Flags, servicemen and -women, friendly competition, and patriotic pride enveloped the Will Rogers Coliseum June 24 for the inaugural Honoring Freedom Night. The community-wide celebration took place at the 2026 APHA World Championship Show in Fort Worth, Texas. It was jointly produced by the American Paint Horse Foundation, the National Snaffle Bit Association, Two Ravens Foundation and Airpower Foundation.
Fort Worth native and U.S. Navy serviceman Kevin Fahlund presented America’s Freedom Bell, crafted from materials recovered from the World Trade Center in tribute to America’s armed forces and the enduring ideals of freedom. Corporal Don Graves, a 101-year-old U.S. Marine veteran who fought in World War II, sang God Bless America and helped ring America’s Freedom Bell with Kevin. Two veteran-focused equestrian competitions, the Heroes on Horses Walk-Jog Western Pleasure and the Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide reining event, crowned champions during Honoring Freedom Night. The event capped off with a concert by Scooter Brown Band.
“Sitting at the back gate, listening to what this moment meant to our veteran riders and watching a vision come to life, was truly incredible,” American Paint Horse Foundation Director Betsy Budge said. “This event transformed into a place where our veterans were honored for their sacrifice, celebrated for their resilience and given the opportunity to perform on a world-class stage. That is the true power of the human-horse connection.”
Healing Through Horses
Courtney Phillips of Paradise, Texas, competed in Heroes on Horses in 2025, and she returned as a Two Ravens Veterans Slide competitor this year. The networking extended to veterans through programs like Honoring Freedom Night has been impactful, she says.
“It’s given us more of a community where it’s easier to reach out and have friends that have so many shared experiences. That means a lot.”
As a chief warrant officer for the U.S. Army, Courtney flew AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters and completed two deployments to Afghanistan before medically retiring after 11 years of service. Connection to her horses, including Paints like Hes Foxy, has helped Courtney persevere through challenges.
“Since retiring from the military, I’ve done best when I’ve stayed closest with my horses. When I let that bond slip piece by piece—maybe because I have a million excuses at the time, or my seizures just got too bad—that’s where I start to slip and I lose a big piece of who I am,” Courtney said. “The bond with horses means everything. They are truly a gift from God, a gift from Jesus himself to help us heal.”
In addition to earning reserve champion team honors in the Veterans Slide at part of Lipps Strike Team, Courtney was honored as the namesake of a limited-edition design for Cuttin Up Saddle Blankets, which will benefit the American Paint Horse Foundation.
“Events like this are sometimes what we need to compel us to get back out to the barn and rekindle that relationship with the horse,” Courtney said. “Events like this help us remember to keep striving, to keep getting out there and work on our relationships.”
Heroes On Horses Walk-Jog Western Pleasure
- Champion: Dawn Parker, Petersburg, Virginia, & Well Made
- Reserve: Scott Godwin, Flower Mound, Texas, & Always Certain
Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide
- Individual Champion: Jason Dolce
- Champion Team: Mathison Vanguard—Ryen Overlin, Jason Dolce & coach Gunny Mathison
- Reserve Champion Team: Lipps Strike Team—Shawn Day, Courtney Phillips & coach Jeromy Lipps
- Bronze Champion Team: Tishman Command—Halley Ferron, Derek Bibby & coach Josh Tishman
Read the full story online at apha.com.
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For more information, or to request photos or b-roll, please contact APHA Senior Director of Communications Jessica Hein at jhein@apha.com.
Media Contact:
Jessica Hein
jhein@apha.com