The Heroes Horsemanship Challenge is a competitive team riding event open to both past and current members of the armed forces and their family members.
A crowd lines the hillsides overlooking Georgia International Horse Park’s Grand Prix Arena. It’s a steamy evening on July 5th, 2024, at the Georgia Quarter Horse Association’s Big A/Stars & Stripes Circuit, and feet, some clad in flip-flops and others still sporting boots with spurs that sing with every kick, dangle from the arena wall. A diverse sea of faces look out excitedly over the hallowed sand where Olympic dreams were made during the 1996 summer games in Atlanta.
A hush falls over the crowd, and both cowboy hats and caps proudly displaying military branches of service are placed over hearts as a cowboy on a striking palomino enters the stadium. He carries an American flag, familiar colors dancing proudly in the evening light as the golden horse’s gait quickens with the building climax of Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag,” poignant words shimmering across the summer breeze.
There’s an almost electric feeling of pride blanketing the stadium when the cowboy stops to present the colors. It’s a fitting opening for one sector of the horse industry’s tribute to the men and women of our armed forces: the Heroes Horsemanship Challenge (HHC).
The event opened with a cowboy carrying the American flag to Johnny Cash’s song “Ragged Old Flag” aboard an eye-catching palomino. Photo by Cody Parmenter Photography
How It Started
Inspired by the Heroes on Horseback Challenge held at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, North Carolina horse trainer Jake Hartman and his wife Ali were drawn to the idea of creating a similar event to honor our country’s service members. Former Army Ranger Ryan Bandy’s magnetic personality while offering encouragement to his fellow competitors at the Congress Challenge led Jake and Ali to conversation with Brandy and his wife, Kaylee, who has served almost 20 years in the Army herself.
Together, the couples decided to create a similar event that would level the playing field. Instead of running it as a pleasure class (where the horses are being judged), they chose to score participants on a horsemanship pattern.
This put the focus on the performance of the riders rather than relying solely on the quality of the horse, allowing more riders to be able to compete with a smaller number of horses needed to accommodate them. The first competition was held in 2022, and annually since then.
Camaraderie & Competition
The Heroes Horsemanship Challenge is a team event open to both past and current members of the armed forces and their family members. Riders of all skill levels are encouraged to participate, with an attempt being made to evenly weight the combined experience level of each team.
When competition day arrives, each team is paired with a professional horse trainer, and they begin their preparation with a group clinic to go over the basics of the horsemanship class and the pattern they will be riding.
Each team is made up of past and current armed service members and their families, then paired with a professional horse trainer. Teams are evenly weighted by riding experience. Photo by Heather Glazer
From there, it’s time for the teams and their trainers to get down to business. The remainder of the afternoon leading up to showtime is spent meeting their mounts and learning how to translate the dots and dashes on their pattern sheet into a display of communication with their equine partners.
Though the spirit of competition is decidedly in the air, the opportunity for fellowship HHC provides for service members and their families is profoundly valuable. The military lifestyle comes with its own unique challenges, and the events surrounding competition day provide a venue for a wider portion of that community to come together. This can be especially beneficial for those who are no longer active duty.
“Events like HHC are so important because they provide validation,” says Army Lieutenant Colonel Kaylee Bandy. “Too often, our veterans feel stripped of their identity when they transition out of the military, and this same sense of loss affects their families as well. Military service provides deep personal connections and mutual understanding through experience. Much of that can feel lost to an entire family when a Warfighter transitions out of uniform—and the emotional, psychological, and physical effects can feel isolating and overwhelming. Programs like HHC are so much more than a head nod to our Warfighters. They’re platforms for genuine connection, shared experience, and public celebration of those who volunteer to keep our nation safe.”
Family members of veterans and active service members are invited to participate as well. Photo by Heather Glazer
Joe Conwell, a 2024 HHC competitor who spent 28 years in the Army National Guard, agrees.
“It’s a day out with people going through (or having gone through) similar situations in life, and a chance to have discussions, cheer each other on, and see the smiles on each other’s faces,” he says. “The camaraderie, competition, and support touch so many different aspects of what everybody’s going through and gives them a positive push to keep moving forward.”
Healing Through Horses
Although there are many programs geared toward honoring and strengthening the mental and physical wellbeing of our active duty military members and veterans, there’s something special about those like HHC that harness the therapeutic power of riding and interacting with horses.
