Nellie Miller (born February 14, 1988) is a World Barrel Racing Champion. She is a professional

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

barrel racer who won the championship at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December 2017. Her horse, Sister, also won the AQHA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year that season

Life

Nellie Miller was born Nellie Williams on February 14, 1988, in Cottonwood, California. Williams' father Sam trains all of her horses. He first trained a horse named Blue Duck. Blue Duck was initially Sam's roping horse but became Williams' barrel riding horse. Sister, Williams' current horse was also trained by the family. She was named Sister due to being Blue Duck's half-sister. Williams was 12 years old when she started barrel racing. Sam taught her all about horse riding. She competed on the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

Career

Miller turned professional in barrel racing by joining the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) in 2008. She competed in barrel riding sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) each year and qualified for the NFR four times. She won the World Barrel Racing Championship at the NFR in 2017. She also won many rodeos during the regular seasons of the years 2010 through 2019, including major rodeos such as Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and

RodeoHouston The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston or abbreviated HLSR, is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world. It includes one of the richest regular-season professional rodeo events. It has been held at NRG S ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Season 2019

Miller came into the NFR this year in the number one position, which was her first time to do so. Some highlights from this season: Miller came in second place in the standings for the California Circuit. She was co-champion at Cheyenne Frontier Days. She was the co-champion at the Stonyford Rodeo in California. She won the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo in California. She won the Stampede Days Rodeo in

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. She won the Red Bluff Round-Up in California, which is her hometown rodeo. She won the Helzapoppin in Buckeye, Arizona. She won RodeoHouston for the second time in a row.

Summary

Miller qualified for the NFR four times, in 2010, 2017, 2018, and 2019. She finished 5th in the 2019 World Standings with $235,898.96 in total yearly earnings. Her career earnings as of 2019 are $876,021.

Horse

Miller's horse, registered name Rafter W Minnie Reba, nicknamed Sister, was named the AQHA/WPRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year in 2017. She was also named the Horse with the Most Heart that same year. Sister is a blue roan

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

mare. Sister is by KS Cash N Fame out of Espuela Roan, a daughter of Blue Light Ike.

Personal

Williams met James Miller in Las Vegas, Nevada. They got married in Las Vegas. They have two daughters. Her favorite rodeo is

California Rodeo Salinas Salinas, California, Salinas is a major stop on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. The Salinas rodeo (pronounced the Spanish way: "roDAYo") began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

Women's Professional Rodeo Association

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

National Finals Rodeo

World Champion Barrel Racer Nellie Miller for COWGIRL Magazine , COWGIRL

Nellie Miller Barrel Racing Round 1 , NFR 2017 Interviews

Nellie Miller at CFD 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Nellie 1988 births Living people People from Cottonwood, California Sportspeople from Shasta County, California Sportspeople from California American barrel racers American female equestrians 21st-century American women