Millie served five years in the United States Army, enlisting in late 2019 and immediately volunteering to deploy with a sister unit in the Expeditionary Signal Battalion as part of Operation Spartan Shield, a mission under the broader Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) initiative She served in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, supporting critical communications operations in the region. After returning home, Millie began experiencing heart complications, which ultimately required surgery in October. She is now undergoing the medical board process as she prepares to transition out of the Reserves due to these health concerns.
She says:
“When I got home from my deployment and my health started to decline, I felt completely lost. I isolated myself in an old family farmhouse deep in the national forest, barely leaving. My physical and mental health hit rock bottom, and I was ashamed. I couldn’t do the things I used to do so easily, and that really got to me. I began talking to God again, and I made a promise: if I could get out of this dark place, I’d do everything I could to help others who felt as lost as I did.
Then one day, I remembered how horses used to make me feel—how working with them when I was younger gave me a sense of peace and courage. It was like they gave me strength I couldn’t find anywhere else. I started researching equine therapy, and not long after, I found myself walking into Tracey Keeven’s world. Tracey, a team roper and the executive director of Power of Hope Equestrian Center, welcomed me in like I’d always belonged.
The first time I swung my leg over the back of a horse after years of being away, I almost cried. I was so happy to be back in the saddle, but at the same time, I felt so much shame. I didn’t ride like I used to. I wasn’t the same person. But with every step the horse took, I felt something shift in me. It was like the horse was pulling me forward, reminding me I didn’t have to be a victim of my circumstances. Slowly, I started pushing myself—not just to ride again, but to stop feeling sorry for myself and to start moving forward.
Tracey let me ride and rope off her 22-year-old rope horse, even bringing him to the Horns and Heroes event. That was a huge turning point for me. I realized that my love for riding and roping was still alive, and the healing power of horses was exactly what I needed. But as much as I loved riding her horse, I knew I needed one of my own to keep going. And then, at the Horns and Heroes event, Jeremy and Trigger (AKA Brownie Bites ) showed up. It felt like a sign—a moment where everything fell into place. That’s when everything changed for me, and I found my purpose again.”
