In 2017 incarcerated veteran and CCI leather worker Ryan Krueger began searching for a veterans organization he could support, using the saddle building skills he learned in the CCI leather shop. He identified Bravehearts trail to zero as an organization he wanted to support. He spent the next few years trying to figure out how he could support their mission then, in 2021, a CCI staff member proposed his idea to an anonymous donor that also supports veterans causes. In 2022, Krueger and his coworkers in the leather shop sent 2 custom saddles, one representing each of the armed services, and one honoring the sacrifices of 9/11, to Bravehearts to be ridden on their trail rides to raise awareness and help prevent veteran suicide.
Recently, the leather shop sent another saddle to Bravehearts to be ridden in Normandy on June 2 and 3, to honor the sacrifices of the 4,414 soldiers that fell during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
All of the custom saddles were designed by the incarcerated artisan workers in the leather shop. Please support their work by purchasing leather goods from this site, or by requesting a custom leather product from the shop. Also, please consider supporting the great work Bravehearts is doing to end the crisis of veteran suicide. (if you have trouble with the link, please try accessing away from the state network. The Bravehearts site appears to be blocked on the state network. https://braveheartsriding.org/trailtozeroride/ )
