2025 Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide makes waves in Cowtown debut
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.
“In our services—Army, Marines, Navy, it doesn’t matter—we are all competitive,” he said. “I wanted to harness that in a therapeutic setting: put some pretty hard-charging veterans on some really hard-charging horses. This [competition] is just another pillar in how we’re putting horses and veterans together and creating ways of establishing relationships, building networks and growing our own tribe within the Western way of life.”
Sliding to Glory
After event introductions, the riders mounted up, ready to showcase their new skills, no holds bar. And they didn’t disappoint. One by one, the veterans galloped into the freshly groomed Pavilion arena, put on the brakes and slid their horses, spraying up waves of dirt on either side of their path. They backed to center, then spun left and right to complete their modified reining patterns.
While all exhibitors laid down impressive tracks, two stood out in particular. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake Greenlief piloted Gunna Make U Miss Me to a 224.5 score for Team Tishman. Jerame Dolce, a 21-year combat veteran and member of Team Piper, nearly equaled the mark, scoring a 224 with Ruff Spook (QH).
“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.”
Prior to the Veterans Slide, Jeramy had only ridden horses casually and never before competed.
“As of Monday—three days ago—he’d never run, slide stop or spun a horse,” Reed said. “That’s not just a testament to the veterans, but also to folks like Nathan Piper. Nathan took that clay and was able to mold it into something awesome. Jerame blew my mind, and Jake blew my mind, too. They came out here and showed up. They made me and our veteran population, our tribe, very proud.”
As the Top 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.
“I’m blown away at the opportunity. I’m hoping to come back and defend my title,” Jake said. “Let’s keep doing this and bring veterans back and grow it!”
Life Changing
Though bragging rights and great prizes add fun to the event, the most meaningful impacts of the Two Ravens Veterans Slide go deeper.
“It’s about pushing yourself and having a goal; it’s about working on yourself while on top of a horse,” Jake said. He sees those same benefits in his work with War Horses for Veterans back home in Kansas. “Horses tell a person how they’re feeling and what they’re feeling with non-verbal communication. Horses are a mirror to the soul. It’s phenomenal in so many ways.”
Reed’s experienced similar equine-driven, soul-changing transformations, too.
“I had a veteran who had his sunglasses on and was very walled off. He was nice guy, but he had something on his shoulders,” Reed said. “I had him bareback on one of our horses, and he turned to me and just released everything—everything that was haunting him. It floored me. I knew he’d been struggling with that alone. When he released that, he was able to confide in me, and I knew I had a friend for life. A horse breaks down those barriers, breaks down those walls. When you pair a human and a horse, you see miraculous things happen that you can’t explain. But the horse explains it. 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.”
Congratulations to our Two Ravens Foundation Veterans Slide exhibitors:
Champion Individual: Jacob Greenlief
Champion Team: Team Black
Jacob Greenlief & Brian Ferron, coached by Josh Tishman
Reserve Champion Team: Team Red
Jason Dolce & Jeremy Svejcar, coached by Gunny Mathison
Bronze Champion Team: Team Teal
Jerame Dolce & Ethan Quebodeaux, coached by Nathan Piper
Participants:
Team Blue: Jason Sedotal & Mandy Carnes, coached by Casey Deary
Team White: Hunter Smith & Greg Phillips, coached by Jerome Lipps
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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.