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WHFV AMBASSADORS
The Connection Continues
The War Horses for Veterans experience doesn’t end when you leave the ranch.
The WHFV Ambassador Program was created to extend the connection, mentorship, and community built through our programs long after participants return home. Our Ambassadors are War Horses alumni who have experienced the program firsthand, returned to serve as mentors, and demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the veterans, first responders, and families who make up the WHFV community. They understand what it means to arrive at War Horses as a participant, and what it can mean to stay connected afterward.
What Our Ambassadors Do
WHFV Ambassadors serve as trusted representatives of War Horses for Veterans within their communities and as a continued point of connection for our alumni.
They help:
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Connect and stay engaged with WHFV alumni
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Provide peer-to-peer support and encouragement
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Help alumni remain connected to the War Horses community
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Represent WHFV at veteran, first responder, military, and community events
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Introduce others to WHFV programs and resources
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Support outreach efforts and regional events
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Help strengthen the network of veterans and first responders that begins at the ranch
Ambassadors are not counselors or clinical providers. They are peers, mentors, advocates, and fellow alumni who understand the experience because they have lived it themselves.
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Meet Our Ambassadors
Jacob Draper
After serving 23 years on Active Duty in the U.S. Army, including five years in the Infantry and the remainder with 1st Special Forces Group, Jacob medically retired and began searching for his next mission.
He found War Horses for Veterans as a participant in the Five-Day Program, where he experienced firsthand the impact of horsemanship, challenge, and community. Since then, Jacob has returned multiple times as a mentor and represented War Horses as a competitor in two War Horse Challenges in Las Vegas. Jacob and his family now call El Paso, Texas, home, where he continues to serve others through his work as a JTAC Program Manager for MAG Aerospace.
As a WHFV Ambassador, Jacob remains committed to supporting fellow alumni, strengthening the community beyond the ranch, and helping others continue moving forward after their War Horses experience.
Heath Patrick
After spending more than a decade on Active Duty in the U.S. Army, with the majority of his service in Special Forces, Heath returned to Kansas and found War Horses for Veterans in the summer of 2021.
Since then, he has competed in two War Horse Challenges in Las Vegas and Fort Worth and returns whenever he can to mentor new and returning participants coming through the program. Heath and his family live in central Kansas, where they farm and ranch. He also serves as Commander of the Officer Candidate School for the Kansas Army National Guard.
As a WHFV Ambassador, Heath brings his experience as a participant, mentor, leader, and fellow veteran to helping alumni stay connected to the community that brought them together.
Chris DeAntoni
Chris grew up in central South Dakota, attended high school in Denver, and graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. After teaching Latin for two years, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1994 and became a Reconnaissance Marine.
He later served as an infantry officer before completing Assessment and Selection and becoming a Marine Raider. Chris retired after more than 22 years on Active Duty and seven deployments. He holds an M.S. in Human Performance and has worked as a high school performance coach and teacher in the Denver area since 2017.
Chris first attended War Horses for Veterans in the summer of 2024 and immediately recognized the powerful impact the program can have on combat veterans and first responders. He has since returned to mentor subsequent groups.
As a WHFV Ambassador, Chris continues that service by connecting with alumni, supporting those who have experienced the program, and helping others continue the relationships and personal growth that begin at War Horses.
For WHFV Alumni
Once you’ve been through War Horses, you’re part of this community. Whether it has been a few weeks or several years since your program, you don’t have to wait until you return to the ranch to reconnect. WHFV alumni are welcome to reach out directly to our Ambassadors. Maybe you want to reconnect with someone who understands the experience. Maybe you’re looking for a WHFV event or another way to get involved. Maybe life has simply gotten busy and you want to find your way back to the community. Our Ambassadors are here to help keep that connection going.
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Connect with a WHFV Ambassador:
ambdraper@whfv.org