Horton Broomstick Company

• Status: Non-canonical; a likely misnomer for the Comet Trading Company
• Associated Individual: Basil Horton
• Key Innovation: The Horton-Keitch Braking Charm (Quidditch Through the Ages)

There is no known broomstick manufacturer named the Horton Broomstick Company mentioned in the original seven novels or official supplementary materials. The name likely originates from a confusion with Basil Horton, one of the co-founders of the highly successful Comet Trading Company. Basil Horton, along with his Falmouth Falcons teammate Randolph Keitch, established the Comet Trading Company in 1929. Horton's primary contribution to their first broomstick was the development of the patented Horton-Keitch Braking Charm, a significant innovation in broomstick control that greatly enhanced player safety and maneuverability in Quidditch. (Quidditch Through the Ages)

The Comet Trading Company, co-founded by Basil Horton, was established in 1929 and quickly became a major force in the racing broom market. Their first model, the Comet 140, was revolutionary due to the aforementioned braking charm, which prevented players from overshooting goals or flying offside. This feature made the Comet series the broomstick of choice for many professional Quidditch teams in Britain and Ireland for a time. (Quidditch Through the Ages) The company continued to produce newer models, such as the Comet 260, which was owned by Ron Weasley during his first year at Hogwarts. While considered a reliable if somewhat slow broomstick, the Comet line was eventually eclipsed by sleeker, faster models from competitors like the Nimbus Racing Broom Company and the manufacturers of the Firebolt.

While the “Horton Broomstick Company” does not appear, the work of its real-world counterpart, the Comet Trading Company, serves an important world-building function. The existence of older, less advanced brooms like the Comet series provides a crucial contrast to the high-performance brooms that Harry Potter receives, such as the Nimbus 2000 and the Firebolt. Ron Weasley's ownership of a Comet 260 highlights his family's modest financial situation, as it is a hand-me-down that is easily outclassed by the brooms of other students like Draco Malfoy. This establishes a clear hierarchy in the quality and status associated with different types of broomsticks within the wizarding world.

All detailed information regarding Basil Horton and the founding of the Comet Trading Company comes from the supplementary book Quidditch Through the Ages, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Kennilworthy Whisp.