By Diana Bezdedeanu
Portraits by Sara Farrell
After a seemingly routine training ride at her winter base in Wellington, Florida, on January 19, 2024, then-34-year-old Emily Brollier Curtis was found unconscious 40 feet from her mount and rushed to the emergency room. The USDF Gold medalist and founder of Miramonte Equine, headquartered in Nicholasville, Kentucky, was given a less than 1% chance of survival upon her arrival at the hospital. In addition to a severe traumatic brain injury, Emily had several broken ribs and fractured her C1 and C2 vertebrae.
Flash forward nearly two years later: Emily doesn’t remember much from that day—in fact, she doesn’t remember much of her life prior to the accident. “Ironically, because of my wonderful accident, I don’t have many ‘pre-accident’ memories,” Emily admitted. “I knew I had a husband, but I don’t remember my wedding. I knew I had a kid, but I don’t remember being pregnant. At first, it was sad, but I’ve let it go. I can make new memories. People will tell me stories. Sometimes at night, I go through my camera roll to piece together my life before. Thank goodness for this iPhone!”
Life Before the Accident
Born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Emily began her riding career long before she could walk accompanying her parents, both avid non-competitive equestrians, on pack trips in the Rocky Mountains. “I rode bareback in fields like a maniac,” Emily joked of her wild-child nature. “I was raised real fearless on horses. The lack of structure is what gave me my bravery and ability to stick to anything. I have a really good, anchored seat and I can confidently ride whatever comes my way.”
Her first horse was Danny, a chestnut Quarter Horse her parents acquired in a trade long before she was born. “He was tense, wild, super explosive, but he was a blast to ride. He was like a little Ducati,” Emily said.
By age 7, Emily was showing hunters and jumpers, but eventing soon caught her attention. One day at the barn, an older rider told her, “You’ll never be good at eventing because you have to be good at dressage, and you’ll never be good at that.”
“I kind of took that as a personal challenge,” Emily said with a laugh. “I responded, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to get good at this dressage thing.’”
As a teen, she was all-in and completely independent. “I wound up selling my Thoroughbred without telling my parents, and bought an unstarted, feral Warmblood filly,” Emily said. “I bribed a friend to take me to see her, and then had her shipped from Colorado to Kansas. My parents weren’t the slightest bit surprised when I told them!”
That filly, Miramonte, quickly became Emily’s heart horse. Not knowing how to start a horse, Emily did some initial groundwork and hopped on, eventually training Miramonte up to Grand Prix level, and earning her USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medals on her.
Emily brought Miramonte with her when she attended the University of Kentucky (UK), where she earned a Bachelor of Science in equine management and a minor in agricultural economics. While at UK, Emily regularly picked up small jobs exercising horses, but she never saw it as a career until a friend suggested she go professional. At the time, she was working an office job in horse registration and riding after hours. “I remember telling my mom, ‘Don’t worry if it doesn’t work out. I’ll wait tables, do whatever it takes,’” Emily said.
In 2012, Miramonte Equine, named after the mare who helped Emily move up in the levels in dressage, was officially born. Offering lessons, training and sales, Emily is known for her ability to work with young and difficult horses, including Thoroughbreds transitioning from the track. In addition to Miramonte, she’s developed more than 15 horses to the FEI levels.
“I believe dressage is truly the pinnacle of horsemanship, especially when it’s done right,” Emily stated. “I’ve gotten a 10 before and thought, Well, that’s it, I’ve arrived—I did one movement perfectly, one time.” But that fleeting moment of perfection only highlights the sport’s relentless difficulty. “Dressage is hard; it’s never perfect. Every horse, every ride, every movement teaches you something. Just when you think you’re getting good at it, you’re not. It’s humbling, and it demands that you always listen to your horse.”
Continuing the Ride
Emily credits much of her growth as a rider and coach to what she affectionately calls her “panel of three male Sherpas”—a trio of top trainers who guide her continuing education. “I currently ride with Bill McMullin, a sharp-eyed judge with incredible insight; Jim Koford, who’s supported me selflessly since early in my career and is training my top horse right now; and Brett Parbery, an elite dressage rider in Australia,” Emily said. “They each have very different approaches, but they all tie into the same core concepts and they’re just genuinely kind, skilled horsemen who love the horses.”
When she’s not riding or teaching, Emily finds clarity in another sport. “Running is ‘me’ time,” Emily said. “I’m not a mom, not running a business. It’s the only time that’s truly mine.”
Emily married her husband, Aaron, in 2015. Together, they’re raising their 3-year-old daughter, Olive. “Unfortunately for Aaron, she’s a mini version of me!” Emily joked.
After her accident, Emily spent 11 months in a C-collar. At the time, Olive had just turned 1. “I couldn’t lift more than eight pounds for almost a year, so I couldn’t hold my daughter, change her diaper or put her to bed,” Emily said. “I’d sit in the room while Aaron did it all—bedtime, bath time, story time, daycare runs. My husband is truly the definition of a saint.”
The toll it took on her relationship with Olive was heartbreaking. “When Olive wanted me to pick her up, all I could do was pat her on the head and tell her to go to Aaron,” Emily said. “For months, all she wanted was him, and that broke my heart. But as life has slowly been returning to normal, our bond is blossoming again.”
Emily’s recovery wasn’t just physical—it was mental, too. “I couldn’t sleep in a bed for 11 months,” Emily said. “I had to sleep in a recliner and it was exhausting. I couldn’t do anything—couldn’t lie down, couldn’t sit, couldn’t get up. Every little thing was a challenge, and it made me more patient, something I never thought I’d be.”
The emotional toll lingered, but Emily found moments of deep gratitude. “The first time I looked up at the stars again after being freed from the collar, I cried,” Emily shared. “I hadn’t been able to look at the stars for over a year. It’s one of the little things you take for granted until they’re gone.
“Before I fell, I would’ve said, without hesitation, ‘I want to ride for a team,’” Emily continued. “But now, I’m not sure what my goals are. I know that I want to develop my personal horses. I currently have four of them that I want to see if I can get to Grand Prix.”
As she moves forward, Emily carries a deep sense of gratitude—for her family, her clients, her horses and particularly, her staff. “This was a trial by fire, and they stepped up to the plate,” Emily said. “They’ve done an incredible job and continue to help me every day. One of my assistant trainers, Faith Green, has been with me a long time—she’s my gauge for what horses I can and can’t ride. Ireland Derby, another assistant trainer and our program manager, is fabulous. And MacKenzie Wood, also an assistant trainer, is the one who saved me in the field after my fall—God bless her. My whole staff has been amazing, and I’m so grateful for them. My business didn’t miss a beat!”
Risk is now calculated. “I do a lot of risk assessment. I make sure the horses I ride are really specific,” Emily explained. “But I’ve learned to enjoy life while being cautious. My neurosurgeon told me, ‘If you want to live your life and be careful, I’m fine with that.’”
And living her life she is. Emily recently returned to competing, entering into a USDF Prix St. Georges at a show in her home barn. “The guys I ride with—Bill, Jim and Brett—have been so empathetic to me as I find my way back into competitive riding,” Emily said. “They’re so protective and cautious. It’s sweet, and they’re such good mentors.”
Emily’s new guiding principle is simple: “If it doesn’t, in this order, bring me joy or make me money, it’s no longer part of my life.”
Follow Emily at @miramonteequine on Facebook & Instagram and visit miramonteequine.com
Photos by Sara Farrell, threeredheadsandamoose.com
