For as long as he can remember, Nick Brawner has always had someone in his corner. It began with his father–his best friend and the man who taught him the true meaning of empathy. Years later, it was Josh Bryan, who helped him through his early stages of recovery and showed him how a profound peace can by found by working with horses.Just over a year ago, Brawner lost both men within a span of a few weeks. It was a period of staggering grief, but by coming out on the other side, Brawner has found a new perspective.Brawner is determined to be that anchor for others–the person who stands firm through the highs, the lows, and every circumstance in between. By taking a full-time role at Stable Recovery, he hopes that other people's lives are made better simply by knowing him, just as he was shaped by the influences of his father and Josh.“This is where I get my reward in watching these people grow, do something with their lives and get their families back,” he said. “I'm able to be a part of that now. Instead of my whole life being selfish, I can be selfless and do things for others when they need it. I'm able to show up and be who I was destined to be.”Born and raised in Frankfort, Kentucky, Brawner grew up in a supportive household. His parents worked hard and his father coached sports teams for both him and his sister. Brawner was a good student with a bright future.Then at just 12 years old, he was introduced to marijuana. A few years later, his father was laid off and forced to take a job several hours away in Bowling Green. Without his father's daily guidance, Brawner's drug and alcohol use developed into a serious problem.“After graduating, I watched everybody around me that I grew up with start going off to college and I kind of got lost,” he recalled. “I found comfort in alcohol and drugs and it started a decade-long spiral. I couldn't keep a job. I'd work six months to a year somewhere and was just bouncing around. I got into pain pills when I was 23 or 24 and that's when everything went south. I turned into just a horrible person.”Brawner would have periods of sobriety, but never really accepted that he had a problem. Despite his family's attempts to intervene, he remained unreachable, convinced he had everything under control even as his life fell apart.“I was spiritually bankrupt,” he admitted. “I was miserable. I hated every second of my existence, but I couldn't stop. I had several overdoses. I had to wake up in the hospital to my dad and my sister standing over me. I think that was one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with.”Finally one day, Brawner checked himself into a 30-day treatment center. The case manager there recommended Stable Recovery.When Brawner first walked into the barn at Stable Recovery in 2023, he was greeted by a familiar face. Josh Bryan, then the coordinator for the School of Horsemanship, had been a few years behind him in school. Though Brawner arrived with virtually no knowledge of Thoroughbreds, Josh became his gateway into a new world.“He's the one who made me fall in love with this,” explained Brawner. “He just had it around horses. He was confident and knew what he was doing, but he was patient and respectful. He and I got extremely close. I learned everything from him.”After four months, Brawner thought he was doing so well that he decided to drop out off the program early, going against the advice of his coordinators. He relapsed soon after he left.“That started another year and a half of misery,” he shared. “But I'm glad it happened because everything in life is a learning experience. I definitely learned from it.”Nick Brawner at the Stable Recovery House at Taylor Made | Katie PetrunyakBy November 2024, he found his way back to Stable Recovery. He went to work at Godolphin's training and rehabilitation barn at Keeneland. There, he learned from head trainer Johnny Burke as well as Blane Servis, the son of John Servis who had gone through the School of Horsemanship with Brawner during his first stint in the program.“Johnny is amazing,” said Brawner. “He was a good mentor and Blane grew up around horses so he showed me a lot. I had the best teachers. When I was with Josh, it was foaling season. The mares were pretty easy and the foals can get wild, but they're not that big. On the racetrack, I realized it was a totally different ball game.”Brawner honed his horsemanship skills by working with elite Godolphin homebreds like champion Immersive (Nyquist) and graded stakes winner Poster (Munnings), but his newfound strength was soon put to the test. Last February, while Brawner was still a resident at Stable Recovery, his father contracted pneumonia. As the illness stretched into three grueling months, the program andhis job with Godolphin supported Brawner as he traveled back and forth to Louisville to care for his family.The spring of 2025 brought a double shadow of grief. In April, Josh Bryan died tragically due to surgical complications. Only weeks later, Brawner's father became septic and passed away. Brawner was there, standing by his family's side, but by the next morning, he was back in the barn.“There's just something about the horses,” he said. “It's where I needed to be.”In years past, such a loss might have triggered a collapse. But this time, Nick wasn't alone.“I remember a few years ago, my phone wouldn't even ring,” he said. “People wouldn't care where I was. When I went through [losing Josh and his father], my phone rang all day long with people checking on me. Stable Recovery has developed into a huge family. We'll do anything for each other. We give back and we help, something we've never been able to do.”While men like Josh Bryan, Blane Servis, Johnny Burke and Frank Taylor provided the blueprints for Brawner to rebuild his purpose, his innate desire to serve others was first embedded in him by his father.“He was in my corner no matter what,” he shared. “I realized that I'm not so much sad anymore. I realized I was blessed to have that time. I'm 37 years old and have a lot of years ahead of me. He showed me how to care about others.”Last September, Brawner accepted a full-time role with Stable Recovery. He became a house manager, mentoring men just beginning their sobriety journey, while also helping launch Stable Recovery's women's horsemanship program at Spy Coast Farm. This month, Brawner transitioned into a role in admissions at Stable Recovery, overseeing the intake of new residents and guiding them toward graduation.“It has been a blessing,” he said. “I think community is the biggest part of this. If somebody just shows a little bit of willingness, they can push through. Of course, some aren't ready. I understand because I was the same way. That's the hardest part about it because you can't play God in those situations. But I've watched a lot of people progress and get to these outside positions at racetracks and the farms that Stable Recovery is partnering with. You see that light come on in their eyes when they go in and groom a horse. There's something magical about it, there really is.”Brawner is rebuilding his relationships with his mother and his sister, and he also enjoys time with his young niece and two nephews. He visits his family in Frankfort often, but they understand that Stable Recovery is his home.“My mom tells me that she's proud of me,” he shared. “I see them as much as I can, but I have a purpose here. It's not about me anymore. It's about these men and women. This place has done so much for all of us. How can we not be grateful?”Stable Recovery is a recovery housing program in Lexington, Kentucky that offers men and women in the early stages of recovery access to 12-step meetings, life skills training and, through the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship, the opportunity to develop a trade in the equine field. To learn more about Stable Recovery, click here.The post The Road Back: Nick Brawner Finds a New Anchor at Stable Recovery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.