Forged Valor

06/02/2026

🟠 ANOTHER BRANDING IN THE BOOKS

Well... the cattle are branded, the horses are turned out, and most of us can finally sit down without being reminded of how much work we did this weekend.

Our 6th Annual Branding at Smith Ranch was one heck of a day.

Veterans, families, kids, cowboys, spectators, and folks who simply wanted to come see what all the fuss was about gathered together for a day filled with horses, cattle, good food, hard work, and plenty of laughter.

For some participants, this was their first time gathering cattle.

For others, it was their first time sorting pairs, working a branding pen, or roping a calf.

And while there was certainly a learning curve involved, there wasn't a single person who wasn't encouraged along the way.

That's one of the things we love most about this community.

Nobody gets laughed at.

You might get laughed *with* a little bit—but never laughed at.

Whether someone missed with a rope, got turned around in the sorting pen, or had to ask the same question twice, there was always somebody nearby willing to help, teach, or tell a story about the time they did the exact same thing.

That's how traditions stay alive.

Not through perfection.

Through people willing to share what they've learned and make room for the next person to learn it too.

A huge thank you to Flint Rock Farms, Broken Arrow Horsemanship (Logan Smith) and the incredible crew that helped create a safe and successful event. Dwayne Lankford, VL Deeheart, Paul Mullin, Alex Stanley, Ken Taffer, Ryan Hurly, and everyone else who stepped in to help make the day run smoothly.

Thank you as well to Joey and East Coast Shoeing School for their support, and to all of the spectators who lined the fences, cheered people on, and helped make the day what it was.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who continues to support Forged Valor through your prayers, encouragement, donations, and belief in what we're building. Community is what makes events like this possible, and this weekend was a great reminder of that.

We made memories, learned a few things, shared a lot of laughs, and had an all-around great time.

And for anyone wondering...

No people, horses, or cattle were harmed in the making of this event. 😉

A few ropes got tangled.
A few boots got dusty.
A few egos may have been lightly bruised.

But we'd call that a successful day.

Until next year.

05/27/2026

🟠 HOME FROM WYOMING | THE WORK CONTINUES

The trailers are unloaded.
The horses are unsaddled.
Boots are finally drying out by the door.

And after miles of Wyoming wind, long days horseback, gathered cattle, sore muscles, campfire conversations, and hard-earned lessons—we’ve made it home.

What took place during the Big Horn Mountain Roundup was bigger than learning to rope calves or work a branding pen.

It was veterans stepping into something real.

Learning responsibility through horsemanship. Building confidence through hard work. Discovering what can happen when people set pride aside long enough to learn from one another and work toward a shared purpose.

Out there, nobody cared about titles, backgrounds, or where someone came from.

What mattered was showing up.

Showing up for the horse beneath you.
Showing up for the people beside you.
Showing up for the work that needed done.

And that’s exactly what this group did.

We watched first live calves get roped. We watched confidence grow in the saddle. We watched participants become part of a team where every role mattered—from horseback gathering cattle across the high desert to working the branding line on the ground.

That’s the cowboy way.

Not perfection.
Not comfort.

Responsibility. Humility. Fellowship. Hard work. Learning from people willing to teach what they know.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who supported this trip through prayers, encouragement, donations, and belief in this mission. Opportunities like this don’t happen without people willing to stand behind what we do, and we never take that support lightly.

Huge thanks as well to the Crosby Ranch family for welcoming us onto their land and allowing our veterans to experience this way of life firsthand. Your hospitality, mentorship, and willingness to share your knowledge made this experience what it was.

We’re also deeply grateful to clinician Ken McNabb, his son Kurt, and instructor Austin for the countless hours of guidance, instruction, patience, and trust throughout the clinic.

The lessons learned in Wyoming won’t stay in Wyoming.

That’s the beautiful part about this work.

The miles may be behind us now, but the fire comes home with every person who was part of it.

And the work continues.

05/26/2026

Good morning folks!! If you haven’t yet RSVP’d to the branding, please do so as soon as you can! Reach out to Tricia Jett Smith on Facebook or text so we can gather a head count! We look forward to seeing everyone there!

05/20/2026

DON’T FORGET! PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!!
🟠 SIXTH ANNUAL SMITH RANCH BRANDING | DANBURY, NC 🔥

The fire’s getting lit again.

