![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/manchester\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/Story-1-photo1-2-2-1024x683.jpg\")
Addie started taking lessons from various trainers at the age of 3. When the girl became older, she began participating in multiple rider competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her, competing in horse shows is not a hobby but a lifestyle \u2014 a time-consuming and mentally tough one \u2014 with hours spent practicing every week, regulating their nutritional needs, frequently cleaning stalls, grooming the horses, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Reining Horse Association described Addie\u2019s goal in a singular quote: \u201cTo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201cclasses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came her second event \u2014 mistakes eliminated, stirrup kept, and control displayed through speed, abrupt stops, and quick spins \u2014 in which she earned 10th place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really think I was going to place that well \u2014 we come here for the experience and the thrill of showing on a national level. But I did, and it was very exciting,\u201d Addie recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u2014 eighth out of 67 competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was pretty unbelievable. I\u2019ve 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 \u2014 so many things can go wrong when you\u2019re going fast on a horse that has a mind of its own,\u201d Addie\u2019s mother remembered. \u201cIt was just kind of surreal, and I was very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u2014 traits passed down from a mother with a horsesized heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story serves as an encouragement for everyone. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ADDIE BROWN\u2019S heart rapidly thumps as she enters the Celeste Center\u2019s oval arena. Sitting high on her horse, Wimpy Cocktail \u2014 also known as Otis \u2014 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":23639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/manchester\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/04\/Story-1-photo1-1-2-1024x683.jpg\")