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Thursday, January 06 2022 / Published in Weekly Feature

Derek Braun: If You Build It, They Will Come

By Laura Scaletti

Portraits by Ruby Tevis

When Derek Braun sets his sights on his equestrian goals, he’s unstoppable. From his first lessons at age 7 to founding and managing the Split Rock Jumping Tour today, Derek has exhibited a tremendous amount of grit.

A constant companion at his sister’s riding lessons and shows on Long Island, Derek figured if he was going to be at the barn anyway, he might as well give riding a shot. At his third lesson, Derek had a fluke accident in the barn aisle that sent him to the ICU for several days and should have halted his horse dreams, but didn’t. “As soon as I could get back on a horse, I did. The need to be with horses was just in my blood, so I kept going with it,” Derek said.

Although Derek’s family had no real horse experience prior to his sister mounting up, they wholeheartedly supported his desire to ride. “When I was a Junior, my parents created Split Rock Farm as a business entity. We bought and sold horses through the business to fund my riding career,” Derek said. He would go on to transform Split Rock into a multifaceted equestrian operation. 

LEARNING LESSONS

Throughout Derek’s Junior career, his parents did whatever they could to help him become a top rider in the sport. They set Derek up at age 15 with trainer Bob Braswell in Ocala, Florida. It was this change in trainers that sparked Derek’s competitive fire.  

“That’s when I got the itch to go a little further in the sport, get a little more aggressive and be more competitive,” he said. In fact, within a year of training with Bob, Derek won the USET Talent Search Equitation Finals.

With that win and many others, Derek started to feel like horses were his passion and would be his direction in life. Not only did his success give him the confidence to become a professional, but Bob’s program gave Derek the skills he would need to eventually run his own business.

“Bob’s program really lends itself to becoming a professional. He instilled a work ethic in all of his students; we all contributed around the barn and rode a lot of horses each day,” Derek said. “My time with him really jump-started my career as he taught us the ropes of what it takes to be a professional in the sport.”

Before Derek could hang up his shingle and start his own business, there was one matter to attend to: getting a higher education. “My parents always instilled the importance of education in me. For them to continue to support my riding up until that point, I needed to prioritize my education,” Derek said. 

Derek selected Rollins College in Orlando, Florida, so he could pursue getting a higher education in the classroom and in the saddle. But first, he took a gap year to work for Debbie Stephens, with whom he would continue training and working with while he got his degree.

“I know college isn’t for everyone, but I wanted to set myself up for future success in the horse industry by learning business skills I could only learn in college. It was really important to me to continue to progress in the sport, while getting an education at the same time,” Derek said.

When Derek received his diploma in 2007, he turned professional and immediately started his business, revamping the Split Rock Farm entity that had been so beneficial to his Junior career.

IF YOU BUILD IT

With lessons from some of the best in the business, Derek was ready to open his own full training and boarding program. “I took something from everyone I worked with, watched how other horses went and observed other professionals in the industry. Through what I saw from others, I was able to create my own program and establish my business direction,” Derek said.

From the summer Derek turned professional until 2014, he focused solely on Split Rock Farm, garnering numerous Grand Prix wins at notable competitions in both the United States and Canada. 

It was during this time as Derek traversed the country as an exhibitor that he started envisioning a brand-new horse show concept. After traveling to Europe to compete while he was in college, Derek was determined to bring that European show experience back to the States.

“I thought as a competitor myself, I had a leg up to create a special business where no detail for riders, exhibitors and everyone involved would be overlooked,” Derek said. “I set out to produce that really unique experience for riders and it’s just grown from that point forward.”

Derek started the Split Rock Jumping Tour in May 2015 with the first event at his farm in Lexington, Kentucky. In 2022, the tour will feature 10 to 12 events. Like in the movie “Field Of Dreams,” Derek quickly learned, “If you build it, they will come.”

What keeps exhibitors coming back to the Split Rock Jumping Tour is Derek’s consistent approach to presenting an event regardless of the venue. “Anything that people expect from a horse show, I provide, whether that be proper stabling, footing, jumps, courses, course designers, a great schedule for their horses or more,” Derek said. “It sounds basic, but people can trust in me that we’re going to provide those things at a horse show we are managing.”

Since that first competition at his own farm in 2015, Derek has viewed between 160–180 venues across America to hold possible Split Rock Jumping Tour events. “What makes a facility a good candidate is if dates fall into place, if the location can be successful at a certain time of year, if we can get enough participation and if there is already a good infrastructure in place,” he said. “There are so many factors that go into deciding what venue will be a successful addition to the Tour.”

FAMILY BUSINESS

Derek hasn’t just added dates to the Split Rock Jumping Tour since it began, he added a valuable asset to his personal and professional life: his wife, Michelle. Married in 2019, Michelle runs Split Rock Farm and everything it entails, allowing Derek to put all his focus on the Tour.

A competitive Grand Prix rider herself, Michelle and Derek’s lives mesh perfectly together. “Michelle is a far more accomplished rider than I am; she’s been on many Nations Cup teams and competed at four World Cup Finals,” Derek said. “With her background in sales, leasing and competing, it was just a natural fit for her to take over that part of Split Rock Farm and make it her own.”

Michelle isn’t the only Braun getting in on the family passion. Derek’s daughter, Esme, recently took a keen interest in riding. “It was only about a year ago, when she turned 9 years old, that she showed any interest in wanting to ride. Obviously the second she told us she wanted to ride, we were super supportive of her decision,” he said.

