Ten-year-old Evelyn Miller doesn’t remember when she didn’t love horses. But her passion for them goes well beyond the normal horse activities of spending time with them, grooming, and riding her favorite mounts. While noteworthy, Evelyn is also driven by a genuine desire to help horses in need.
“I like adoption,” Evelyn says. “I like getting to have adopted horses because it makes me sad to think about horses that don’t have a proper family. I want to try to help them.”
Sparking a Passion
The seed of Evelyn’s love for horses was planted by her mother, Niki, and grandmother, Glenda, and fostered through 4-H. Evelyn is an active member of two 4-H Clubs and uses the experiences she has gained there to compete in horse shows. Though her focus is on horsemanship and western pleasure, she enjoys a variety of disciplines. In the future, she hopes to further hone her show-ring skills and try trail riding.
Decades ago, Glenda and Niki began volunteering with a local rescue located near their home. Their experiences there led Glenda to adopt an off-track Thoroughbred who became her heart horse.
“That’s how it all got started,” Niki says. Glenda’s example led Niki to adopt a nurse mare foal and her brother to adopt a retired Percheron. Then, when Evelyn was around 4 years old, Glenda decided that Evelyn needed a pony, and a Shetland was added to the family.
A Step-Up Mount
When Evelyn was ready for a step-up mount, it was this combination of experiences that led the family to seek another adoptable horse.
“Miss Lady is the Quarter Horse we adopted two years ago during our Equine Affaire event here in Ohio,” Niki says of the chestnut mare.
“She’s not very cuddly, but that’s my favorite personality,” says Evelyn. “She’s the boss of the field.”
One of Evelyn’s favorite things about Miss Lady is her soft, fluffy ears. But her mom, Niki, admires other attributes.
“As a parent, the thing I like about Miss Lady is that she’s extremely tolerant of Evelyn’s shenanigans,” Niki says. “Being a 10-year-old, she’s full of them.”
Niki describes Miss Lady as being very tolerant, willing, and smart. Evelyn and Miss Lady are working on learning new things together, and they make a good team. At 22, Miss Lady possesses a been-there, done-that attitude.
At first, her age and adoption status were a little off-putting to some of Evelyn’s extended family, but since day one, Miss Lady quickly won them over with how nice she is. The family’s success with adoption recently inspired them to adopt another horse, Jasmine.
Encouraging Horse Adoption
Niki describes adoption as “everything” for the family.
“Adoption is the way to go,” she says. “There are some great horses that just need a job. A lot of times, they come with training already done, especially these older horses that highly competitive [riders] might overlook.”
Niki describes adoptable horses as perfect family horses who are great for kids to get started on.
Libby Hanon, manager of equine adoption and marketing at the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center, shares another perspective.
“I met Niki and Evelyn at the 2023 Equine Affaire Adoption Affaire event in Columbus, Ohio,” Hanon says. “It has been such a joy to get regular updates about Miss Lady’s progress and accomplishments, and I feel so privileged to have played a small part in bringing this team together and getting a front row seat to watch them soar!”
Hanon encourages those inspired by Miss Lady and Evelyn’s journey to visit myrighthorse.org, the ASPCA’s online adoption platform for equines, to find nearby equine adoption organizations.
“You may have heard of cat and dog adoption, and the ASPCA is working to make equine adoption just as common,” says Hanon. “Horses of all ages, breeds, and temperaments are searching for loving homes across the country, and adoption organizations are experts at helping find the right horse for every person. Even if you are unable to adopt, shelters and rescues are always grateful for support through volunteering or spreading the word in your community about adoptable horses. Raising awareness about adoption is one of the best ways to help horses!”
There is no doubt that the Miller family strongly supports volunteering and adoption and considers these activities valuable experiences.
This article about horse adoption for youth equestrians appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
