Quarter Horses & Cowboys!!!

Cowboy Up! program participants demonstrate their newly acquired skills during a working ranch horse versatility practice session.














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September 11, 2010

BEYOND STRONG the theme for today's parachute jump and motivational speech by our good friend SFC Dana Bowman US Army Special Forces (ret.) - Golden Knights. Pictured Above: Streamers away! prior to Dana's jump into NM National Guard Armory. Below: Cowboy Up! Director Rick Iannucci using his Special Forces skills to set up the DZ (drop zone).






Above: Right on Target! Dana executes a perfect landing flying the Purple Heart parachute. Below: Cowboy Up! participants and staff pose with Dana following his jump. From left to right: Avery Strickland, Neal "Doc" Riley, Dana Bowman, Nancy De Santis, Rick Iannucci, Brian Johnson, Sterling Bucholz, Patricia Warwick, Pete Comstock, Andrew Brandi.
Note: Cowboy Up! participants are also Purple Heart recipients.



SFC Dana Bowman and Cowboy Up! director Nancy De Santis get a "leg up" following his "Beyond Strong" presentation to the NM National Guard.

Congressman Ben Ray Lujan Visits the Cowboy Up! Program

On a beautiful September day here at the Crossed Arrows Ranch in Santa Fe we held a Cowboy UP! session for several of our vets including the NM Military Order of the Purple Heart Commander Pete Comstock. Combat Wounded Veteran and program participant Avery Strickland is seen in the photos assisting Pete in the grooming of his horse Moondancer prior to 'stepping aboard' . During the session we were honored to have our US Congressman Ben Ray Lujan and Ms. Michelle Frost from the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association stop by to see our program first hand and have a cup of coffee and speak with our veteran program participants. The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association is one of our program partners. Veteran Kristi LaFrance is seen horseback in photos here taken during Rep.Lujan and Michelle Frost's visit.

Left to Right: Staff Advisor Andrew Brandi, Cowboy Up! Director Nancy De Santis, Instructor Carl Hawkins,Program participant Kristi LaFrance, Cowboy Up! Director Rick Iannucci, Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, Instructor Trish Warwick, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association representative Michelle Frost, Military Order of the Purple Heart NM Commander Pete Comstock, and Program participant Avery Strickland.

Horses Used For Therapy For Returning Soldiers - Video - KOAT Albuquerque

Joe Griffin with KOAT Action 7 News visited us this past Tuesday here at the ranch. Please click the below link to view the footage:

Horses Used For Therapy For Returning Soldiers - Video - KOAT Albuquerque





Sterling & Rick sorting cattle. Note: This was Sterling's first day moving cattle and doing a great job.





Military Order of the Purple Heart, NM Commander, Pete Comstock also got up on horseback in support of our Warrior Mentor Partner Program.