espn here is abc s john donvan. reporter: why horses help, that s the mystery. but they do, or did. a generation or so and another american war ago when the men in the co-pilot s seat here, bob nevins want off to fight in vietnam and then came home again. he found that working with horses was the thing that soothed him best. i realized then there was some kind of deep emotional connection that actually opened people up. reporter: now nevins is passing it forward inviting these iraq war veterans for a three-day program he runs called saratoga war horse. behind the corral fence, racing thoroughbreds, now retired from the game. and these men, it is memory that wounds them. for specialist t.j. hawkins it was watching his best friend die in action. he meant a lot, the best brother anybody could ask for.
reporter: why horses help, that s the mystery. but they do, or did. a generation or so and another american war ago when the men in the co-pilot s seat here, bob nevins want off to fight in vietnam and then came home again. he found that working with horses was the thing that soothed him best. i realized then there was some kind of deep emotional connection that actually opened people up. reporter: now nevins is passing it forward inviting these iraq war veterans for a three-day program he runs called saratoga war horse. behind the corral fence, racing thoroughbreds, now retired from the game. and these men, it is memory that wounds them. for specialist t.j. hawkins it was watching his best friend die in action. he meant a lot, the best brother anybody could ask for.