National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) has a deep appreciation for our nation’s veterans. Since 2011, the association has welcomed both active duty and veteran service members to the NSBA World Championship Show with a special welcome dinner, honored them in the Parade of Heroes and hosted the competitive Heroes On Horses® Walk Jog Western Pleasure class.

In 2025, the program expanded to include a Heroes On Horses® Western Pattern class, giving veterans even more opportunities to showcase their skills in the show pen.

NSBA members show their gratitude in many ways—volunteering as coaches, carrying flags in the Heroes Parade, donating to the NSBA Foundation’s Heroes On Horses® program and offering kind words of encouragement as veterans walk the grounds.

“The Heroes On Horses® program was originally designed to recognize and thank our military men and women and their families for their service,” said Lynn Campbell, NSBA Foundation Development Director. “Our events not only allow NSBA members to show their appreciation, but are also a way that veterans themselves can come together and meet each other and share not only their military experiences but also their shared interest in the horse.”

Coaches and Volunteers Making a Difference

NSBA’s professional trainers donate their time to prepare veterans for competition, helping them build confidence and connection with their horses.

“The Heroes On Horses® and the Equestrians With Disabilities are where my heart is,” Kevin Dukes, of Weatherford, Texas, said. 

“For us to be able to do something for these people who have given us their lives so that we can live the life that we live, is such an honor. This is the least we can do. To share what little bit of knowledge we have to help them get a little better is very rewarding. The exhibitors are so thankful for the help and so appreciative.”

“One thing that stands out to me is the veterans that return to join us again,” noted Adam Daurio, of Parker, Colorado. “They talk about the camaraderie, both in their former life in the military and about the camaraderie of being with their fellow veterans here."

Attendees at the NSBA World Championship Show carry flags in honor of veterans competing in the Heroes On Horses Event.

“There are so many who come back and bring their fellow veterans with them – they want to build this network with the equine industry with the trainers. This year, there are three gentlemen who competed with us before and brought someone with them whom they wanted to share this experience with. Being part of the equine community and proud of the equine industry, it’s so amazing to seeing how it can reach out to audiences that we have never reached before.”

Ricky Noiseux, of Falls Village, Connecticut, coached veterans for the first time in 2025. "I think that we sometimes get stuck in our bubble in our training and showing and it's great to see what horses can do for other people," he said. "This is very special to me, because my family spent a lot of time in the military. My brother was in the Army and deployed, my sister was in the Navy and also deployed, my grandfather was in the Army and my dad was an officer in the Navy reserves and went to the Merchant Marine Academy. "It's very cool and honestly I think it's more special for us than it is for them.

A Veteran Gives Back

Jacqueline Egan is not only a military veteran herself, but she is also a veteran of the Heroes On Horses® class and a multiple time class champion. Today, she gives back as a coach to veteran riders at Stable Strides Farm. 

“Mandy Cleveland talked to me about coaching the veterans at Stable Strides last fall and I just thought it was an amazing opportunity. I know how amazing the horses are for me therapeutically and I get to be around them even more because my son also rides with Stable Strides. It’s really full circle, because to get to work with other veterans is very fulfilling. 

“Stable Strides received a grant through Texas Health Resources as well as with Gallant View. We have set up eight-week sessions with the veterans and Gallant Views’ founder, who is a certified counselor, meets with the veterans after each ride. They also have an assessment when they start riding, mid-way through the program and at the end of the program. It’s been very eye opening. I have riders who could hardly stay on for ten or fifteen minutes and half way they’ve already built-up muscle tone and the mental turnaround has been phenomenal too. It’s awe-inspiring and it’s amazing to get to pay it forward.” 

All seven of the veterans in Jacquelin's group placed in the top ten in the Heroes On Horses® Walk Jog Western Pleasure.

Healing and Connection

Will Bryant, who showed in the Heroes On Horses® Pattern and the Heroes On Horses® Western Pleasure classes, was in the Marines for eight years, and worked in combat communications. 

