“They make a very good sounding board when you are having a rough day.”

“They make a very good sounding board when you are having a rough day.”

“Horses are wonderful, honest creatures,” says Julie Brown, the owner of Fancy Feet and Nails in Plainfield, Wis. “They make a very good sounding board when you are having a rough day. All I need to do is spend some time with them and all the stresses of the day immediately disappear.”

Brown is the proud owner of four quarterhorses: A retired 21-year-old buckskin mare, her son, a stallion, a 2-year-old red dun stud colt, and a dapple gray quarterhorse mare her oldest daughter rides and shows.

She houses her brood on a six-acre farm in North Central Wisconsin. “We’ve got a round pen and an outdoor arena to ride and work the horses. Plus each horse has a separate shelter to shield it from the wonderful Wisconsin elements,” she says. “We also have pasture for them to get turned out on.”

The highlight of her equine career thus far was in 1998 when her retired mare received the title “National All Around Highpoint Amateur” at the ABRA (American Buckskin Registry Association) World Show. “This was achieved by years of hard work and consistency,” says Brown.

Right now she is a 4H leader in her local community as well as for the 4H Horse Association. “I enjoy teaching kids the correct way to care for horses as well as ride,” she says. “Every year I help with a camp geared for kids and their horses in our county. I hold numerous clinics to help these kids who might not be able to afford lessons every week.

“I took a bit of a break from the horses after becoming a mom again somewhat later in life, but now I am starting back up with the help of my two girls and am enjoying the show life along with them,” she says. 

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