Melissa Miller

Melissa has been committed to horses and the sport of eventing since she was 9 years old when she competed in her first mini-trial, winning both individual and team gold in the 18-inch division with a little palomino pony. She has since continued on an upward path with her horses and her dedication to learning everything she can about horsemanship, training, and teaching. She has brought along all her competition horses herself, working her way up to the Advanced/CCI3* level in Eventing. She also loves teaching lessons, coaching students, and sharing all she�s learned with clients and also enjoys training young horses and helping them reach their potential. She earned her USEA Instructor Certification a couple years ago and now is a certified Level 2-Prelim instructor.
Melissa Miller

Gallopine
is a 2009 TB mare purchased Summer 2014. She had not raced but had done a little race training. Her sire is Cetawayo by His Majesty. Cetawayo was a big winner on the turf and Pie certainly shows her breeding on the XC course, eating up the ground! Pie moved up to training in Florida Winter 2015. Melissa worked with her slowly; she proved to be a very sensitive mare, and is now finally putting the pieces together. Her dressage is improving immensely, as well as her showjumping. And besides the one trial where she ran XC in the blinding, pelting rain, she is confident on XC not hesitating at anything.

Bella Pistola
Pistol (JC name: Bella Pistola Rosa) is a 2011 TB who hadn�t done any racing or race training. She was also purchased Summer 2014. Melissa has really moved slowly with her, giving her lots of time to grow up and learn about life. She shows tremendous heart, altho she lives up to her name, Pistol! She will make her debut at Novice Fall 2015.

Imagine a Dragon
Dragon, was also purchased Summer 2014 as a ungelded two-year-old by Chief Seattle. He was such a nice mover, it was hard to pass him up! He was gelded pretty quickly after his purchase and then was broke in Fall of 2014, and then hung out the rest of 2014 and Winter 2015. He is back to work now and is a lovely, free-moving guy who is quite a character and shows lots of promise.

Henry�s Thunder (SOLD)
Henry, an OTTB, was given to Melissa by his breeder/owner in June 2015. A half-brother to a previous horse of Melissa�s, Brother Thomas, Henry is by Thunder Gulch who won the Derby and Belmont back in 1995. Henry is a quick learner and easy guy who seems to being enjoying his new life. He will start his show career this fall with his new owner.

Starlifter (SOLD)
Buzz was purchased straight off the training track in Ocala the Winter of 2013. Melissa took him up to Training (he won a Novice Horse division at Richland Park HTs!) He is now owned and competed by a young rider and loving his new life.

Competition Horses: Current & Past

High Finance
Finny is a 2000 Thoroughbred who joined the team in 2007. He was purchased off the track by a friend, but was then recommended to Melissa because of his athleticism and potential. Melissa has slowly brought him along, he�s competed at the Advanced level a bit in late 2014/early 2015 but an eye injury in 2015 has caused his career plans to change. Melissa is now running him back at the Prelim level with lots of success with plans of him eventually being leased and teaching a confident young rider.

The Ocala Scene

We are well into our season in Ocala and have enjoyed our stay this year. We are at a new farm for 2016, Oakmont Equestrian Center; a beautiful place with a covered indoor, jump arena, and cross country jumps. I have seven horses with me, three of my own, three client horses, and my working student�s leased horse. The horses are keeping us busy; but I always enjoy my time in Florida.

We�ve been to a few horse trials with mixed results, but overall I have been happy with all the horses, those doing their first trials and those moving up to new levels. XC courses are usually challenging down here, so the horses are all getting a great education. Pistol moved up to Training at her first trial. She had a stop at both of the big jump/down banks on course; then I realized she�d never done a down bank before in her two previous Novice runs last fall. But after one look at the drops, she said �ok, I got it� and happily jumped down. Her next trial she jumped around clean, not hesitating at anyting. Pie moved up to Prelim after starting her season off in a P/T. Our first two goes were a bit rocky; the first�she saw a brush-covered skinny chevron and wondered WTH!! The second she tripped a bit on landing between the two elements of a combination and in recovering and attempting the second jump, I popped off; landing fine but putting an end to our run. Our third cross country run was clean, with just a little time, as I kept her a little slower so she could build her confidence. Both girls showjumping is a work in progress.