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).