When seasoned New York farm managers Teri and Buster Brown decided it was time to scale down the size of the farms they've been managing, Edition Farm owner Vivien Malloy was ready to help them make the transition.
The Browns are now a week into their new roles as managers of Edition Farm, an approximately 200-acre farm near Hyde Park in the Hudson Valley.
"We were at Sequel for three years prior, and it is a high-quality, wonderful facility but a large operation with a lot of mares and babies, and we're ready to manage fewer mares and babies," Teri Brown said. "We might grow it a little here, expanding a bit but not to the size of Sequel. We're looking at 25-30 foals instead of 90 foals.
"We also were very aware of how well respected Vivien is as a horsewoman and how much she cares about her horses and her farm."
Sean Shay, who is an associate of Malloy's with Edition Farm, played a key role in recruiting the Browns, whom he knew when they worked at Dr. Jerry Bilinski's Waldorf Farm and at Sequel.
"When you're associated with the best farm in New York, you want the best managers," Shay said. "When we learned Teri and Buster were ready for a change, we pounced, and it is the best fit in the world. Everything fell into place, and it feels like it was meant to be."
"Their expertise is invaluable," Malloy added. "They know New York and understand the breeding rules to make sure the breeders' mares are eligible because the rules sometimes can be confusing."
It also doesn't hurt that Edition now has a connection to Tiz the Law , the winner of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and the points leader on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Browns foaled and raised the son of Constitution at Sequel on behalf of breeder Twin Creeks Farm.
Buster Brown, a native of New Mexico, has been working with horses since he was 6, riding on cattle drives from New Mexico to Colorado. He has been involved in every aspect of the horse industry with both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses nationwide.
Teri Brown grew up in Michigan and got introduced to horses through 4-H. She spent 12 years working with physically disabled children and adults, teaching them horse care and to ride. She met Buster at this farm, which he managed while she was the head instructor.
Together they have been managing farms since 1995, starting in Arizona, where they also bred their own Quarter Horses and Paints, and eventually found their way to New York.
"Out west, I really fell in love with the mamas and the babies, so from there we kept going to farms where we could keep breeding mares," Teri Brown said.
Malloy purchased her first broodmare at Edition Farm in 1981. Since then, she has earned the title of New York's leading breeder twice and has been represented as the breeder of stakes winners across the U.S. and in Japan, led by Japanese grade 1 winner A Shin Forward.
