Football is a sport of literal hard knocks and quick pivots. For NFL veteran Pharaoh Brown, horses have provided off-the-field calm, a way to give back, and an avenue to adventure.
Brown, a 6’6″, 250-pound tight end, played college football at University of Oregon and began his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2017. Now, he is on his ninth season in the National Football League, currently with the Indianapolis Colts. When he’s not on the field or training for the next game, Brown enjoys learning the art of dressage on his young Friesian gelding, Anubis.
Photo courtesy Miami Dolphins
New to Riding
Brown spent three seasons with the Houston Texans, and in 2022, he rode a horse for the first time on a ranch in Texas.
“My buddy had a Friesian just imported from the Netherlands, and I rode him in the ring,” Brown recalls. “They had another horse that was super broke, a Quarter Horse. I got to walk outside in between the pastures. As I’m getting the hang of it and enjoying nice scenery, we get to a straightaway and the horse takes off. He’s flying, and I take my feet out of the stirrups and jump off. I landed it, but I had no business being out there—I think my reins were too loose!”
Even though Brown’s first ride outside an arena didn’t go as smoothly as planned, he still liked the idea of being around horses, and found his way to them through volunteering with therapeutic riding stables. Soon, he realized how connecting with both the horses and kids allowed him to be in the moment and slow down.
“It was amazing, and I learned about horsemanship,” Brown recalls.
Brown found that volunteering at a therapeutic riding stable was a great way to connect with horses and kids, be in the moment, and slow down.
Cleats for a Cause
In 2023 while playing for the New England Patriots, Brown wore green and white cleats with the design of a horse in a heart—the logo for Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation, an equine-assisted services organization for children and adults facing physical, cognitive and emotional challenges.
Brown’s special footwear was part of the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats initiative, in which players select a cause important to them and represent the organization by wearing custom cleats on the field.
Brown selected the My Cleats, My Cause organization Windrush Farm, an equine-assisted services program for children and adults facing cognitive, physical, and emotional challenges.
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding was Brown’s 2024 My Cause, My Cleats pick. Brown, then a member of the Seattle Seahawks, found satisfaction in his involvement with the Redmond, Wash., organization.
“There were all these kids on horses, and I’d throw a football to them on the horse,” says Brown. “It’s fulfilling to see kids come out of their shell and interact, just brushing the horses and rubbing them down and getting bonded with the horses.”
Becoming a Horse Owner
Also in 2024, Brown entered the world of horse ownership. He had been so impressed with the strength, beauty, and smooth ride of the first Friesian he met that he purchased one for himself. He named his imported gelding Anubis after the Egyptian god of the afterlife, a nod to his own first name, Pharaoh.
Brown recently became a horse owner, purchasing a Friesian gelding he named Anubis.
Brown and Anubis, who is 16.3 hands tall and still growing, train with Mallih Ataee at Veluto Equestrian in Redmond, Wash. Ataee has trained under Olympians Robert Dover and Carl Hester, and focuses on teaching correct basics to all equestrians.
Because of his travel schedule and the demands of training, Brown’s biggest equestrian challenge is feeling bad because he can’t spend as much time with Anubis as he would like to (for more on this topic, see “Battling Barn-Time Guilt” in the July/August 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated).
He shares that because Anubis is from a northern European climate, he thrives in the cooler weather of Washington state. As in football, equestrian pursuits require a committed team—and Ataee ensures Anubis is healthy, happy and fit when Brown can’t be there himself.
Finding a dressage saddle sized appropriately to accommodate Brown’s tall, athletic frame was a challenge. Riding bareback became an option that created an opportunity for him to develop a sense of feel and learn precise aids to communicate with Anubis.
“I can feel if I’m on the right diagonal … I’m finding the right buttons,” says Brown.
Although he is passionate about riding, it’s the relationship with his horse that Brown finds deeply fulfilling.
“Anubis takes care of me and I take care of him,” he says. “If he gets spooky, I try to figure out why that happened. It’s a dope bond. He’ll follow me to the barn. He knows me in the pasture and will run up to me—it’s fun to see.”
Fun for the Family
Brown has introduced his family to the world of horses as well.
“My 4-year-old son likes horses, and my wife likes riding, but not barn work,” he says. “My other son likes horses, but has developed an allergy.”
Both his wife and 4-year-old have ridden Anubis. Brown envisions an even more horse-filled life after his football career.
Brown’s wife and sons also like horses and the equine experience.
“I want to get a jumping horse—jumping seems so fun,” he says. “I like dressage, and I like the cowboy stuff. I’d like to get a ranch one day and get three to four horses.”
Until then, Brown will continue to train and focus on being the best teammate possible—for both the Colts and his special horse.
Follow Pharaoh Brown on social media @pharaohbrown.
This article about Pharaoh Brown appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
