matter even more: the relationships built, the people reached, and the growing recognition that horses can play a meaningful role in supporting mental health.

We discuss what horses offer people who may struggle to feel safe or understood elsewhere, why the connection can reach places words do not always reach, and how rescued horses can become valued partners rather than animals defined by their pasts. Kathleen also shares what the campaign accomplished and why increasing public awareness matters for veterans, equine-assisted programs, and the horses themselves.

This is not a claim that horses replace therapy or do the work of healing for us. It is a case for taking the horse-human connection seriously—and for recognizing that bringing together two lives in need of another chance can change the direction of both.

ABOUT KATHLEEN SAUCIER

Kathleen is the co-founder of Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing horses and connecting them with veterans.

CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN

Website: https://www.sssvp.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sssvp.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samsonsstrengthveteransproject/
Horses for Mental Health campaign: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/samsons-strength-sustainable-veterans-project-inc-501-c3/
Horses for Mental Health: https://horsesformentalhealth.org

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Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
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Ray Guidone had used alcohol to escape the hardest parts of life. Then he returned to horses—and the craving disappeared.

For days after working with them, Ray did not think about alcohol at all. He was not fighting the urge or forcing himself through it. In the presence of horses, he felt free from it.

Ray and I explore what happened during those days. We talk about the role escape played in his addiction, why horses pulled him into the present, and how their honesty made it harder to avoid what he was carrying. Ray also shares how he learned to recognize the difference between something that helps us return to life and something that helps us hide from it.

The conversation reaches back to Ray’s childhood and the remarkable story of being found at age three inside a circle of horses that refused to move. We also discuss how nearly three decades of massage and bodywork shaped his understanding of physical tension and emotional pain, how Qi Gong influences his connection with horses, and why the sense of belonging found within a herd may be especially meaningful for veterans.

This is not a claim that horses cure addiction or replace treatment. It is one man’s account of what happened when being with horses interrupted his need to escape—and a reason to look more closely at what presence, connection, and the horse-human bond may offer people trying to find their way back.

ABOUT RAY GUIDONE

Ray is a licensed massage therapist with nearly 30 years of experience. His work includes medical and rehabilitation massage, isolated stretching, Reiki, and Qi Gong. In 2026, he served as a Horses for Mental Health ambassador in support of Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project.

CONNECT WITH RAY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18EJ9LvMje/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intuitivewellness_/

Horses for Mental Health campaign: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/ray-guidonne/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

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Sometimes the life we build is not the life we were meant to keep. When it no longer fits, we may have to let parts of it burn before we can build something that does.

Justin Dunn believes horsemanship gives us a place to practice the same principles that shape the rest of our lives. A horse responds to what we bring into the moment—our thoughts, habits, tension, intention, and character—revealing things about us that are easy to hide elsewhere.

Justin and I explore what happens when we carry the principles we use with horses into the human experience. We talk about applying tension and release to everyday challenges, learning to stay present through difficult things, and participating in life rather than constantly fighting against it.

Justin also explains the thinking behind his five-part resonance framework, which examines health, wealth, happiness, relationships, and spirituality. We discuss why the traditional path can lead us away from ourselves, how character shapes the direction of our lives, and why rebuilding may require releasing old identities, habits, and assumptions first.

This episode is not about using horses to escape the life we have built. It is about allowing them to reveal what no longer belongs, remembering who we are beneath it, and deciding what must be released before something better can take its place.

ABOUT JUSTIN DUNN

Justin is a horseman, author of The Sacred Art of Horsemanship and A Horse to Guide Me, and founder of the American Mustang School. His work uses horsemanship to develop self-awareness and support mental wellness while promoting the preservation of the American Mustang.

CONNECT WITH JUSTIN

Website: https://www.justindunnhorsemanship.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justin.w.dunn/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustinDunnMustangHorsemanship/

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Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
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When someone has tried everything and still feels unreachable, hope can become difficult to believe. A horse may offer a place to begin again—not by providing the answer, but by making it harder to hide from what hurts.

Lynn Thomas did not grow up with horses. She grew up in the city and knew little about them until she witnessed their effect on at-risk youth more than 30 years ago. What she saw changed the direction of her life and eventually led her to co-found Horses for Mental Health.

