FEATURING: Derek Knapp.

Effectively attending to the needs of former combat veterans is a growing major challenge of our time. Drawing on first-hand experience, Derek Knapp brings focus to the groundbreaking work of Restoration Ranch, an experiential learning center for former combat veterans, their families, and second-chance horses. Derek represents the fifth generation of a Texas cattle ranching family, has served over a decade as both a combat arms enlisted service member and an Army Infantry Officer, and currently serves as the executive director of this non-profit ranch. Derek's talk was part of a keynote conversation that featured three speakers who drew on personal stories to explore the value and growing relevance of horses in contemporary society and how we might regain the important connection horses once represented between rural and urban communities.

From the 36th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Derek Knapp
Bastrop, TX
A fifth-generation Texan with a heritage of cattle ranching and horsemanship, Derek serves as Executive Director for Restoration Ranch located in Bastrop, Texas. Derek spent his formative years, prior to joining the military, working on family cattle ranches. Since returning from his last combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2013, Derek renewed his passion for horses, what they offer to him, and the cowboy way of life. He considers his horsemanship a lifelong journey, and considers Joe Wolter and Mike Beck his biggest sources of guidance and inspiration.

"The Cleanup Crew" poem by Lynn Tate.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater in Elko, NV, on Jan. 30, 2020.

Made possible by Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org

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