“I did a tour in Afghanistan. You get into a state of hyper vigilance, and it’s tough to come back from,” he said. “Coming back is a paradigm shift in how you approach things, because it literally changes you some things for the better and some things for the worse. There is no going back to who you were before.

“The horses have definitely helped me with all of that. I’ve been riding at ROCK, Ride On Center for Kids, in Georgetown, Texas, for about three years now. Riding helps turn down the anxiety noise, and amplifying everything else. I need to be right with myself before I work with my horse. To get the first-hand knowledge from the professional trainers here at the NSBA World Show is outstanding, and it means the world to us. In a perfect world, we would have access to this knowledge, but we don’t, so for them to take time out to work with us means everything. 

“We have a small group of veterans at ROCK, but it’s growing. I think that as you see horses being used therapeutically in a more mainstream way with veterans, that it could lead to a reduction in veteran suicides. It becomes a viable option to them through the Veterans Administration or through other organizations. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.” 

Stacey Pilgrim was the winner of the inaugural Heroes On Horses® Western Pattern class. “John Halpin talked me into showing in the class on Wednesday,” Stacey said. “I said absolutely, anything that will get me on a horse. I was riding John’s horse, Huntin For Stardom and I wanted to represent John well, but once you get in there, it all goes out the window and you just have fun. I rode horses as a child, but I started taking riding lessons about two years ago.” 

Stacey was in the Air Force for 24 years and had some state-side assignments and some overseas assignments. “Every base we went to was a new adventure,” she said. “I was at two different bases in New Mexico and retired at Clovis, New Mexico. When you’re in the military, you’re so focused and when you retire, you don’t know where to put that energy. The competition with Heroes On Horses® has been incredible. To be able to share jokes and your sense of humor with people who understand it, it’s like being back in uniform. 

“When I retired, I didn’t know what I wanted or where I wanted to go because that was my life. Not to put on the uniform every day, the riding gave me purpose. It brought me happiness. My family brings me purpose, but this gave me a personal purpose for myself. Winning the class was very, very surreal!”

Stacey Pilgrim, veteran and exhibitor, competing in the Heroes On Horses Western Pleasure class.

Western Pleasure Winner

Sergeant Major (ret.) John Halpin was named the champion in the Heroes On Horses® Walk Jog Western Pleasure, showing Megas Playboy. John competed wearing his dress Marine uniform. 

John has been competing in the Heroes On Horses® class for five years and he has grown tremendously throughout his experience with the class. “It’s just crazy how far he has come,” said John’s coach, Adam Mathis. “It’s a testament to hard work and a lot of hours but more than anything, caring.”

"We get so wrapped up in what we do because these horses become so personal to us,” Adam said. “When we see someone else come in and feel it too, but they’re coming at it for a whole different reason, you realize at the end of the day that it’s not the competition or even being at a show that matters, it’s the horse that matters because that’s the one common denominator.”

“It’s not about the winning but it’s about the opportunity to ride and have the camaraderie,” John said. “We aren’t boastful about it, but it is nice to see the appreciation people show to the veterans. Showing in this environment is amazing, but it’s also expensive and we really appreciate the donations to the Sponsor A Rider program that allows some of our men and women to be here who otherwise couldn’t really afford it. It’s not a hand out but a hand up.

John shared that horses have been a big part of his mental health journey. “Before we showed I was laying in the stall with my horse, Thor and I asked him to give me some peace,” he said. “He just put his head in my lap. They can feel your emotions and you could just see the soulfulness in his eyes and I was calm.”

About NSBA

Established in 1983, National Snaffle Bit Association has expanded from its roots in the Western Pleasure discipline to recognize various disciplines and eight breed associations in competition. NSBA’s mission is to grow the show horse community through various equine programs and events where every activity benefits horses, breeders, owners and exhibitors alike.

National Snaffle Bit Association has more than 20,000 active members and more than 44,000 registered horses across its eight alliance breed organizations. NSBA members earn more than $13.5 million in monetary awards at NSBA-sanctioned horse shows annually, and the association sanctions nearly 600 horse show events and close to 200,000 horse show entries each year.

To learn more about NSBA, please visit nsba.com.
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