ADDIE BROWN’S heart rapidly thumps as she enters the Celeste Center’s oval arena. Sitting high on her horse, Wimpy Cocktail — also known as Otis — the 13-year-old rehearses maneuvers in her mind and tries to block out the noise of the crowd, gathered from all over the country to watch or participate in the October 2024 competition. The announcer speaks, signaling her turn. Prodded by a gentle squeeze, the horse trots forward to start the pattern, going through exercises practiced a gazillion times.
The duo starts well but soon drags a rear lead coming through the center of the arena, prompting a one-point penalty. The Tennessee native’s heart sinks a little, but she persists, steering the horse through more patterns and gaining confidence — until she feels her stirrup slip off her foot. Right then, her hope of placing in the competition disappears. Due to this, what occurred next shocked her.
Addie grew up in Hillsboro, Tennessee, with her older brother, Avery, and younger brother, Lane, supported by her father, Daniel Brown. Addie’s father works as a fifth-generation farmer, producing corn and soybeans on the Clover Leaf Stock Farm, a land cared for by the family for over 100 years. But Addie truly took after her mother, Christy Brown.
Hailing from Riceville, Tennessee, Christy received her first horse at 9 years old, growing up competing in shows within organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association and 4-H, during which she met her future husband. The mother maintained her love for horses, raising her daughter around them.
Addie started taking lessons from various trainers at the age of 3. When the girl became older, she began participating in multiple rider competitions.
For her, competing in horse shows is not a hobby but a lifestyle — a time-consuming and mentally tough one — with hours spent practicing every week, regulating their nutritional needs, frequently cleaning stalls, grooming the horses, and much more.
The National Reining Horse Association described Addie’s goal in a singular quote: “To rein a horse is not only to guide him but also to control his every movement. The best-reined horse should be willingly guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely.”
Addie resolved to display this very thing at the 2024 All American Quarter Horse Congress competition, currently the largest single-breed horse show in the world.
The Ohio Quarter Horse Association hosts the event every fall at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, annually seeing more than 20,000 entries and 500,000 onlookers. The show basks in the tune of $426 million for the central Ohio economy as horsemen and horsewomen compete in over 10 different disciplines of riding at various skill levels, which break down into “classes.”
With her horse, Otis, Addie entered into three reining classes at the youth level for 13-year-olds and under. A couple of mistakes contributed to her first competition ending in disappointment.
Then came her second event — mistakes eliminated, stirrup kept, and control displayed through speed, abrupt stops, and quick spins — in which she earned 10th place.
“I didn’t really think I was going to place that well — we come here for the experience and the thrill of showing on a national level. But I did, and it was very exciting,” Addie recalled.
Getting named the 10th-best rider at a prestigious competition felt special. Years of dedication paid off. Just when things did not seem better, Addie placed once again in her third competition — eighth out of 67 competitors.
“It was pretty unbelievable. I’ve been showing horses and following the trends, techniques, and changes in the sport of reining for 40 years, and this moment was a dream, so the second time it happened — so many things can go wrong when you’re going fast on a horse that has a mind of its own,” Addie’s mother remembered. “It was just kind of surreal, and I was very proud.”
Addie now tries to replicate her success in the next level for youth between the ages of 14 to 18, continuing to exhibit the value of hard work and perseverance — traits passed down from a mother with a horsesized heart.
The story serves as an encouragement for everyone. GN
Christy and Addie Brown extend appreciation to their trainers, Shane and Catie Campbell, Bennie Sargent, and a host of other supporters, clinicians, collegiate coaches, and heroes who helped them arrive at this level.
