By John Fougere for The forest today/William Woods University
When Kamerra Brown was a young girl in Culpeper, Virginia, horses were her passion. She started taking riding lessons at the age of five, but the lessons were too expensive for her single mother. So she was drawn to more traditional sports for someone her age, like soccer, basketball and track and field.
But the dream stayed.
“My passion and love for horses still couldn’t be hidden,” said Brown, Assistant Professor of Equestrian Studies at William Woods since 2020. “I secretly wanted more classes.”
Brown’s persistence could be a lesson to all of us, as what has become a distinguished career in the equestrian industry has resulted in tremendous honor for her. On September 16, she was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at Delaware State University, her alma mater, for her career achievements in the sport she loves.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Brown, who specializes in hunter/jumper education at Münster University. “There are many excellent riders who have competed and are competing at Delaware State. I honestly don’t know how to put into words the feeling of being selected among the best of the best.”
Brown’s career, both competitive and coaching in the industry, has been spectacular. She was a member of the Delaware State’s premier equestrian team and its first African American member. During her four years at the school, she won letters for four years, was team captain and team MVP three times, and received numerous awards for most outstanding performance on various shows. In addition to her individual accomplishments, she also helped lead the Delaware State Hunt Seat team to the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in 2008 and 2009 and achieved victories in the equestrian sport over fences.
After graduating from Delaware State, she transitioned into coaching and teaching, working as an assistant coach at South Dakota State University, where she helped lead the Jackrabbits’ Jumping Seat team to its first national championship appearance in 2013 while earning a master’s to earn a degree. From 2014 to 2016, she returned to the state of Delaware as an assistant horseback riding coach, helping lead the Hornets to more national championship appearances and individual honors for team members. She has also worked in the industry as Assistant Director of Riding at Bridgewater College in Virginia and was listed among the 2021 Distinguished Alumni of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.
Brown, who joined EMU in August 2020, teaches all Applied Hunter/Jumper Riding courses, Introduction to Equine Entrepreneurship, Hunter/Jumper Problems, Instructional Techniques and online graduate courses such as Equestrian Educational Events and Competition Management and Applied Instructional theories
This means that now the nationally renowned EQS program at The Woods and the students who come here to study and learn will benefit from Brown’s expertise and experience.
“Kamerra is a talented rider and instructor who has been an asset to the School of Equestrian Studies since day one on campus,” said Jennie Petterson, Dean of Equestrian Studies at William Woods. “Her dedication to the sport and her respect and appreciation for horses set the standard for all of her students. We are pleased that she is being recognized in the Delaware State University Hall of Fame for her lasting impact.”
