September 2021 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN September 2021 Page 25 By Haylie Kerstetter Corey Briggs, a veteran from New Jersey, discovered the healing power of horses through Project Horses for Forces, of Long Valley, NJ. Growing up in Baldwinsville, NY, Corey al- ways thought that being a soldier would be exciting, but he never knew that would be the path he would take. “I remember draw- ing a picture for my dad when I was about 8 or 9 and it was me as a soldier,” Corey explained. “I believe I said something along the lines of ‘I want to be a soldier someday’ but it was never really something that I thought about as I grew older and went through high school.” After graduating high school, he attended a local community college, which ultimately was not right for him, and left him with a feeling that he needed to spend time maturing and finding his purpose in life. After a summer of soul searching, he realized that the military was the perfect answer--his grandfathers had both served, one in the Air Force and another in the Marine Corps, and it would give him the structure he needed to grow up. On November 29, 2010, he stood on the yellow footprints at Parris Island to earn the title of Marine. During Corey’s seven years in the Marine Corps, he spent the majority of his time at Camp Pendleton, CA, where he worked in the intelligence field. In 2013 he did a tour in Afghanistan before returning to Camp Pendleton. Throughout this time, Corey found a true love for the Marines and wanted to make it his career; however, in 2015, he damaged an old injury, which led to his medical discharge in 2017. It was at this time that Corey felt lost. “I had no direction as to what I should do with my life,” said Corey. “I left all of my friends behind in California and moved to New Jersey to start a new chapter in my life.” In 2018, Corey began study- ing at Raritan Valley Community College, where he saw a flyer for a veteran’s program, Project Horses for Forces. This pro- gram gave veterans the chance to work with horses as a form of therapy, and was designed to bring veterans together to help them heal because they share a common ground that most others are unable to understand. This particular program was attractive to Corey because it allowed him to share how he felt when he was ready to, and there was no time limit on how long one could remain in the program--they were committed to the veterans and knew that not all will heal in a set amount of time. “I got in contact with the program and set up a day to Local Veteran Finds Healing Through Horses– and a Career (Continued on page 27)