Our Team
Branden
Instructor
Branden first started riding horses when he was 5 years old. He started competing in rodeos and 4-H competitions by age 8. He has competed in cloverleaf and straight away barrels, pole bending, and goat tying as a boy. He has shown horses in reining and rail classes as an adult.
Branden has been teaching adults and children since 2000. Numerous students have gone on to compete in college or at a higher level of competition or found jobs in the equine industry.
Branden is a member of AQHA’s Professional Horseman. He has completed course work at Ohio State University and Colorado State University in mare management and reproduction and has a Bachelor’s degree from UTSA in business management. He spent a year running a hunter jumper barn prior to spending 3 years as a breeding-foaling manager/ colt trainer.
All of these experiences add to Branden’s overall knowledge of the horse and the industry. Branden is an enthusiastic, hands on instructor who focuses on teaching people the proper way to ride in order for them to go on to competition, show or trail/pleasure riding.
Mikayla
Instructor
From a young age, Mikayla has been fascinated by farm life. At six years old she began riding at a small English barn in the northeast. She soon fell in love with the lifestyle and the little ponies she learned on.
In 2007, she started taking western lessons at Diamond C and quickly became a barn regular. At any given time Mikayla could be found hanging around the barn and lending a hand. During her teen years, Mikayla participated in rodeos, helped with camps and led trail rides.
Upon graduating high school and having spent seven years with Diamond C, she took a three year hiatus; during which she returned to her old English barn for several months. Working as a live-in stable hand and head camp counselor, the majority of her time was devoted to caring for horses and the children riding them.
After dabbling in several disciplines, Mikayla has had many experiences to draw from when teaching. She prioritizes safety and focuses on establishing strong foundations in horsemanship for her students to build upon.
We are very happy to have Mikayla back at Diamond C, she is very talented and a great asset to our teaching program.
Jessica
Instructor
Jessica is an accomplished equestrian with nearly two decades of dedicated experience. Jess has competed in various disciplines, including western pleasure, hunter under saddle, ranch riding and dressage. Her journey in the equestrian world began at a young age in the Arabian Horse Association, though she has experience in the AQHA western ring. Most recently, she was the 2021 USEF Regional champion, in Arabian sport horse under saddle, the 2022 USEF Regional 6th, in Arabian Dressage Training Level, Amateur division, the Schreiner Equestrian Western Captain 2023-24 and the 2024 IHSA Region 7, zone 2, Reserve Champion for Level II horsemanship.
Aidan
