Iowa woman active on horse show circuit

GLENWOOD, Iowa — Summer months have always meant horse show season for Chrissy Miller.

The Mills County, Iowa, woman grew up showing horses in 4-H and FFA, and for the last 11 years, she has shown horses on and off at the Iowa State Fair.

“I have always liked how horses have their own personalities, and learning how to show each of those personalities successfully is rewarding as well as challenging,” Miller says.

Miller, who grew up on a farm near Glenwood in southwest Iowa, says sometimes it can be a challenge to find enough hours in the day to do all she needs to do. In addition to working with her horses, she works full time at a Council Bluffs bank.

She and her husband Chad also have a 3-year-old daughter, Marley.

Miller owns two horses, one Quarterhorse and one Paint. It’s the two-year-old Paint that she has been showing this year. The horse’s registered name is OC JOHNS CLASSY GIRL, but she is better known as Fern to friends and family.

“This is our first year showing her,” Miller says. “We started in April and the state fair is another stop on the schedule. We are gone a lot of weekends.”

Miller says so far, her young horse has done very well on the show circuit.

“She’s a really nice horse,” Miller says. “We bred and raised her ourselves.”

Miller competes in the all-around competition, which consists of several different events.

After graduating from high school in 2016, Miller attended William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, where she majored in equestrian science and equestrian administration.

She says she learned a lot in college, much of which she is able to put to use on her own horses.

“I think you are always learning,” Miller says. “… I have also learned as I’ve gotten older and gotten more experience.”

Miller says she’s pleased how her horse is doing, adding she represents a large chunk of her future.

“I really am putting all my marbles in one basket with her,” Miller says. “I hope that we’re able to go to bigger shows next year and continue to grow after that.”

Miller says she has a collection of belt buckles and trophies from her previous competitive experiences. She says while those are nice and she hopes to add more to her collection, the best part of showing horses is the connections she has made.

“I just really like the show atmosphere,” Miller says. “I like the friends I’ve made and I like challenging myself and my horses. I really have a lot of fun.”