The Dixie Challenge Puts Heroes on Horseback

Every fourth weekend in April, 16 critically wounded, ill and injured veterans who are members of the Semper Fi & America’s Fund Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program travel to Jackson to learn basic horsemanship skills. The event, known as the Dixie Challenge, is sponsored by the Mississippi Quarter Horse Youth Association.

“My father was a career Marine,” says Brooks Derryberry, coordinator of the Dixie Challenge and past president of the Mississippi Quarter Horse Association. “I grew up on military bases. The Dixie Challenge has given me the chance to give back.”

Creating the Dixie Challenge

The Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program is named after veteran Marine Jinx McCain, who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. During World War II, he was grievously wounded at Iwo Jima and left for dead, but a corpsman saw him move and saved him. During the Vietnam War, Jinx took Marine amputees horseback riding at Camp Pendleton in California.

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“In 2015, Brooks called me with the Dixie Challenge idea,” says John Mayer, Marine veteran and the senior director of the Semper Fi and America’s Fund. “We talked through it, gathered about 80 volunteers and hit the ground running.”

Each year during the fourth weekend of April, veterans are flown from all over the country to Jackson to be part of the event, which includes learning to ride horses and sort cattle from horseback. By design, most have little to no horseback riding experience.

“People think I’m crazy to put a new rider on a horse and expect them to work cattle,” Mayer says, “but these are veterans that volunteered to go to war. No matter their disability, they still have the heart of a warrior. They thrive when tasked with a challenge.”

The Dixie Challenge is the beginning stage of the veteran’s entry into the Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program. During the clinic, there are three phases – first is basic horsemanship skills such as riding and maneuvering in a pattern, second is roping skills, and third is team sorting. Riders are responsible for sorting a herd of cattle based on numbers called by an announcer within a time limit.

After two days of clinics, riders participate in the competition, showcasing the skills they have learned. The overall goal is to teach horsemanship while encouraging and supporting veterans to pursue their lifelong dreams.

“We aim to assist our members to start meaningful hobbies, small businesses or pursue the training they need to get the job they want,” Mayer says. “I tell people that I’m not really in the horsemanship business, I’m in the purpose-finding business.”

A Veteran’s Experience at the Dixie Challenge

One of the many program graduates is J.J. Braun, who served as a Marine for 15 years. During his time in the service, he regularly participated in rodeos. After the military, he moved up to Minnesota for a corporate job, setting horseback riding aside. But thanks to a fellow veteran, he was soon introduced to Mayer and the Semper Fi and America’s Fund.

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“John called me up and said, ‘I understand you have a love for horses.’” Braun says. “He explained the Dixie Challenge and invited me to attend in April of 2019.”

His experience at the Dixie Challenge was one he says changed his life forever.

“The Semper Fi & America’s Fund does a great job with helping you heal on your terms,” Braun says. “They support and encourage you in what you like to do rather than pigeonholing you into a specific program.”

Braun credits the Jinx McCain Horsemanship Program for encouraging him to leave his corporate job and pursue his passion as a farmer at his family farm, Bass Hill Beef, in Wisconsin.

“The program as a whole helped reignite that fire within me,” Braun says. “It helped me put into perspective what I truly love to do – farming. Now I raise and sell beef directly to my customers. It’s all come full circle for me, and it all started with the Dixie Challenge.”

Volunteers for Veterans

Although he is the founder and coordinator of the Dixie Challenge, Derryberry gives all the credit to the volunteers who help with the event.

“I came up with the idea,” Derryberry says. “However, without the Mississippi Quarter Horse Youth Association, the Semper Fi and America’s Fund, and the volunteers, this event wouldn’t happen.”

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With the help of volunteers, everything is donated, with the exception of some funding from the Semper Fi and America’s Fund for veteran travel and lodging.

“Our volunteers are exceptional,” Derryberry says. “They help provide the food and horses and come to be with the veterans. They listen to them, talk with them and encourage them. They are the ones who make all of this possible.”