Jen Blanchard is the Head of Marketing for Zoetis U.S. Equine. Together, Lynn, Jen, and their partners built the annual Horses for Mental Health campaign to raise money, expand access to equine-assisted services, and bring greater legitimacy to work that is still too often dismissed or misunderstood.

Lynn, Jen, and I discuss why horses can reach people who struggle to feel safe or understood elsewhere, what makes the horse-human connection different from working with other animals, and why it is so difficult to hide what we are feeling in the presence of a horse. We also explore the growing place of equine-assisted services within mental health, the need to care for the professionals and horses doing this work, and how these programs can give rescued horses, Mustangs, and horses leaving other careers a valued place in the world.

The 2026 campaign united 130 organizations across 36 states and six countries and raised more than $960,000. Since its launch in 2022, the campaign has generated $3 million for participating organizations.

This is not an argument that horses replace therapy. It is a case for recognizing what can happen when skilled professionals, horses, and people who feel stuck meet in the same place—and why expanding access matters for both people and horses.

ABOUT LYNN THOMAS AND JEN BLANCHARD

Lynn is a mental health professional and co-founder of Horses for Mental Health, a nonprofit working to increase awareness, funding, and access to mental health and personal-growth services incorporating horses.

Jen is the Head of Marketing for Zoetis U.S. Equine, the founding sponsor of the Horses for Mental Health campaign.

LEARN MORE AND FIND A PROGRAM

Horses for Mental Health: https://horsesformentalhealth.org
Find a program: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaign/
Stories and films: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/stories/
Zoetis Equine: https://www.zoetisequine.com/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
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Madison Orlando’s father died four days before she was born. Her mother went silent, and Madison grew up believing she had not simply made a mistake—she was one.

Raised by a grandmother who could not walk, pregnant at 15, and working multiple jobs to survive, Madison learned early how to keep going without the guidance most children depend on. But surviving those years required more than strength. She eventually had to question the shame she carried and the story it had taught her to believe about herself.

Madison and I examine the difference between guilt and shame: one tells us we made a mistake; the other convinces us we are the mistake. We talk about what changed when Madison stopped hiding parts of herself within her marriage, why real love should liberate rather than control, and why forgiveness is something we do for our own freedom.

Madison also shares how she understands Reiki, frequency, the chakra system, and the patterns our bodies can carry after painful experiences. We discuss why horses respond to what is actually present rather than the version of ourselves we perform—and how being with them can create space to stop pretending we are okay.

This is not a story about denying how deeply trauma can wound us. It is about refusing to let what happened become the final definition of who we are—and considering the possibility that we are stronger and less fragile than pain taught us to believe.

ABOUT MADISON ORLANDO

Madison is a licensed massage therapist, nationally board-certified practitioner, Reiki master teacher, and former national champion in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. She has studied with Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, and Tony Robbins and now works with people through massage, bodywork, and energy practices. In 2026, she served as a Horses for Mental Health ambassador supporting Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project.

CONNECT WITH MADISON

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Massage-Alchemist-Madison-Orlando-100082873207762/
Horses for Mental Health campaign: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/madison-orlando/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

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Force can make a horse comply. It cannot make a wild horse trust you.

After working with hundreds of Mustangs, Michael Sanchez has learned that partnership begins by understanding the difference between being firm and being aggressive. One provides the clarity a horse needs. The other destroys the trust you are trying to build.

Michael did not plan to become a Mustang trainer. He began as the maintenance man at a barn in Leeds, Alabama, cleaning stalls and repairing fences. Then someone asked him to hold a horse. That small moment became the beginning of a life spent helping wild horses learn to trust people.

Michael and I discuss why the first time a Mustang willingly picks up its foot represents trust rather than obedience, why rushing a wild horse can damage the partnership, and what gentling approximately 300 Mustangs has taught him about patience. He also explains how to recognize when you may not be the right person for a particular horse—and why acknowledging that can be an act of responsibility rather than failure.

