by Kim Redo
Photos courtesy of Melissa Miller
From 4-H to Churchill Downs, Melissa Miller’s life is the essence of how dreams come true. This zesty cowgirl from Choctaw, Oklahoma, fills her professional downtime as a nurse with the most incredible adventures with her horses. She is the real deal.
As a youngster in a “nonhorsey” family, she was thrilled when her parents got a horse for her. At the age of 12, Melissa became the proud owner of a three-year-old crossbred stallion. Sadly, he foundered a year later and had to be put down. That did not deter the young girl one bit — quite the opposite. She was determined to learn more about horses and their care.
When the family moved to Alaska that year, the first place Melissa sought was a place to take riding lessons. A nearby boarding stable not only gave lessons but also had a horse owner in default of board payment. If Melissa could pay the debt, a palomino mare could be hers. Arrangements were made, and the horse had a new owner.
In 4-H, showing in English riding, western, and other categories opened up a whole new world for her. Over the next several years, horses became her focus in life. She rode her own horse and everyone else’s that she could.
Creating a Niche in the Racing World
At age 25, Melissa Miller answered an ad in Western Horseman magazine. A racehorse facility in Virginia was looking for a full-time groom. Not long after Miller was hired, she met Diane Crump, the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in the United States and the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Crump started Miller exercising racehorses at the farm track. Noticing the skill Miller had with young horses, Crump suggested going freelance at the tracks, which would increase Miller’s experience and her income.
Miller then worked at a small track in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. A year later, she went to Ellis Park racetrack in Kentucky. Before long, trainers were putting her on young nervous horses who responded well to her calm demeanor and consistency. She rode with a longer stirrup than most, which allowed her more stability in the tiny six-pound racing saddle.
She even got to pony famous jockey Willie (Bill) Shoemaker at the Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park. “He was really cool,” said the gal who has never met a stranger. “I told him, ‘You know, I’m from Alaska, and they all think you’re really cool up there.’ Shoemaker grinned from ear to ear.”
Miller then started to gallop racehorses at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. She married a trainer and stayed there for several years. She learned timing, rating, and how to really ride racehorses. “We would spend the winters in New Orleans and the summers in Kentucky. It was a good life,” she recalls.
When Joe Petalino, head racehorse trainer at the Lazy E training center, offered jobs to Miller and her husband, the couple moved west. At the time, the center had three barns, each housing 80 horses. When her husband suffered an injury, Miller doubled up her workload and rode even more horses. Possibly because of overwork and exhaustion, Miller came off a fractious horse that was frustrated with waiting to be exercised. Miller separated her shoulder and was laid up with the injury for nearly a year.
During that time, two things happened. She divorced and learned to sew. With her dysfunctional shoulder, owning a five-speed car kept her pretty much stuck at home, but she eventually began to make monthly trips to Minnesota to help care for her elderly grandparents. That precipitated a move to Minnesota. While there, Miller attended nursing school, and after her grandparents’ deaths, she returned to Oklahoma City.
Exploring Other Opportunities
In the next few years, Miller met Mike Hazel, a cutting-horse man. She broke a few colts for him and learned about cutting. Then she bought a horse from him. She also found a small horse place in Choctaw and settled in to what is now referred to as the Millerosa. One day, Hazel took her to the Choctaw Round Up Club arena to watch a cowboy mounted-shooting competition. Captivated by the Old West and Victorian attire of the riders, Miller was hooked instantly.
Combined with her sewing skills and her research on historical places, lace, and clothing, she developed a full-fledged interest in mounted shooting. Miller became a shooter and displayed her creative costuming as a contestant, particularly garnering attention to the millinery she designed.
These days, she offers full costuming sessions, from outfits to hats to accessorizing jewelry, boas, and scarves for photographs or personal collections. With horses and the background on-site, there is no better place to have western-style photographs taken.
Miler is a founding member of the Frilly Fillies, a 501(c)(3) organization that sells calendars to help cowboy mounted shooters in emergencies. She is also a member of the Sidesaddle Sisters Club. She has participated in barrel racing, team sorting, and trail riding with obstacles, and she has taught horsemanship.
Attacking each new opportunity with zeal, Miller recently took up carriage driving, with the help of Lincoln Franklin of Jones, Oklahoma. Using two palomino horses, driven singly or as a team, she thrills crowds with her ornate decorative creations at parades and parties.
What’s next? Who knows? One thing for sure — Miller will liven up any arena.
