Reining is a family affair

Mariah holding the reins



Bruce and Vickie Brown and their grandaughters, Mariah and Selena.

 Most people buy a farm before they buy the horse, but not Bruce and Vickie Brown. They bought two horses after Vickie became interested in reining, and then after boarding them for a few years decided they wanted a farm.


“We started going to horse shows and just happened to watch reining horses at one and thought it looked pretty interesting and exciting. Vickie started taking lessons and I was her stable boy for a little while,” laughs Bruce, 58 of Acton. “She was enjoying it so much we decided to get two horses, and then I started showing. It’s exciting and fun and what we like to do. Then we went out and bought our own farm.”

Although the Browns were both interested in horses growing up, they didn’t begin taking lessons until about 12 years ago. They’ve been reining for 10 years and have received their training from Dana Van Alstine at Van Alstine Reining Horses, in Welland, for the last five years.

Were they nervous when they first started reining?

“Me? Nervous? No, I was scared to death!” says Bruce.

“Absolutely,” agrees Vickie, 55. “In my first year of showing I would get so nervous I thought I was going to be sick right before I went into the pen. But after doing it for quite a few years the nerves settle down a little bit.”

Bruce says he is no longer anxious about reining either.

“I wouldn’t describe it as nervous anymore, it’s more anticipation. You’re excited and you want to get in there because your horse is ready and you’re ready,” he says. “It’s the excitement and anticipation of it. We’ve practiced hard and Dana has worked hard with us. So now you want to go prove yourself.”

Spinning and stopping is the best part of reining for Vickie, while Bruce enjoys simply being on the horse.

“I love just being on the horses and riding. The other good thing with Dana and the group we ride with is going to horse shows. It’s like camping for the weekend,” he says.

The Browns also enjoy sharing their love of horses with their three grandchildren: Mariah, Selina and Landon Domingon.

“We missed it all with our son and daughter,” says Vickie. “We just couldn’t afford to get our own farm at that time, nor did we have thoughts about it then. So when we got our own farm and the grandchildren came along they were just automatically part of it. They watched us ride and wanted to start riding too.”

Bruce says many kids “spend all their time sitting behind a computer” instead of having fun outside.

“Horses provide a lot of fresh air and exercise for our grandchildren and it’s one of the reasons why we like it. Also when you show a little respect to a horse you get love and kindness back, and that’s something we wanted to pass on to the kids as well.”

They even surprised their grandchildren with a pony named Cole.

“We have a little pony we bought for all three of them. Landon is just four and he gets on him bare back, puts the reigns on him, puts a helmet on and away he goes,” says Bruce. “They play like a little boy and a dog do. They’re back and forth and they’re chasing each other.”

He says the pony is fun, but also practical.

“The pony is really great for all of them. For little kids, full grown horses are intimidating because of their size. So when we got the pony it was a good icebreaker. They had confidence with it because it was smaller and easier to handle. And they graduated from there to bigger horses. He’s a good little pony and they have lots of fun with him.”

The pony was a wish come true, according to Selina, 8.

“Grandma and Popa said they had a surprise,“ she explains. “And we both wished for a pony and then they came home with Cole. Well, Mariah wished for him, but I wished for a unicorn.”

Mariah takes lessons at Van Alstine Reining Horses with her grandparents and Selina will begin soon.

“It’s fun,” says Mariah, 11. “I just like the horses’ company. It’s nice to go out to a farm and groom your horse and sit and talk with it.”

She says the reining can be challenging, but it won’t stop her from continuing.

“Sometimes if I go to horse shows and I see people riding, I think ‘I can’t do that’, but when I get on the horse and I get one step further, it’s like I know I can do this. Smoke(her horse) gives me confidence as soon as I get on him because he’s just so good.”

Bruce believes horses are great companions for anyone.

“They give you back just as much love as you give them. They teach you to be humble. They teach you to be alert. They’re enjoyable,“ says Bruce. “They’re good companions; that’s one of the best ways to describe them. And if you listen they do talk back. They don‘t talk back in English, but they do talk back in their own way.”

Vickie says horses relieve the tension of a hectic day.

“I’m a person that gets stressed very easily, but put me on a horse and it’s just like that the stress completely goes away. All I do is want to ride my horse and concentrate on what I’m doing and do the best I can.”

Bruce hopes horse riding will continue to be a tradition in his family for years to come.

“One good thing about the farm is we’ll be able to pass it on,” he says. “We’re going to keep riding for as long as we can, but when our riding days are over, we will still have the farm and the horses. The kids can grow up with horses and ride and continue on as well. Hopefully their grandbabies will be riding horses one day.”

Published in Niagara Farmers' Monthly - April 2011