Camaraderie, horsemanship and the powerful, unspoken bond between horse and rider were on display June 25, as 10 veterans took center stage for the inaugural Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide. Produced in conjunction with the American Paint Horse Foundation, the competition took place at the 2025 APHA World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas.
The event paired 10 military veterans with talented reining horses and professional trainers to showcase their athleticism and equine partnership in a friendly team-based competition. After a few days of practice, the veterans and their horses took to the dirt, showing off their best sliding stops, spins and other maneuvers. Judges’ scores determined the top exhibitor and the overall highest-scoring teams.
The Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide is the brainchild of Reed Knutson, founder and president of Two Ravens Foundation. His organization provides transformative experiences, reflection, personal growth and empowerment for military veterans and first-responders through the healing power of horses.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake Greenlief piloted Gunna Make U Miss Me to a 224.5 score for Team Black. As the top-scoring exhibitor, Jake scored a Gist Silversmiths trophy buckle. He earned another one—along with buckles for team member Brian Ferron and coach Josh Tishman—for netting Champion Team honors, too.
“It was amazing,” Jake said; his background is mostly in cow horse events. “I can’t thank Josh and his family enough, and obviously the good Lord upstairs. It was a heck of an experience to ride this caliber of horse, make connections and build a community that’s willing to support veterans across the nation.”
Though bragging rights and great prizes add fun to the event, the most meaningful impacts of the Two Ravens Veterans Slide go deeper.
“When you pair a human and a horse, you see miraculous things happen that you can’t explain,” Reed said. “It’s an inaudible language—they’re a 1,000-pound, free-thinking animal—but they understand us better than we understand ourselves.”
Promoting transformational experiences inspired by horses is at the core of the American Paint Horse Foundation, too; the organization immediately knew it needed to partner with Reed’s Two Ravens Foundation to showcase the healing power of horses on the APHA World Show stage. The American Paint Horse Foundation is committed to providing educational opportunities, preserving equine heritage and expanding equine-assisted services.
Energized by the 2025 Two Ravens Veterans Slide, Reed is excited about future opportunities, which might include more reining competitions and expansion into other events like reined cow horse and roping.
“We have veterans all over this nation competing, and I’d love to put them in the same room and just blow the roof off this place,” he said.
Congratulations to the inaugural 2025 Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide champions:
· Champion Individual: Jacob Greenlief
· Champion Team: Team Black
o Jacob Greenlief & Brian Ferron, coached by Josh Tishman
· Reserve Champion Team: Team Red
o Jason Dolce & Jeremy Svejcar, coached by Gunny Mathison
· Bronze Champion Team: Team Teal
o Jerame Dolce & Ethan Quebodeaux, coached by Nathan Piper
Read the full story on the APHA.com website at bit.ly/2025TwoRavensSlide.
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association. Since it was founded in 1962, APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses. Learn more at apha.com.