We are saddened to report the recent passing of three-time AQHYA World Champion mare, Modern Rival (Maggie) at the age of 29.
There are certain horses that touch and change the lives of their owners. For sisters, Erin and Alee Brown of Oklahoma City, their show mare, Modern Rival was that horse.
“Erin and I were so blessed to own, exhibit and love Maggie for the past 23 years. She was truly a one-of-a-kind mare, and one of the most beautiful horses anyone has ever come across,” says Alee Brown Fowler, who showed the mare during part of her youth career. “She helped Erin and me earn many awards in her short time in the show pen. She earned her early retirement, and spent the last 20 years in the ‘Hall of Fame’ pasture at Halvorson Ranch. We would like to express our thanks to the trainers we had with Maggie, and a big thank you to Wayne and Rebecca for caring for her and loving her in her retirement. It’s so special when a person gets to experience a horse like Maggie.”
Modern Rival was by Modern Mac and she amassed nearly 1000 points in several events. Erin Brown and Maggie were back-to-back AQHA World Champions in the Hunt Seat Equitation at the 1990 and 1991 Youth World Show as well as being 1990 Reserve and 1991 World Champions in the Showmanship.
Like many show horses, Maggie was not without her quirks. According to both Erin and Alee, she only liked specific arenas with good weather. Maggie also did not care for elephants resulting from a bad experience at the State Fair.
“Bobby Harrison called Wayne (Halvorson) and said he was judging a horse show and she was so beautiful, but so badly behaved that she had to come to the center of the arena,” Erin recalls about how they discovered Maggie. “I think if she would’ve been easy, we never would’ve traveled the country looking for the perfect arenas and the perfect weather and made so many friends from all across the country.”
Alee, (pictured left) who showed Maggie after her older sister, Erin, adds, “I got to reap the benefits of all of Erin and Wayne’s hard work. She was still a typical moody mare, but she was smooth as glass and an excellent showmanship and pattern horse,” Alee remembers. “Retiring her was a hard decision for me, because I was so young in my show career, but Maggie had done her work, and she deserved to just be the queen of the pasture.”
