Military veterans find peace on the back of a horse

Eleven years after he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident that no one thought he would survive, Mike Johnston found himself on a horse last spring, a cowboy for a week, herding cattle through rolling Wyoming terrain with a dozen other former and current members of the US military.

Johnston, 31, a petty officer third class in the Navy when he left the service in 2010, was part of the Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program, started in 2011 by the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, which provides financial assistance and lifetime support to ill, injured and wounded post-9/11 service members.

Johnston recalled a magnificent ride framed by snow-capped mountains. The ride was challenging for Johnston, who had little experience on a horse and none as an amputee, but he said he felt serene, then, down the trail, even elated.