Keith Miller Wins 124-Entry Congress Green Hunter Under Saddle With 2-Year-Old, Sleepin

By: Brittany Bevis

When you look at the numbers, it’s an impressive feat that Keith Miller and his mount for this evening, Sleepin, were able to best 123 other entries to claim the title of Congress Champion in Green Hunter Under Saddle. But when you discover that Sleepin is only two years old, their success takes on an entirely different meaning.

“He’s super cool, and he’s really tame, quiet, and easy,” Keith says. “We showed in Green Hunter Under Saddle at the NSBA World Show as a test run, and he won there. We figured why not enter him here and see how it went; if he warmed up good, we would show him.”

The warm up must have been up to par because Sleepin swept past numerous cuts to make it to the finals this evening and ultimately be named the Congress Champion for owner, Meaghan Whelan. Meaghan’s favorite aspect of her two-year-old’s personality is his easygoing demeanor. “He’s so easy,” Meagan says. “Keith gets him ready and says, ‘this is what you do,’ and that’s what I do! He’s a great animal.”

Keith praises the gelding’s lofty but collected movement and ground covering stride as his best attributes. “He’s strong, and he lopes great and canters great. He’s got a really good front leg and covers a lot of ground. Also, he’s really soft and expressive.”

“His sire is Too Sleepy To Zip, so he’s a little Western-bred. I love how much reach he has, but he still has the softness, which is what makes him beautiful.”

Coming up next, Keith and “Pax,” who was named after Winter Storm Pax that hit Michigan the night he was born, will compete in 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle and 2-Year-Old Non Pro Hunter Under Saddle. Eventually, they hope to add other events to his repertoire. “We’re hoping he will do everything: Pleasure Driving, Western Riding, Horsemanship, Equitation, Showmanship, and Halter.”

The Reserve Champion in the class was Valerie Kearns with Alonzo Mourning. Third was Beth Case with Rock Country Kid. Fourth was Sin Two Win. Fifth was Huntin All The Time.