On **May 30th**, Forged Valor will return to **Smith Ranch in Danbury, North Carolina** for our **6th Annual Branding Event**—and you’re invited.

Last year, folks from all walks of life gathered in the dirt, under open skies, to experience a piece of the cowboy way together. What started as a branding turned into something bigger: fellowship, laughter, hard work, good food, and a reminder that community still matters.

So we’re doing it again.

Branding will kick off around **3 PM**, but if you’ve got ponies that need riding beforehand, come on out early and enjoy the day with us.

This is a **free event**, and everyone is welcome. We will be accepting donations to support Forged Valor and the work we continue doing with veterans, horsemanship, mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences rooted in purpose and connection.

And because no branding is complete without good food and good people gathered around it…

🌮 **Tacos Ponchis Food Truck** will be serving dinner from **5–7 PM** with:
– Street tacos
– Fresh salsa, cilantro, limes, and all the good stuff
– Chopped fruit
– Chicharrones
– Hot dogs 🌭
– Fresh natural fruit drinks

Come hungry.

Whether you’re horseback, helping in the pens, standing around the fire swapping stories, or just showing up to see what this whole thing is about—we’d love to have you there.

There’s something about gatherings like this that still matters in today’s world. Neighbors becoming friends. Families spending time together. Kids learning from older generations. People setting pride aside long enough to lend a hand and share a meal.

That’s the kind of community we believe in.

Huge thanks again to the Smith family for opening their ranch and continuing to support this mission. We’re honored to ride alongside people who understand the value of tradition, hard work, and making room at the table for others.

So mark your calendars, bring a chair, bring your appetite, and come spend the evening with us.

The gates will be open.
The fire will be lit.
And the work continues.
✅Please RSVP! We want make sure our folks are taken care of, and that everyone can get a taco!

05/16/2026

🟠 BIG HORN MOUNTAIN ROUNDUP | WYOMING UPDATE

The wind out here doesn’t play fair.

Forty mile-an-hour gusts. Miles of high desert country. Long days horseback under a sky big enough to remind you how small you really are.

And still—the work gets done.

Over the last several days at the Big Horn Mountain Roundup, our veterans have been learning the cowboy way from people willing to teach it honestly: horseback, in the dirt, through repetition, hard lessons, and earned confidence.

The week started with horse assignments and riding the same rugged terrain we’d eventually cross gathering cattle. Gates got worked horseback. Loops got thrown over and over again. Dally drills pulled heavy logs through the Wyoming dirt while riders learned timing, control, and trust in the saddle.

When high winds shifted plans, nobody complained. The work simply changed.

More rope practice. More sorting cattle. More pen work. More learning.

That’s ranch life.

By Friday, preparation turned into action.

Our crew joined the Crosby Ranch family, neighbors, and hands from the surrounding country to gather cattle spread across a massive stretch of high desert land before branding 70 calves later that day.

And something incredible happened:

David, Greg, and Dillon roped their very first live calves.

Logan handled herself, bringing her knowledge and experience to the forefront, teaching others.

Others rotated through the branding stations learning to flank, hold, tag, vaccinate, and work as part of a team where every role matters and nobody stands alone.

That’s the part people often miss.

This isn’t just about learning to rope or ride.

It’s about what happens when people are trusted with responsibility, challenged to grow, and surrounded by good men willing to teach, encourage, and work beside them.

Confidence starts showing back up.

So does purpose.

Huge thanks to clinician Ken McNabb for trusting us with his incredible ranch horses throughout this clinic, to his son Kurt, and to roping instructor Austin for the patience, instruction, and steady guidance they’ve poured into our participants every step of the way.

The lessons being learned out here go far beyond horsemanship.

And under the Wyoming wind, around tired horses and sore muscles, those lessons are sticking.

More updates to come from the roundup.

05/12/2026

🟠 SIXTH ANNUAL SMITH RANCH BRANDING | DANBURY, NC 🔥

The fire’s getting lit again.

On **May 30th**, Forged Valor will return to **Smith Ranch in Danbury, North Carolina** for our **6th Annual Branding Event**—and you’re invited.

Last year, folks from all walks of life gathered in the dirt, under open skies, to experience a piece of the cowboy way together. What started as a branding turned into something bigger: fellowship, laughter, hard work, good food, and a reminder that community still matters.

