BILLINGS — A Billings woman who has dedicated her life to rodeo had years of hard work stolen overnight after her horse trailer disappeared from the Public Auction Yards.
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Brittany Miller, 33, discovered her blue Featherlite horse trailer missing early Sunday morning when she arrived for work. The trailer had been parked behind the auction yard on Minnesota Avenue, where Miller works daily, handling cattle and riding multiple horses throughout the year.
"I left the parking lot, 6:30, and then I come around the corner here at 7 a.m. with my horse, and I noticed my trailer was gone,” said Miller. “I don't know what happened or why it didn't get caught, but everybody that knows me knows that that's my trailer.”
Security cameras captured a white, four-door Chevy truck hooking up the trailer around 10 p.m. Saturday. The truck did not have a front license plate, according to Miller, and she said she has filed a report with the Billings Police Department.
The trailer was parked behind the auction yard, tucked away from the main view, and Miller worries the theft may have been intentional.
"You don't know to come around this back parking lot unless you know it's back here,” she said. "I have no freaking idea who would do this."
While the trailer itself holds little value to her, Miller said what was inside represented her livelihood and more than 15 years of work.
"The trailer itself can fall down a cliff," said Miller. "It's not worth $1,000, $1,500 maximum. But I want the stuff that's inside that trailer.”
Miller said the trailer contained three custom saddles, multiple saddle pads, bridles, bits, snaffles, halters, and other equipment she relies on daily. Many of the items were custom-made and will be difficult and expensive to replace.
"This is over 15 years of me saving up and building equipment for myself to make my job and my life easier," she said. “I worked my whole life for everything in that trailer just to have somebody steal it ... it's not fair.”
Miller is a professional bucking horse instructor who produces eight to 12 clinics each year across the United States and internationally, teaching women how to ride ranch broncs. Last year, she was inducted into the Montana Rodeo Hall of Fame for her work with women’s ranch bronc schools.
Her trailer served as a mobile tack room, allowing her to rotate saddles and equipment while riding three to four horses a day at the auction yards every day for work during the busiest seasons.
"Having that variety of saddles in my tack room, it cuts down a lot of time," said Miller.
Determined to recover her equipment, Miller shared details of the theft on her Facebook account. By Sunday afternoon, the post had been shared over 1,000 times.
“For me to get that much feedback from it means a lot to me," said Miller. "Obviously, this is devastating for my life and my work.”
Despite the setback, Miller said she will continue to work to hold whoever is responsible accountable and will not let the incident slow her down from doing what she loves.
“I don't care who I have to call," said Miller. "I'm going to call and make sure this gets taken care of to the full extent. I'm not backing down from any of this."
