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Veterans Ride Horses Across Manhattan To Raise Suicide Awareness

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Veterans rode 20 miles on horses across Manhattan on Saturday to send an important message.

The nonprofit BraveHearts, which organized the ride, says on average, 20 veterans take their own lives each day.

Saturday's ride was to honor those lives tragically lost.

Organizers also want to raise awareness about the benefits struggling veterans can get from working with horses. The group provides free services for veterans and wants to let them know help is available.

"They help us become more confident. They help us find our joy. They give us purpose, and they're just excellent partners," BraveHearts President and COO Meggan Hill-McQueeney said.

"He changed my life. I was isolating, angry," veteran Brenda Lee Anderson said. "He reminded me that I'm strong, that I have purpose, gave me a community again."

This was the fourth annual Trail to Zero ride. They rode through popular areas of the city, including Central Park, Times Square and the World Trade Center.

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