Sabrina Miller: Developing Ponies and Potential

By Annelise Klepper
Portraits by Kacy Brown

What began as the time-honored pony ride at a 10-year-old’s birthday party has quickly evolved into an equestrian career for Sabrina Miller. The young rider is already making a name for herself in the Junior hunter/jumper sector at the age of 15.

Sabrina grew up in Austin, Texas, with her parents; younger brother, Luke; older sister, Sydney; and beloved cats, Honey and Ash. Her riding journey began unexpectedly. “I got into riding because a school friend had a 10th birthday party at her barn,” Sabrina recalled. “That was the first time I rode a horse. I came home from the party and told my parents that this is what I wanted to do.”

Sabrina participated in gymnastics at the time and had tried a few other sports prior, but nothing piqued her interest as much as riding. Sabrina started with one lesson a week at a barn 30 minutes from home, but was soon riding several times a week at barns even further away. The time commitment didn’t deter Sabrina. Even when she wasn’t at the barn, she “made hobby horses and jumped over horse jumps in my backyard and pretty much did anything horse-related that I could do,” she said.

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and Sabrina’s family’s subsequent move to a home further outside of Austin, Sabrina had to find a new barn, where having her own horse was a necessity. Consequently, Sabrina spent much of her time in quarantine combing over the internet, looking for ponies for sale.

Building Partnerships

All of the ponies Sabrina has worked with have played an integral role in her development as an athlete. Her first pony, Chanel, proved challenging for a 10-year-old just beginning to ride. “She was very stubborn and liked to find new ways to throw her riders—and trainers—off,” Sabrina remembered. “But a couple of years later, my big sister, Sydney, fell in love with her and got into horses because of how much she connected with Chanel. So that pony came into our lives for a good reason.”

In searching for a more suitable mount, Sabrina discovered MTM Goodnight Moon. “We knew from the moment we saw him in his stall with the big moon on his forehead that he was the one for us,” Sabrina said. Coincidentally, Sabrina’s mother is a children’s book author, so the pony’s name being Goodnight Moon seemed like fate.

Moon’s partnership with Sabrina proved to be the perfect stepping stone. “He took care of me and taught me so much. I spent a year in Short Stirrups, learning everything I needed to know to be ready for the pony division. He took me around the ring in my first ‘A’ show, and at my first show at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, we won Champion in the Short Stirrups and equitation divisions,” Sabrina said. “We hoped 20-year-old Moon would be able to compete in the division, and at the Texas Pony Championships in Katy, Texas, we did great together. But at our next show, Moon made it clear that was not the height he wanted to compete in long-term.” It was time for Sabrina’s next chapter. She began searching for her new mount.

That search led Sabrina to Clovercroft Jump To It, aka Clover, a pony Sabrina show leased and instantly clicked with. “I remember being crushed because we missed champion or reserve, and I was afraid my parents would say we couldn’t buy her,” she said. However, Sabrina’s father was pleased that the success wasn’t instantaneous. Sabrina would need hard work and dedication to qualify with Clover. He believed that was a valuable part of the process.

The effort certainly paid off. Sabrina rode Clover to her first USEF Pony Finals and the USEF Pony Medal competitions in Lexington, Kentucky. Although their first year didn’t result in ribbons, their rounds were solid. When the pair returned the following year, they were awarded improved scores across all categories. Sabrina ribboned 19th over fences and 18th overall out of 142 medium ponies, then placed eighth out of 174 competitors in the Pony Medal Finals. “My goal was to go to indoors, and Clover and I competed at Capital Challenge Harrisburg, and Washington,” Sabrina said. Their partnership produced many rounds in the 80s, with their highest score being an 87.5 and a sixth-place ribbon.

The Pony Development Program

About a year into her partnership with Clover, Sabrina and her father struck up a professional partnership of their own. The duo began what they call their Pony Development Program, making use of Sabrina’s talent and her father’s business expertise. “Our goal was to buy greener ponies, train them and then lease them out,” she explained.

The first project of the Pony Development Program was Prince, a 4-year-old pony from The Netherlands. “He was one of the speediest ponies I had ever ridden,” Sabrina recalled. Prince was trained as a high-powered jumper in Europe, so adjusting to the more relaxed pace required of a hunter required some time and patience. “We spent over a year training him to relax and go slower, since he’s a fancy model and hack winner and perfect for the pony hunters.” Prince had a successful competition at Pony Finals last year, earning multiple ribbons and solidifying his newfound, laid-back hunter career under the tutelage of Sabrina.

Unfortunately, Sabrina was beginning to outgrow her medium pony. “While Clover and I were competing at Pony Finals last year, everyone commented that I was getting too tall for her,” she said.

Sabrina then found Easton TM, a large pony, while they were in Kentucky at Pony Finals, and began preparing for the 2025 season. After waiting for Easton’s green year to begin, they started competing in January. “I love how slow and controlled he goes around the ring,” Sabrina said. Dependable Easton ribboned in every category during his first green year at Pony Finals, finishing 15th in the model, 18th in the under-saddle, 17th over fences and 14th overall. The pair also achieved WEC Reserve Circuit Champion honors in 2025.

Stepping Into Something New
This year came with another milestone for Sabrina. “I started riding an equitation horse earlier this year, and there have been so many new things to learn,” she explained. They purchased King, show name Axe SPB Z, in February and have been competing in 3’ and 3’3″ equitation classes, including the 12-14 Equitation division, THIS, NHS and jump seat medal competitions. “He’s so careful with me, and I know I can count on him to get me safely around the ring,” she added.

The new partnership has already been a successful one, with several first-place finishes over the past six months. “I look forward to competing in equitation finals next fall,” Sabrina said.

Sabrina values her education, but doesn’t let a traditional school schedule hold her back from pursuing her goals as an equestrian. She’s enrolled in Smarter By 1 Degree, an innovative program that combines online high school and college courses, which will award her both a four-year college degree as well as a high school diploma after completion. “I love the flexibility of the program for riding,” she said. “I do all of my schoolwork in the morning so I can ride all afternoon. I can also finish my work early in the week so that I can horse show over long weekends.”

Sabrina has the ability to pursue as many interests as she can. “My favorite class so far, which surprisingly also required the most work, was a baking class,” she said.

Sabrina’s educational plans extend beyond the Smarter By 1 program, however. “I plan to go to graduate school in an equine-related field so I can experience college in person,” Sabrina said. She is also interested in potentially joining an equestrian team in college.

Sabrina brings her love for horses into the rest of her life, even when she isn’t riding. “I spend a lot of my free time baking horse treats, jumping over kid/horse jumps in my backyard, hanging out with friends and family, and building equine-related small businesses,” she shared.

At just 15 years old, Sabrina is already balancing her aspirations in the business, education and competition spheres. Her goals for the future are both pragmatic and ambitious. “My primary goal with riding is to keep getting more experience, learning and finishing strong at shows,” Sabrina said. She plans to continue developing ponies alongside her personal Junior career goals: placing in the top five of an equitation final, Junior Hunter Finals and Pony Finals. “Of course, ideally, I’d love to win one!”

Follow Sabrina on Instagram @sabrina._.eq

Photos by Kacy Brown, kacybrownphotography.com