This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by Zoetis, is with Derek Braun, the competition organizer of the FEI World Cup™ Finals Forth Worth 2026. We talked to Derek in mid-February as he and his team were busily preparing to host this premier event in Fort Worth, Texas.

To give you a little more background on Derek, he grew up in New York and competed on the hunter/jumper circuit as a junior, winning the 2001 U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Talent Search Finals – East and team gold at the 2002 USEF Junior Jumper National Championships at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. After graduating from Rollins College in 2007, Derek turned professional and started his training and sales business, Split Rock Farm. He competed successfully at the national and international levels, including as a member of the U.S. Nations Cup team in Brazil in 2013.

Derek realized he wanted to shift his focus from competing to organizing competitions, and in 2015, he created the Split Rock Jumping Tour. Today, the hunter/jumper series runs 10 shows in four cities, stretching from Lexington, Kentucky, to Los Angeles, California. Derek and his team are also taking on the job as the organizers of the FEI World Cup™ Finals Forth Worth 2026 from April 8-12, which consists of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and the Zen Elite FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final.

In our discussion, Derek talks about special horses from his riding career, how he got into competition organizing, details about the FEI World Cup Finals and more.

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This week’s Practical Horseman Podcast episode, sponsored by Equi-Analytical, is with hunter/jumper trainer and rider Amanda Steege. We talked to Amanda in mid-March as the winter circuit was winding down for her, her clients and her horses after solid performances at the World Equestrian Center – Ocala.

To give you a little more background on Amanda, she grew up on her parents Red Acre Farm in Stow, Massachusetts. Amanda had a successful junior career in the equitation, hunter and jumper rings, then she went off to Boston College to figure out her future, only riding during the summers. After earning a psychology degree in 1998, she returned to the horse world ready to take the leap into becoming a professional. Amanda worked for several trainers before going off on her own and starting her premier hunter/jumper show, training and sales business, Ashmeadow Farm, based in Ocala, Florida, and Califon, New Jersey.

Over the years, Amanda has had several top results in the hunter ring with horses such as Unseen, Candlelight, Kingpin, Mirror Image, Balou and, most recently, Laffite de Muze. With “Lafitte,” Amanda has won the 2021 $50,000 World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, 2024 and 2025 $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, 2025 High Performance Hunter Champion title at the Devon Horse Show and is a three-time winner of the WCHR Professional Challenge (2018, 2024 and 2025)—just to name a few of their results.

In our discussion, Amanda talks about what she enjoys about the hunter discipline, her training philosophy, her special partnership with Lafitte and more.

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This Practical Horseman Podcast, sponsored by Dechra, is with five-star show jumper Callie Schott. We talk to Callie about her special partnership with KWPN gelding Garant and their many successes, the wisdom she learned from working with Beezie and John Madden, how she keeps her horses fit for show jumping and why she’s so passionate about the sport.

Callie grew up in an equestrian family at River Mountain Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, with her dad Trey Schott, who’s an equine veterinarian and polo player and her mom, eventer and hunter/jumper trainer Elaine Schott. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Callie spent five years working with Beezie and John Madden where she sharpened her riding and horsemanship skills and learned various training methods that have made the Maddens some of the most successful riders and trainers in the world.

Callie has established herself as a rising star in the sport of show jumping, as well as revisiting success in the hunter ring. She campaigned at some of the best shows in North America earning top honors in prestigious competitions at Spruce Meadows, The American Gold Cup, The New Albany Invitational Classic, Winter Equestrian Festival, The Vermont Summer Festival, The Hampton Classic and the Kentucky Horse Shows series.

In recent years, Callie and Garant have had dynamite success. The pair began 2023 with top-10 placings at the Winter Equestrian Festival and were third in the Grand Prix of Traverse City CSI3* and the Agero Grand Prix CSI3* during the Traverse City Horse Shows.

In 2024, Callie made her senior team debut at the Longines League of Nations™ Abu Dhabi with Garant, helping the NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team to a sixth-place finish in a highly competitive international field. She and Garant were short listed for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and represented the U.S. Jumping Team in the FEI Longines League of Nations Netherlands CSIO5* in Rotterdam.

After a brief hiatus from the competition ring due to an injury, Callie made her comeback debut with Garant last summer at Traverse City Horse Shows’ Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, where they won the CSI03* Grand Prix during Nations Cup Week. They also took top honors at the Go Rentals CSI5* Grand Prix at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California.

About This Episode’s Sponsor, Dechra

Every horse deserves to feel their best. That’s why veterinarians trust Dechra Veterinary Products—a global leader in equine health. From joint comfort and mobility to reproduction, skin and eye care, and essential fluid therapy, our solutions support horses through every stage of life. When your veterinarian recommends Dechra products, you can be confident your horse is receiving high-quality, proven care. Because at Dechra, we’re dedicated to helping your horse live healthier, longer, stronger.