01/06/2026
Every so often, Racing To Relate steps away from the research papers and conference rooms and returns to where everything begins: horses, people, and real life.
This news feature from leading French newspaper Ouest-France captures exactly that during our latest veteran ride adventure.
On Memorial Day 2026 at Utah Beach, during our sixth veteran ride to date, a group of American ranchers from “The Frontier Boys” rode a carefully selected string of Thoroughbreds and former racehorses, now retrained as polo horses.
The group travelled from the Grassfields Polo venue of Pierre-Henri Ngoumou to honour relatives who fought in Normandy. Many of these horses once raced; today, through thoughtful retraining and skilled horsemanship, they compete in polo while also contributing quietly and powerfully in other ways.
The experience unfolded in two stages: first at the farm, where relationships began to form through a polo initiation, demonstrations, and a friendly match; then on the beach itself, where those same horses demonstrated remarkable self-control, trust, and rideability amid wind, waves, flags, cameras, and deep emotion.
Horses were carefully matched to rider experience and confidence. What impressed us most was not perfection, but process: Thoroughbreds retrained to stand quietly for mounting and dismounting, maintain balance and direction in unfamiliar environments, and remain responsive while still able to express natural behaviour.
The right horse, in the right hands, doing the right job.
As an international organisation, this is what Racing To Relate stands for wherever and however we work in the world: advocating for the value of Thoroughbreds beyond racing, and supporting high-quality retraining, careful selection, and ethical partnership.
When it becomes normal, safe, and positive to adapt or change a horse–human partnership when needed, the experience for both horse and person can become truly optimal — relaxed, confident, and deeply enjoyable — even on a historic beach, on a profoundly emotional day.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://www.ouest-france.fr/d-day/video-a-utah-beach-ces-americains-realisent-une-promenade-a-cheval-pour-rendre-hommage-a-leurs-ancetres-f734aa69-2169-4c12-bf88-3910c2699239
READ THE NEWS PIECE TRANSLATION BELOW:
At Utah Beach, Americans take a horseback ride for Memorial Day
On Monday 25 May, for Memorial Day, around fifteen American ranch owners rode across Utah Beach on horseback, accompanied by Piers Flay, who works in equine therapy.
A group of about fifteen riders, wearing cowboy hats, crossed Utah Beach on this Whit Monday. On this sunny day, the sea had receded, but its turquoise water still glimmered in the distance. “Long live France!” shouted one of the riders, dressed in jeans and a checked shirt.
On Memorial Day, the American public holiday that honours military personnel who died in service, these Americans were on a pilgrimage. Nearly all of them have an ancestor who fought in Normandy during the Second World War.
“This is their way of paying tribute to their forebears,” explained Piers Flay, a veteran of the Household Cavalry and organiser of the ride.
Equine therapy helps with post-traumatic stress
In 2024, this 35-year-old veteran took part in “a remembrance ride” in Normandy with other former service members. His regiment has links with the organising charity, Racing to Relate, founded by Jennifer Barker and dedicated to retraining racehorses. While still serving, he used equine therapy with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It is a way of building empathy and rebuilding trust. It is a tool when other methods no longer work,” he explained.
Inspired by that Norman experience, he repeated it this year with the group he belongs to: the Frontier Boys, a Californian non-profit equestrian association.
According to Piers Flay, the moment was “important and moving” for these ranch owners, descendants of those who liberated Normandy.
“It is educational, unforgettable and inspiring,” said Steve Peterson, wearing a red bandana and accompanied by his wife Liz. “My grandfather was in General Patton’s unit. The second was a surgeon, and he treated soldiers in 1944.”
The group set off from Brécourt Manor and crossed the marshes to Utah Beach, ground steeped in history. “My uncle was a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said Sharon Casey, showing photos of his logbook on her phone. “He wrote down what he did every day. He flew over here.”
She remembers that he “spoke very little about the war”. Once, he said that on 5 June 1944, he spent a good evening with other pilots. “Only my uncle came back from it. It is heartbreaking,” she said quietly.
“This trip showed just how much Normandy has to offer, by combining memory, heritage and the positive impact of horses,” Jennifer Barker said with satisfaction. Before dismounting to visit the museum, the cowboys posed for a photo, with American flags flying behind them. In the distance lay Utah Beach, whose waves now echo the history of their ancestors.
IFAR Ouest France Thoroughbred Assisted Horses and Humans Research Foundation France Galop The Thoroughbred Health Network Paulick Report Thoroughbred Daily News Racing Welfare Racing Together Light Up Racing
Lundi 25 mai 2026, pour le Memorial Day, une quinzaine de propriétaires de ranch américains, dont les aïeux ont combattu en Normandie, ont arpenté Utah Beach à cheval. Ils étaient accompagnés de Piers Flay, un ancien soldat qui pratique l’équithérapie.
