Operation Outdoor Freedom Rides with the Great Florida Cattle Drive 2026
In 2026, the Great Florida Cattle Drive isn’t just a ride through Florida’s working ranch country—it’s also a chance to welcome a remarkable group of veterans who have been preparing for months to experience the trail firsthand. Through Operation Outdoor Freedom, 16 veterans have spent the past year training to ride, learning to care for their horses, and building the confidence to take on the miles ahead.
What Operation Outdoor Freedom is—and why it matters
Operation Outdoor Freedom (OOF) is a statewide program led by the Florida Forest Service and supported by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Its mission is simple and powerful: provide no-cost recreational and rehabilitative outdoor opportunities for wounded veterans on state forests, agricultural lands, and private lands across Florida.
OOF is best known for outdoor experiences like hunting and fishing, but at its heart, the program is about something bigger—helping veterans reconnect with the outdoors, with each other, and with a sense of freedom and purpose that can be hard to find in everyday life.
Training, teamwork, and the bond with a good horse
Preparing to ride in the Great Florida Cattle Drive takes more than showing up with a saddle. For these veterans, the journey has included learning horsemanship basics, safe handling, and daily horse care—feeding, grooming, tack, and the steady routines that build trust. Over time, horses become more than a mount. They become partners.
That partnership matters on the trail. Horses respond to calm leadership, patience, and consistency—qualities many veterans already carry, even if they don’t always get the chance to use them. In return, the horse offers something rare: honest feedback, quiet companionship, and a connection that doesn’t require words.
The Florida Forest Service’s role in bringing OOF to life
Because Operation Outdoor Freedom is an endeavor of the Florida Forest Service, the program can operate across a wide network of lands and create real, hands-on outdoor experiences accessible to veterans across the state.
We’re honored to welcome them to the 2026 Drive
The Great Florida Cattle Drive is about heritage, grit, and the land—but it’s also about people. Welcoming these Operation Outdoor Freedom veterans into the 2026 ride adds deeper meaning to every mile. We’re excited to ride alongside you, share campfire conversations, and watch you experience Florida’s cattle country from the saddle.
To the Florida Forest Service and everyone behind Operation Outdoor Freedom: thank you for the work you do and for the opportunity you’ve helped create—one that brings healing, brotherhood, and the outdoors together in the best possible way.
