Wildly Personal Essays | Designing Barrington Lifestyles | Riding For His Reasons
Golf Lessons | Barrington Horse Country
Wild, Wild Horses
After his return from duty in Afghanistan five years ago, Army Indirect Infantryman Mitchell Hedlund was giving up
Hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) in combat at the base of his feet—and with its compression blasting through the top part of his body—Hedlund’s back was severely injured. His life upon return home was like that of many veterans—a broken body, a broken home, and the prospect of living in a wheelchair in his parent’s basement, staring at a wall for the rest of his life. His mom’s friend, a BraveHearts volunteer, got Hedlund to walk through its door, though it wasn’t easy for him to do.
Hedlund says he was four days away from suicide—like any one of the 22 former military service personnel who commit suicide daily, according to the U.S. government statistics. Short of giving up, it took equine assisted therapy with BraveHearts to save his life, and ironically, that of a wild mustang, who also got a good second chance. “That horse is just like me, slipped through the cracks,” Hedlund said. “No one really mentions us or cares about us unless they see us.” Hedlund says that people don’t think vets have fears, but he says they do.
Hedlund was afraid of horses and avoided the BraveHearts program for a while. After taking steps to face his fear, he eventually began to ride and in doing so, got his life back. He credits a wild mustang with saving him, and he believes it will help other vets, too. Six months ago he realized that if you put veterans together with a horse, you won’t see as many of the problems they suffer with.
“If you get all the vets and put a mustang in their hands, I guarantee they will change—100 percent. I was scared of horses. The only thing that led me to it was the thought that, ‘I’d die soon anyways,’” he says.
Hedlund never thought he would be able to walk again, let alone run or ride a horse. Today, he says, some days are still hard, and that his is not a unique story for military veterans. Some days he feels “almost normal”, and other days he is in pain.
The BraveHearts program is a miracle according to Hedlund. “Mighty” is Hedlund’s favorite horse. “He’s my buddy,” he says. “The gentling we do is a process of earning their trust and the horse earning ours.”
To learn more about BraveHearts, visit www.braveheartsriding.org.
ESO to Perform for Trail Owners at Kalaway Cup Polo Event
The Riding Club of Barrington Hills has announced that a brass ensemble from the award-winning Elgin Symphony Orchestra, led by renowned conductor Andrew Grams, will perform for the trail owners at this year’s LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup Polo Matches, September 10 in Barrington Hills.
According to Jenny Drecoll, chairwoman of the 2016 event, the famed conductor will lead a select group of musicians from the ESO in a performance for the Barrington Hills trail owners who are attending a private luncheon at the 2016 polo matches. The luncheon is hosted by the Riding Club of Barrington Hills to thank village homeowners who permit bridle paths across their private property.
Lynn Topping, who is chairing the Trail Owners Luncheon said, “We are delighted to have Andrew Grams bring his musicians to our event.” She said the Chicago Tribune referred to Grams as a “rising young American conductor” who was the unanimous choice of the ESO’s musicians to remain as their music director with a renewed contract for five more years. Grams was also featured as Quintessential Barrington’s 2016 May/June cover story.
The annual LeCompte Kalaway Trail Owners Cup is Chicago’s largest polo event of the year. Now in its 12th season, the event will take place at the Oakwood Farm Polo Field on Bateman Road in Barrington Hills. Tickets for adults are $20 at the gate. A limited number of field-side tailgate spaces are available for $150 each. For reservations contact mwest08@gmail.com.