“Horses hold no judgment, no preconceived notion,” says Bandy. “They don’t know their rider’s history of trauma, failures, guilt, anxiety, or fears. The relationship between our participants and their horses is unflawed and genuine.”
Multi-year HHC competitor and 25-year retired Chief Navy Diver Michael Suzuki had very little experience with horses when he was introduced to the event by his niece. Though he was nervous during the first ride, Suzuki quickly learned that working through the pattern with his equine partner was a welcome escape.
“When I ride, I’m not thinking about anything else, just me and that horse,” he says. “I’m still new at it, so it takes my full concentration—but that’s a good thing. It’s a stress, but a good stress.”
Retired Chief Navy Diver Michael Suzuki had very little experience with horses when he was introduced to the event by his niece. Photo by Cody Parmenter Photography
That mental focus is especially important for service men and women who have spent time on the frontlines.
“Someone who’s been in the combat zone basically remembers things from it almost 24 hours a day,” says Conwell. “When you’re multitasking and concentrating on getting a horse through the pattern, it puts that external input from your past to the side. It releases your brain for the amount of time you’re communicating with the horse.”
Teamwork is the foundation of many duties and operations within each branch of the military, so participants also find they’re able to apply the principles they use to tackle work-related tasks to something that feels much lighter.
“You’re doing the same process of working together to come up with an outcome, but it has absolutely nothing to do with military green suits, guns, and all of that,” says Conwell. “It relieves you of the military output, but you’re still doing the same things you’re trained to do.”
Completing their pattern in front of the cheering crowd also instills a sense of pride, accomplishment, and confidence in participants.
“Getting out there and doing their best on a regional stage, surrounded by seasoned professionals and industry champions, infuses our riders with confidence and satisfaction,” says Bandy. “They dismount holding their head a little higher and standing a little taller. They prove to themselves that they can do hard things, and that they’re worthy and deserving of joy and hope after hardship.”
Assembling the Ranks
Many members of the equine industry come together to make the Heroes Horsemanship Challenge happen, including professional trainers, the owners of the horses used in competition, and the Georgia Quarter Horse Association.
Various sponsors also graciously give monetarily or donate auction items to help cover the cost of a dinner for those in attendance, Harris jackets for every participant, and prizes such as belt buckles for the winners. Remaining proceeds from the event are given directly to Folds of Honor, an organization that provides scholarships to families of fallen and disabled service members and first responders.
Members of the winning team are presented with a prize. Photo by Heather Glazer
For the trainers who coach each team, the experience has proven to be both humbling and rewarding.
“All of the trainers have a good time,” says professional horseman Carey Ready, whose team won the 2024 HHC. “It was a time to let down in the middle of a busy show—a fun thing. So it’s good for us too. It really helps us keep perspective in life, not just the horse industry.”
Trainer Carey Ready coached the winning team in 2024. Photo by Heather Glazer
“It’s really humbling for us,” adds trainer Duke Williams. “This is something I would do every time I possibly could because it makes us feel a little better too. That we did something, gave something. At the end of the day, it’s still not enough.”
The positive aspects of events like HHC aren’t limited to what the participants glean from taking part. As service members and their families gather each year, the horse industry inevitably adds new faces to its ranks. Several trainers recalled team members becoming new horse owners after their experience with HHC, and most participants feel they’ve found a new community to be a part of.
“After I participated, it changed my whole perspective,” says Suzuki. “It made me more interested in the horse industry and learning more about it. Now when I hear ‘horses,’ I talk too.”
2024 competitor Joe Conwell (in red) presented event coordinator Jake Hartman with a flag flown while he was serving in Kuwait. Photo by Heather Glazer
In future, the HHC team hopes to add an additional event at a different show and venue so they can honor even more individuals and their families who have made sacrifices to protect and serve our country.
“As veterans and members of the horse industry, it’s a privilege to be able to pair our patriotism with our passion while serving our brothers and sisters,” says Bandy. “They’re the protectors of our peace and represent less than 1 percent of the American population. It’s not lost on the HHC team that the sovereignty of the United States was mostly won on horseback. This is truly a ‘thank you’ to both horse and rider.”
Visit heroeshorsemanshipchallenge.com for more information about the Heroes Horsemanship Challenge, how to become a participant, and sponsorship opportunities.
This article appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