Unlike Derek, Esme was born into a horse family. This brings a conundrum Derek’s parents didn’t need to worry about while he was growing up. “I don’t want to put pressure on Esme that she has to ride; we want it to be her choice,” Derek said. “We are so equipped to help her succeed in this industry no matter what direction she chooses, but if she decides horses aren’t for her, we will support that decision as well.”

Today, Derek is enjoying another role at the shows as a horse show dad. “It’s incredible to see her out in the show ring; she clearly has it in her blood,” he said. “It’s so amazing to share this part of my life with her. It’s like nothing I’ve felt before.”

In December 2020, Derek and Michelle added a son, Crew, to their family. “Sharing this life with my family is amazing. We live and breathe horses every day. When I look out our back door on the farm, I can see our retired Grand Prix horses, including my Lacarolus and Michelle’s Darius,” Derek said. “It’s such a breath of fresh air to raise our kids on our farm here in Lexington.”

GROWING THE TOUR

As Derek looks towards the future, he’s excited to keep expanding upon the Split Rock Jumping Tour. In 2022, he will have brand new events in both Portland, Oregon, and Sarasota, Florida. “I hope to keep adding good events all across America over the next several years. I’m so thankful to have an incredible team behind me that has the same passion and lives and breathes the Split Rock Jumping Tour, just like I do,” he said.

Unlike in the fabled “Field Of Dreams,” Derek’s competitors follow him around the country in search of his unique show offerings. “We’re like a logistics company; we can mobilize our team and equipment anywhere, anytime, and host some of the best horse shows in America,” Derek said. No matter where Derek builds it, the exhibitors come.

For more information visit, splitrockjumpingtour.com

Photos by Ruby Tevis

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Tagged under: show jumping tour, Split Rock Farm

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It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indo It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indoors we turned the horses out and let them be horses. But now it’s time and I’m getting ready to head to Florida for the winter circuit. I’m feeling a bit anxious about getting back into the competitive state of mind, doubting myself and feeling more stress than I did when I was showing. Is this normal? What’s happening to me? What do I do to get back into the right place in my head? Why do I keep going back to this if it does what it does to me at the start of each season? - a Sidelines fan

"Throughout human history, people have enjoyed organizing competitions—the Ancient Greek Olympic Games go back to 776 BC. If you look around, you’ll notice that competition is everywhere in the modern world. Many historians believe that 'competitiveness' is a biological trait that co-evolved with the basic need for human survival. However, returning to a competitive state after time off from being a competitive athlete can be quite daunting," says sports psychologist Margie Sugarman.

"The proper mindset keeps you grounded in the present instead of solely focusing on the results. This automatically helps lower the performance brain state and allows for better focus, performance and results- Focus on what you can control."

Read the full column at the link in our bio!

📸 Ruby Tevis #paard #eventing #pferdeliebe #horsemanship #equinelife #jumping #horsepower #equestrianlifestyle #caballos #horsestagram #pferdefotografie #horsegirl #horseshow #equestrians #ponies #quarterhorse #horselovers #mare #thoroughbred #showjumper #equinephotographer #instagram #horsephotographer #equitation #horseaddict #horsetraining #horseoftheday #gelding #equestrianphotography #sidelinesmagazine
Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and h Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and helping others is in her blood. She’s the daughter of a Venezuelan ambassador and has spent much of her professional career working in social services and animal welfare. In 2015, Emily took on the role of chief executive officer of Brooke USA Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules, and helping the people that depend on them for survival worldwide. 

“We are making a difference,” Emily said. “We will evaluate an animal at the start of a new program, and then just one, two and then five years later, we see marked improvements in terms of how they are handled, husbandry practices, what they eat and even how crops are being grown just to feed their animals—how feed is stored—and more. To see that end result firsthand is what I find most satisfying.”

Get to know Emily and how she helps working equines as the leader of @brooke_usa at the link in our bio!

Thank you to Brooke and Cody Holcomb of Wyco Ranch in Ft. Pierce, Florida, for the use of your farm, donkeys and horses for the Sidelines photo shoot.

📸 Melissa Fuller #equine #horse #equestrian #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrianlife #horseriding #dressage #instahorse #pony #horselove #pferd #equinephotography #showjumping #horselover #horselife #cheval #horsebackriding #horsephotography #equestrianstyle #donkey #pferde #horseofinstagram #equestriansofinstagram #riding #photography #equinesofinstagram #caballo #dressagehorse #sidelinesmagazine
The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here a The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here and it's filled with love - including the love story of dressage riders Sarah Lockman Tubman and Lee Tubman! Thanks to photographer Kristen Scott-Crocker for the beautiful photos and Kimberly Gatto for sharing Sarah and Lee's story. 

We have so many amazing stories in this issue—get to know Sharn Wordley and Craig Martin of Wordley Martin Equestrian, LLC, the two Kiwis have had a fascinating journey in the equestrian world! And meet three day eventer Liz Lund who not only has a great story but wins the award for holding the most horses in one photo taken by Sidelines photographer Melissa Fuller. Hint, it's more than five but less than seven - and everyone had their ears up!! Amazing! 

Also meet hunter-jumper rider and photographer Kirsten Hannah Lafforthun, artist Vanessa Whittell Equine-art, dressage rider Brett Ingram and Emily Marquez-Dulin of Brooke USA, which is a great organization to support - make sure to visit them! 

Meet Madison Ibach and Reagan Ibach, sisters who work at the Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort and have a huge social media presence - make sure to follow them on Instagram! We are excited to continue our Women Entrepreneur stories and introduce you to Gigi Stetler, President/CEO of Broward RV. 

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Make sure to sign up for a year's subscription to Sidelines by visiting our website, www.sidelinesmagazine.com so you can get a copy of the magazine sent to your house or barn every month! Enjoy reading this issue now - link in bio!
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