We also talk about the loss of Michael’s mother and the day his boss told him to stop working and simply sit with the horses. Their presence gave him somewhere to carry his grief when words could not, deepening his understanding of what horses can offer people who are hurting.

This is not a case for becoming passive or abandoning boundaries. It is about learning to be clear without threatening, patient without avoiding, and firm without becoming aggressive—and recognizing that those principles matter far beyond the round pen.

ABOUT MICHAEL SANCHEZ

Michael is a Mustang trainer based in Leeds, Alabama, who specializes in helping wild horses transition into life with people. In 2026, he served as a Horses for Mental Health ambassador supporting Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project.

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.sanchez.943673
Horses for Mental Health campaign: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/michael-sanchez/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetouchofamustang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTouchofaMustang

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The program helping a veteran find a reason to keep going may be one emergency vet bill away from disappearing. When hay, farrier care, or veterinary treatment cannot be paid for, even work that saves lives can come to a halt.

David Vieira is an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and the founder of Veterans K9Equine Alliance. The organization provides nutritional and veterinary support to programs using horses and service dogs to help veterans living with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, military sexual trauma, and the difficult transition home.

After leading the effort to build Connecticut’s first memorial dedicated to Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, David recognized another mission that received far less attention. Equine and service-dog programs were doing critical work, but many were struggling to cover the ordinary expenses required to keep their animals healthy and their doors open.

David and I discuss why paying for hay, veterinary emergencies, and farrier care is not secondary to the mission—it is what makes the mission possible. He shares what he learned while traveling across the country and visiting partner organizations, why veterans need purpose and community as much as treatment, and what horses and service dogs can offer people who may struggle to connect elsewhere.

We also explore why working with a Mustang can give a veteran a mission, what happens when two lives searching for purpose are brought together, and why the animals carrying this work cannot be treated as an afterthought.

This is not a contest between equine programs and traditional veteran care. It is a case for protecting every credible path that helps veterans find their way forward—and ensuring the horses and dogs making that work possible receive the care they need.

ABOUT DAVID VIEIRA

David is an Army veteran, founder of Veterans K9Equine Alliance, and the driving force behind Connecticut’s first Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans War Memorial. Through the Alliance, he is building a national network of nutritional and veterinary support for organizations whose horses and service dogs help veterans heal.

CONNECT WITH DAVID AND VETERANS K9EQUINE ALLIANCE

Website: https://k9equinealliance.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560410920660
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veteransk9equinealliance/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VeteransK9EquineAlliance
Horses for Mental Health campaign: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/david-vieira/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
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After cancer took her mother and then her sister, Britt Michaelian did not become grateful for the loss. She became grateful for the love that made the grief possible.

Britt believed her mother would outlive everyone. When cancer came, she stepped into the role of caregiver and remained beside her through the end of her life. Later, cancer entered the family again through Britt’s sister. The grief was relentless, but somewhere within it, Britt began to recognize beauty—not because death became less painful, but because grief revealed the depth of what had been loved.

Britt and I discuss what caring for her family taught her about death, why creating can restore something that constant consumption drains from us, and how she found her way back to intuition when grief and the noise of the world made it difficult to hear herself.

Britt also shares how she understands frequency, Reiki, and quantum healing, why she creates paintings intended to carry healing energy, and how gratitude can change our relationship with overwhelming moments. Her work brings together art, energy practices, and the lessons she learned while walking beside the people she loved through cancer.

This is not a promise that grief can always be made beautiful or that gratitude erases loss. It is an invitation to consider that grief and love cannot be separated—and that creating something from our pain may help us continue living without pretending the loss did not matter.

ABOUT BRITT MICHAELIAN

Britt is a frequency artist, quantum healing practitioner, and host of The Daily Healing. She creates Reiki-infused paintings and previously worked as an art therapist in oncology units and on heart-transplant floors. Her work now helps people explore grief, intuition, creativity, and healing through art and energy practices.

CONNECT WITH BRITT

Website: https://www.brittmichaelian.art
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittmichaelian
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brittmichaelian
Substack: https://brittmichaelian.substack.com/

CONNECT WITH THE TOUCH OF A MUSTANG

Website: https://thetouchofamustang.org/
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