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morgan miller new horizons

Morgan Finds Sucess Embrassing New Events

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Amateur competitor Morgan Miller has embraced this quote and philosophy in her equestrian journey. From pleasure driving to western riding, Miller is unafraid to venture into new arenas. With four horses in her main show string, and several up-and-coming young mounts, Miller has her hands full in all the best ways. Miller’s horses excel in multiple arenas from western pleasure to hunter under saddle, and trail. The past few years, Miller has begun showing in the all-around events. She manages to balance a busy showing schedule and having her horses based around the country with a focus on seizing opportunities and embracing new challenges.

Four-year-old mare Got What I Got, or Annie shows in the western pleasure under the guidance of Cochran Quarter Horses and is now entering her first year in the maturities. The mare has already earned multiple top accolades, including winning the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western pleasure at the Congress, along with multiple titles her three-year-old year.

Hows That For Ya, or Howdy, a six-year-old gelding

competes in multiple events including hunter under saddle, driving, and jumping. In 2020 he was AQHA Reserve World Champion in Junior Hunter Under Saddle with Katy Jo Zuidema. “He’s a great horse,” says Miller. “He’s with Tyler Haney now and is doing the jumping and driving. Last year he won the Green Working Hunter at the NSBA World Show and won the Junior Hunter Hack at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress.”

In 2021 Miller and Hows That For Ya took home bronze in the Level 2 Amateur Hunter Under Saddle at the AQHA World Show. “It was my first time attending the world show; I’d always dreamed of going to that show as a kid, hoping one day I’d be good enough to go. To leave there with a trophy was very monumental and felt really good,” says Miller.

Made It In Time, or Maren, is a five-year-old mare showing in Junior Trail and Western Pleasure with Brad Ost. “We call her our wonder pony,” says Miller. “She’s always down to do whatever we want and is just a super easy mare to show.”

Miller describes her all-around mount, No Question Im

Lazy, or Jethro, in much of the same ways, saying, “He’s a been there, done that gelding.” Together, they have been showing in western riding, trail, and horsemanship. He’s also been helping Miller push the boundaries of her comfort zone by adding new events. Earlier this year at the Level 1 Championships West, they took home the gold in Level 1 Amateur Western Riding and earned Reserve Champion in the Level 1 Amateur Horsemanship. Miller looks forward to also showing him in the Level 1 Amateur Trail at the upcoming NSBA World Show. “He’s a pro,” she says, “And that makes it easy to enjoy him.”

Last year at the NSBA World Show, Miller purchased Sleepn Around, who won the Hunter Longe Line with Sara Simons, under the guidance of Anthony Leier. This year, she and Miller will debut in the 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle at the NSBA World. Miller’s other two-year-old, Al Be Good For Ya will debut next year at The Premier. “I’m excited about him,” says Miller. “He’s big and beautiful, a great mover, really the total package.”

If keeping that many horses on the road didn’t keep Miller busy enough, she’s also begun to venture into the breeding industry. “I really like the babies,” she says. “I’ve been taking some of my great show mares and getting into the breeding game. I have three weanlings that I’m excited

about, including a weanling out of Made It In Time by Hay GoodLkn, a Good Better Best weanling out of my Skys Blue Boy broodmare, and a Makin Me Willy Wild filly out of the great mare Goody Goody Gumdrops.”

With multiple horses and events to balance, Miller is focused on specific goals for her own riding and growing in new areas. “I have become addicted to western riding,” she says. “This will be my last and only novice year, and I’m really excited to show at both the NSBA World and Congress and NSBA.” Coming off big accomplishments in the all-around at the Level 1 West Championships, Miller is eager to continue growing her skill set. “I ended up being the All-Around Amateur at the Level 1 Championships. I actually flew out the day before they gave the award, it wasn’t something that was on my radar,” she shares. “But it’s something I’m super proud of because the western riding was a new event for me; I had only shown in it at three shows prior. It felt rewarding to do well in that event being so new to it.”

In the process, Miller has found something she loves in both western riding and trying new things. “I’ve been most proud of myself getting out of my comfort zone. When my hunt seat horse Howdy learned how to jump and drive, I started learning to do both. Now, I could

show the driving all day. When I try something new, I’m often surprised by how much I like it and enjoy it. That’s what happened when I tried the western riding. Three years ago, I had only really done the hunter under saddle and pleasure. Today I’m showing in a lot of new events. I plan to keep pushing myself out of the box,” she says.

