Rusty Brown Shines On Deven Vespi!

Since its inception in 1977, Rusty Brown Jewelry has celebrated the hard work, dedication and passion of equestrians by crafting heirloom quality jewelry.  We to showcase the strong and successful women of the horse industry by shining a spotlight on them.  Today Rusty Brown shines on Deven Vespi for her work ethic and dedication to her horses.

RB: How did you get your start as a rider?

DV: I started taking lessons at a local hunter/jumper barn at 10 and have been hooked ever since.  About a year into riding I had a bad fall while jumping.  It left me pretty nervous, which inspired me to try dressage.  Dressage turned out to be the perfect fit for me.

RB: Behind every great rider, is a great horse.  Tell us about the horses in your life.

DV: I got my first horse, Dante, who I still own today, during my transition from hunter/jumper to dressage.  He brought me up to fourth level dressage.  As a junior I also owned Rock Star DC who was an incredible school master and helped me land a position as a working student for Lars Peterson.  Shortly before I left for college, both horses retired suddenly after accidents in the pasture and trailering ended their riding careers.  I took the two retirements hard, and took a step back from riding as I started college.  I quickly got antsy and started catch riding at a few local dressage barns.  Which led me to Renior, who helped me get my silver medal.  It was around then that I met my horse of a lifetime, Willow.  Willow has taught me so much and was with me when I was a working student for Anna Marek.  My time with Anna also led me to purchase my horse Benedina as a foal.  She now is grown up and training 2^nd and 3^rd level.

RB: You also work in the horse industry.  What inspired your career?

DV: While working for Anna Marek, I was fortunate to ride many amazing horses, which helped me realize that being a trainer was not my calling.  Instead, it inspired me to pursue a career in animal health pharmaceuticals.  I got a lot of “no’s” as I started out, but I persevered and ended up building my own path that led me to American Regent Pharmaceuticals, as a Territory Manager selling Adequan Equine.  Working for American Regent Pharmaceuticals opened many doors for me, including relocating me to my current home in California.  I now work for Entrigue Consulting, a marketing agency specializing in equine businesses, I absolutely love it.

RB: Tell us some of your biggest inspirations.

DV: The quote “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” really helped me to push through the doubt and the rejections when I started in the world of animal pharma.  Allyn Mann, who also worked for American Regent Pharmaceuticals, has been a huge inspiration to me and taught me so much about working in the industry.  His positivity and marketing prowess shape me as a business woman.