So we’re doing it again.

Branding will kick off around **3 PM**, but if you’ve got ponies that need riding beforehand, come on out early and enjoy the day with us.

This is a **free event**, and everyone is welcome. We will be accepting donations to support Forged Valor and the work we continue doing with veterans, horsemanship, mentorship, and hands-on learning experiences rooted in purpose and connection.

And because no branding is complete without good food and good people gathered around it…

🌮 **Tacos Ponchis Food Truck** will be serving dinner from **5–7 PM** with:
– Street tacos
– Fresh salsa, cilantro, limes, and all the good stuff
– Chopped fruit
– Chicharrones
– Hot dogs 🌭
– Fresh natural fruit drinks

Come hungry.

Whether you’re horseback, helping in the pens, standing around the fire swapping stories, or just showing up to see what this whole thing is about—we’d love to have you there.

There’s something about gatherings like this that still matters in today’s world. Neighbors becoming friends. Families spending time together. Kids learning from older generations. People setting pride aside long enough to lend a hand and share a meal.

That’s the kind of community we believe in.

Huge thanks again to the Smith family for opening their ranch and continuing to support this mission. We’re honored to ride alongside people who understand the value of tradition, hard work, and making room at the table for others.

So mark your calendars, bring a chair, bring your appetite, and come spend the evening with us.

The gates will be open.
The fire will be lit.
And the work continues.
✅Please RSVP! We want make sure our folks are taken care of, and that everyone can get a taco!

05/06/2026

Big Horn Mountain Roundup | The Work Ahead

In just a few short days, Forged Valor will be headed to **Cowley, Wyoming** for the **Big Horn Mountain Roundup**.

Tents will be rolled out.
Bedrolls laid under the Wyoming sky.
Horses saddled before sunrise.
And a group of veterans will step into a week centered around horsemanship, stockmanship, hard work, and learning something real.

This year, we’ll have six veterans participating alongside the Forged Valor team as we prepare for several days of gathering and branding alongside good people who know the land and the work it takes to care for it.

But before the cattle are gathered, preparation comes first.

There will be tack to sort, gear to inventory, corrals to set, ropes to swing, horses to get familiar with, and long days spent learning the fundamentals that make the rest possible. Gates to open from horseback. Terrain to cross. Loops to throw. Questions to ask. Confidence to build.

Because out here, nobody is expected to already know everything.

That’s part of the point.

This week isn’t about perfection. It’s about willingness. The willingness to learn. To trust the horse beneath you. To listen to the people beside you. To step into something unfamiliar and keep showing up anyway.

Some participants have experience. Some are still building it. Either way, every person arriving in Cowley comes with the same purpose: to work hard, learn honestly, and be part of something bigger than themselves for a little while.

And somewhere between the corrals, the dust, the camp meals, and the miles in the saddle, something always starts to happen.

People begin settling back into rhythm.

Hands remember what effort feels like.
Minds quiet down a little.
Walls come down naturally—not because anyone forced them to, but because meaningful work has a way of doing that on its own.

That’s what we’re looking forward to most.

Not just the branding.
Not just the riding.

But the fellowship built in the middle of all of it.

We’re grateful to everyone helping make this roundup possible, and we can’t wait to share updates from the trail as the week unfolds.

Wyoming, we’ll see you soon.

04/28/2026

Before There Was a Name, There Was a Need
Long before Forged Valor existed…
before the clinics had structure… before the mission had a name—
There were wounded Marines.
And a simple belief:
“The best thing for the inside of a person… is the outside of a horse.”
Back in 2010–2012, Sergeant Major Joseph VanFonda and our own John Mayer were serving together at the U.S. Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment.
They saw something most people don’t.
That healing doesn’t always happen in a room.
That sometimes it happens in the dirt.
In the saddle.
In the quiet space between a man and something honest.
So they did something about it.
With the help of Mo, they got Marines horseback.
They built experiences from the ground up—Cutting Horse Classics, barn dances filled with families and laughter, and eventually taking wounded warriors out to Wyoming to work cattle on a real ranch.
No spotlight.
No blueprint.
Just people willing to try something different because they knew it mattered.
What started there… became the foundation.
The rhythm.
The model.
The fire that would eventually become Forged Valor.
Years later, that same Sergeant Major—now leading DVNF—reached back out.
Not because the story ended.
Because it never did.
He had heard the work was still going.
That the horses were still saddled.
That the mission was still alive.
And he wanted to sit down and talk about it.
This podcast isn’t just a conversation.
It’s a look back at where this all started…
and a reminder of why it never stopped.
It’s about the men who showed up early.
The belief that carried through.
And the kind of work that doesn’t fade with time—it deepens.
We’re honored to have been part of that conversation.
And we’re deeply grateful for those who continue to stand behind this mission—making it possible for us to keep showing up, keep serving, and keep building what so many helped start.
If you’ve ever wondered where Forged Valor came from…
or why we do what we do—
This is where you start.

