112 SIDELINESMAY 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
AriannaDelin
Every little girl dreams of riding ponies. Lillie Brown was no
different.Sinceshewasachild, Lilliewanted to rideandbearound
horses. However, she wasn’t allowed to pursue her dreams
until after she finished school. Immediately upongraduation,
Lillie got a job, went to the bank to get a loan and bought a
horse. Ever since, horses have been her way of life.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” explained Lillie.
“I’ve been showing hunters for a very long time and
havebeenable to keepmy horses at home.”
Before shehadahorseof her own, theonly time in
the saddle that Lillie could claimwas the occasional
trail ride with friends. Once she bought her own
mount, she began showing in Quarter Horse
competitions, barrel racing and reining. After a
few years, she switched gears and moved to
thehunterswhere shehas beenever
since.
“I never realized until I got
older that it’s such a good form
of exercise and a way to stay
healthy and fit without going to
the gym,” said Lillie. “The work
involved in keeping horses at
home is a lot of exercise, but it’s
also very rewarding.”
Lillie grew up in Spartanburg,
South Carolina, where she
worked fora few largecompanies.
After a number of years, she left
the corporate world and went
searching for something new
to fill her time. With a move to
Tryon, North Carolina, Lillie took
up a new career in equestrian real estate. With a background in
horses, the decision to specialize in the equine field was a no-
brainer. Lillie already held the knowledge about horse farms and
had insight on what it took to maintain a horse property, having
e
LillieBrownLovesLife InTryon
Lilliewith her
dogsRusty and
Adam at her home
inTryon, North
Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Lillie
Brown
one of her own.
“Specializing in horse farms, you get to meet
the nicest people. You have so much in common
with another horse person even if you’ve nevermet
them before,” said Lillie. “It’s so much more
interesting than residential real
estate and you get along great
immediately with another horse
person.”
For the past 24 years, Lillie
has been showing prospective
homeowners around Tryon. The
part she likes toshowoffmost is the
town’s massive trail system. There
are over 200 miles of equestrian
trails inPolkCountyand realtorsare
hard at work to preserve them.
“The trail system is a huge draw
for Tryon and brings individuals from
all over,” explained Lillie. “However,
peoplealso come to ridewitha specific
trainer. Therearealso two recognized
foxhunts held in the area, and we
have competitions practically all
year around, which brings people to
the area.”
Tryon offers something for every
equine aficionado, whether they
compete in hunter shows, carriage
driving, pace events, three-day
eventing, or would rather spend their
time in the woods fox hunting. For Lillie,
finding a property for a prospective client
is a tranquil process. After discoveringwhat
discipline her patron partakes in, and what
theywant in a ‘perfect’ property, she goes towork.
“Equestrian realty in Tryon is easy, becausewhen you show a
prospectwhat’shere—everythingweoffer— theareasells itself.
Everything ahorse person is looking for is here.”
Lillie andBaccarat
Photo byErikOlsen
