About Us

Mihran ▪ Kim ▪  Erika

Bramblewood Stables was brought together by serendipity (or more formally, Gerald Pack at Stoney Knoll Farms, Inc.).  Lots of websites give stock responses and bios but anyone who has spent a lot of time with us knows, we do things a little differently at Bramblewood.  This farm exists because of moments that cannot be replicated.

Bramblewood has become what it is today from terrifically hard work, incredible clients, wonderful friends and a good dose of chance and divine intervention.  It exists despite the fact that Mihran rode from Tryon, NC down highway 25 on a States Premium Trakehner mare (erstwhile being "pulled over" by the Travelers Rest Police. . . "Is that horse yours? May we see your license?" mind you, it was a thirty-two mile ride, the mare was extraordinarily fit, but it was raining).  Or Bramblewood might exist because of that moment.

On this page you will find a lot of standard answers to your questions about our background and experience, but we hope that as you click to the next page you'll leave with something more - a feeling for the spirit of our farm. For many people, Bramblewood is a refuge.  We're not just instructors, trainers and apprentices, we're caretakers of a place that feeds the soul.  We cannot express enough gratitude to Foxcroft's (as this facility was known for years) owners.  In another of those serendipitous moments, they found us the day that we were trying to reach them to ask about taking the place.  We are grateful beyond measure.

And if you want to know what happened to that Trakenher mare check out SPS Herbstnikolaiken (aka, Nikki) at Iron Horse Farm  - scroll down the mares page.

Mihran Dulgeroglu

Born in Istanbul Turkey, where he rode with his grandfather from a very young age, Mihran studied under numerous cavalry officers and show jumper Cavit Bayer.  When faced with the choice of following his father into business at his family’s galvanized steel factory, Mihran decided to continue his study of riding and to broaden his knowledge abroad.  When he came to the United States five years ago to study riding and to begin his instructor certification through the United States Dressage Federation, Mihran’s plan was to complete his dressage apprenticeship with German trainer Robert Mayer at ROMRA in Pittsburg and return to Turkey where he would open his own facility outside Istanbul. 

Soon after completing his tenure at ROMRA, Mihran found himself training show jumpers and dressage horses in Florida.  From there he studied under Gael Bourquin in Ohio – one of the rare women in this country who have worked side by side with masters from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.  He then went on to ride sale horses and fine tune his skill with German dressage clinician Alex Gerding.  Fate found him in Tryon, NC and fortune brought him to us in the Greenville Bramblewood program where he is head trainer.

There are no shortcuts in Mihran’s riding and training philosophy.  His calendar is kept full with clinics and lessons but the true joy in his life is the horses that he keeps in training both for clients and for himself. These horses greet him each day with eager expressions, happy to begin their work.  From European imports to backyard ponies, clients are amazed at the results Mihran achieves at each step of his training program

Kimberly Carter Dulgeroglu

Kim attended Wofford College where she graduated with a BA in English and Art History.  Though she took a break from riding and showing while she attended college she has since come to realize that the liberal arts curriculum and a systematic study of riding are quite similar.  She believes we are all lifelong students in all our endeavors, but particularly when it comes to
the horse.  From art to literature throughout history - the horse has inspired and fueled so many masterworks.  Kim loves teaching simply because it gives her the opportunity to see riders broaden their genius and learn to feel and react in ways never before thought possible.

Kim is certified by the American Riding Instructors Association (ARIA) at the highest level currently offered with a specialization in hunt seat riding.  For five years she worked closely with Gerald Pack, retired Master of the Greenville Hounds,  to develop a system of riding that is founded in the unique style of the great American instructors of the past century along with a systematic dose of the best European traditions. 

When not at the barn (which is weird) Kim is a freelance writer for both equine and other publications and an owner and board member of Communications Service Center, Inc. founded by her grandfather, Floyd Winchester, Jr., in 1950.

To see what all Kim and the others around Bramblewood are up to, visit Kim's blog here.

Erika Conklin

Erika is Bramblewood's assistant instructor and is certified through ARIA while currently seeking her USHJA certification.  She graduated from USC with a BS in Biology and a minor in Psychiatry, and while she was in college, Erika rode for the USC varsity equestrian team, one of the best in the country.  Her experience on the USC team gave Erika a firm belief that riders should learn to be adaptable to a variety of mounts.  She believes that a true horse person is able to take the animal they are presented with and ask it to perform to the best of their combined abilities.  Erika also danced with the Lake Erie Ballet Co. while she was in college and this experience  helped her form her beliefs in the aesthetics of hunters and the biomechanics of jumpers as well as a true understanding of self discipline and sacrifice for a sport.

Erika has also trained with  trained with Claudia Garner, Mary Darcy, and George Morris.

When not at the barn you can find Erika with her two boys, husband and dogs.