https://youtu.be/s5pxx8dNiH4

From Walter Reed to the Ranch, The Story of Forged Valor

03/28/2026

🟠 Iron Sharpens Iron | Sometimes Creek Ranch
Out in Bangs, Texas, under a sky that didn’t offer a single cloud for cover, the work got real.
Temps pushing 100.
No shade to hide in.
Just heat, steel, and a group of people willing to show up anyway.
This past weekend, Forged Valor gathered at Sometimes Creek Ranch for a Welding Clinic—and what took shape out there wasn’t just corrals and gates.
It was something built shoulder to shoulder.
Helmet to helmet.
Hand to steady hand.
In just a day and a half, this crew put up:
– 21 sections of corral
– 4 gates
– 100 feet of wire panel
Work that would’ve taken months… done in days.
But the real story isn’t in the numbers.
It’s in the people.
A 10-year-old girl stepping into the work beside her father—learning, watching, doing.
A father and son bonding pipe to rail, side by side the entire weekend.
Men who had never struck an arc before—now laying welds strong enough to stand up to a bull.
A master welder not standing above anyone, but right in it with them—teaching, sweating, working just the same.
No one standing alone.
No one left behind.
That’s how this works.
Because somewhere between the sparks flying and the steel setting, something shifts.
Pride steps back.
Respect steps in.
And men start sharpening each other without even realizing it.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17
And under that Texas sun, that verse wasn’t just read—it was lived.
When the work slowed, the fire didn’t.
Evenings were filled with BBQ, tired laughter, songs that almost found the right key, and stories shared under a sky so full of stars it reminded you just how small—and how connected—we all are.
Coyotes sang.
Boots stayed dusty.
And sleep came easy, earned the right way.
To David and Karin—thank you for opening your ranch, your vision, and your lives to this work. What you’re building out there is more than a place. It’s proof of what happens when people come together and refuse to quit.
Sometimes Creek Ranch is standing because of that.
And so are the people who showed up to build it.

03/04/2026

Where Sparks Become Something More
This past weekend in Danbury, North Carolina, the sound of steel meeting steel carried across the hills.
Not in anger.
Not in conflict.
But in creation.
We gathered for a Forged Valor Blacksmithing Clinic, and what came out of that shop was more than knives, sheaths, and hand-forged pans that will probably outlive all of us.
What came out of it… was fellowship.
There’s something ancient about a forge. Long before screens and schedules and noise filled every corner of life, people gathered around fire and iron to build what they needed with their own two hands. Tools. Weapons. Cookware. The things that kept families fed and communities strong.
And somewhere in that process, something else always happened.
Stories were shared.
Wisdom was passed down.
Men stood shoulder to shoulder and learned from one another.
That spirit showed up again this weekend.
We saw fathers working beside sons.
Grandfathers teaching grandsons.
Men who had never met before guiding one another through the rhythm of hammer and heat.
Pride got set down for a moment.
And something better took its place.
Because there’s a quiet kind of strength that shows up when a man is willing to say, “Show me how.”
And there’s an equally powerful kind of leadership in the man who says, “Come here, I’ll walk you through it.”
That’s where real brotherhood lives.
Yes, we came together to learn a trade. To shape steel. To build something that will last.
But more importantly, we watched something inside people begin to spark again.
Confidence.
Purpose.
Connection.
Sometimes all it takes is a place to stand, a tool in your hand, and a group of men willing to work beside you to remember that the fire isn’t gone.
It just needed a little air.
To everyone who came out to Danbury this weekend — thank you. For showing up, for helping one another, and for proving once again that when people gather with intention, something powerful always happens.
The steel may have been what we were shaping…
…but the real work was happening in the hearts standing around that forge.