Balancing so many events and working with multiple trainers has its challenges, but Miller has found a way to make it all work as a result of everyone’s support and collaboration. “I definitely get stretched by locations,” she says. “But everyone is supportive of my goals, and I have learned a lot from everyone’s program. When I first came to Quarter Horses, I started with Brad Ost and Troy Lehn of Empyre Show

Horses. They’ve helped me expand and grow my relationships with other trainers. It’s great to always have my home base at Empyre. When working with other trainers and programs, I appreciate the open and honest communication that allows all of us to put the animals first and work together to establish our goals. I’m fortunate to have a great support system behind me to help me get there. Tyler Haney has really helped me branch out and learn the driving, while also teaching Howdy the jumping. I’ve been lucky to have people like that along my journey.”

Miller’s journey in horses began as most stories do, with a horsecrazy young girl. “My mom always wanted a pony and never got one,” Miller shares. “When I was five, she talked my dad into getting us lessons together. We lived in Oregon at the time and started riding at a hunter barn. They bought me my first pony soon after. Little did they know what that would turn into.” Eventually Miller and her family ventured into the stock horse world and purchased an Appaloosa that Miller showed in the Hunter Under Saddle under the guidance of Rusty Miller. “He was a second dad to me,” says Miller. “I can’t say enough about him. He really took me under his wing and taught me so much.” She and her parents still own several of her retired show horses, who now live their best lives at her parent’s farm.

Showing is a still a family affair for the Millers, her parents attend most of the shows and love supporting their daughter. Her husband Mike and stepdaughter also enjoy attending the shows, giving the horses treats, and encouraging Miller.

With major fall shows on the horizon, Miller shares that she’s most excited about her western pleasure mare, Got What I Got, who is by Mr Sherlock Holmes and out of Hot Cookin Cookie. “She is fantastic. We just love her,” says Miller. “I purchased her as a two-year-old after the World Show with Empyre. One of my best friends, Mallory Menard owned and showed her at the Congress that year. She won 2-yearold Non-Pro and was reserve in the Limited open 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure. She Loved the mare, and I quickly saw why. We just fell in love with her, too.”

Miller and Empyre showed her throughout her three-year-old year to much success. At the 2022 NSBA World Show Brad Ost placed third in the Limited NSBA and BCF Western Pleasure. Later that year at the AQHA World Show, Ost won the Level 2 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure. Miller earned the bronze award in the 3-Year-Old Non-Pro. This year, after the Premier in Kentucky where Miller took home 4th in the 4-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro, Miller and Ost decided to send the mare to Andy Cochran to focus on the pleasure events.

Miller says, “We’re just so excited about her in the pleasure. She has a great feel and rhythm. We have brought her forward slowly and can’t wait to see what Andy will do with her. He has such a great style in the pleasure, and we’re eager to see what he will do with her.”

Katie Cochran of Cochran Quarter Horses shares that she and Andy are also encouraged by the mare’s talent and ability. “We were very excited when Brad Ost called us after The Premier in Kentucky to see if we wanted to take Annie and focus on the western pleasure for the rest of the year. And has always really liked her. We can’t wait to present her at the NSBA World Show and Congress later this year,” says Cochran.

Looking to the future, Miller is eager to explore the mare’s potential in other events. “She shows talent in the western riding,” she says. “Her lead changes are fantastic, so she will eventually come back to do the all-around with Brad. I think she’ll be really talented. It’s working out well because my broke show gelding is teaching me, and by the time she’s ready I’ll know what I’m doing. So hopefully we can come together at the right time.”

Miller shares that what’s she most encouraged by in the horse industry today is the way branching out has become the norm for both people and horses. “I feel like our industry is getting really good at celebrating next stages for horses,” she says. “We’re seeing so many horses move into new jobs after futurity jobs, and there’s a growing prestige going into these later stage events.” She adds, “It’s good for the horses and it helps people not feel pressured to find success so early on. It’s nice to see horses mature and see opportunities remain beyond the futurity stage.”

Article Written by: Elizabeth Arnold

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