Julia Miller is the Fall 2022 OYES Dream It Award recipient.
My name is Julia Miller. I recently turned 21, and I have been riding horses since I was 12 years old. I ride hunter-jumper, low level dressage, and enjoy trick training and riding bareback and bridleless as well. I currently own a retired thoroughbred named Wasabi. Last year, I bought a severely abused ex-bucking horse from a kill pen and rehomed him after getting weight back on him and starting to gain back his trust. I do not show, but I enjoy working with all sorts of different horses, retraining them to English careers whether it be an ex-barrel racer or an ex-racehorse to a jumper or trail horse. I am particularly fond of thoroughbreds because I love the underdog and disproving stereotypes of all types.
My horse Wasabi was intended to be my jumper step-up horse in the making, but after purchasing him, we faced many setbacks. When I got him, he was undermuscled, had no idea on giving to bit pressure, and was extremely unmotivated to work. A few months into working through these problems, our farrier of many years went through personal issues that impacted his work, resulting in cutting my horse’s hooves so short and poorly that he was lame for 8 months.
From there, back pain, ulcers, and general discomfort followed. Then Wasabi was diagnosed with hock arthritis and sacroiliac issues. I did extensive research into the best and most economical supplements, treatments, and therapies as I am on a college budget. While my initial passion was jumping, that wasn’t in the cards for us yet, so I continued to ride many other horses in that time.
Wasabi’s lameness spanned years, which in that time allowed me to find passion in dressage and focusing on flatwork, as well as pursuing trick training with Wasabi and other horses while he was in stall rest or only sound enough to do groundwork and eventually rehabilitating him for low-level dressage and jumping. Owning Wasabi has been my biggest financial and mental challenge because owning him has been a rollercoaster. Behaviors which originated from pain led to some behavioral issues while we figured out his lamesss. For example, he created new twisting and jumping variations of bucking and other days he would absolutely refuse to move at all even with spurs and whips. It was difficult to see my horse in pain but also to justify having a miserable horse that bites and bucks from pain and may never be sound enough to ride.
Though my parents help me pay his board and weekly lessons, I pay for Wasabi’s supplements, therapies, and my own tack and extras. Last winter, my barn wasn’t able to turn out during very icy weather, which resulted in low grade ulcers, which cost me $1,300 to scope and treat for. Wasabi is the most expensive horse I could’ve owned despite a low purchase price, but he has taught me a lot about equine care and arthritis. I’ve learned a lot about how horses function and the best ways to treat physical challenges. After all his therapies and such, he is doing fantastic and is able to return to jumping and has so much life and personality again.
That said, it has been difficult affording his care, and I have always had to do 3-4 side jobs while being a full time college student to be able to provide the best care for him. I feel it is my responsibility as a horse owner to provide the best for him and I wouldn’t trade him for anything now. While Wasabi has held me back from my jumping goals and from my more recent dressage goals as well, I have definitely learned to sit a buck and I have opened my mind to liberty work and bridleless riding through him as well. I aim to ride all the horses I currently ride in just a neck rope one day, but still have my goal of moving up the heights in jumping.
I struggle with anxiety and depression myself, and I have been tentatively diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder, though my therapist didn’t want to make the jump too soon and I did not want medication, so never pursued a diagnosis for it. While I struggle with those issues, the barn has never been severely impacted by it. Horses and riding always gives me a reason to get out of bed even if I can’t make myself clean my house or barely turn in my school assignments.
While my mental health has always been a change for me since middle school, finding myself through horses and photography has been wonderful for my mental health. I started taking photos of Wasabi and friends’ horses for fun years back, but recently turned it into a business. Next year, I hope to register my business and get everything official now that I am sure I want to pursue it seriously, so I would be amazed if there were a mentor who was an equine photographer or other small business owner I could talk to for advice and guidance. I hope to own my own business and be successful whatever that might be, but currently it is photography for me.
I would use guidance and money to help fund my photography business and support Wasabi and my riding journey. I would use funds to invest in online photography classes or mentorships to help me grow my business and further my skills. One day, I hope to be in a position of being able to mentor others myself and become an approved photographer for Equestrians of Color Photography Project which provides short biographies and photoshoots to highlight equestrians of color’s contributions to the equestrian community. I hope to be able to inspire others struggling with mental challenges and physical limitations of either themselves or their horses as I grow my business and continue to work with my horse and others. I am very grateful to have had the opportunities I have been offered and my hard work to be paying off, but I would always appreciate an extra boost of support and guidance.