Portraits by Becky Henderson
Grandma’s quilt, warm bread fresh from the oven, a handmade card—some things are just better made from scratch. But what about a career? Is it better to have everything handed to you on a silver platter, or to invest years of your life creating the future you dream of?
“When I started, I didn’t have a double-ended snap to my name,” said Sarah Mills, owner and trainer of Iron Star Equestrian. Sarah built her business from the ground up over the course of many years with a passion for horses that began at the age of 5. “They saved me. When my mother died and I didn’t have anything, I had the horses.” Now Sarah is a beloved coach, wife, mother, accomplished dressage rider and a successful barn-owner in North Florida. None of what she has accomplished has come easily, but starting with nothing didn’t prevent her from building a successful business and dressage career.
Early Years
Horses became an integral part of Sarah’s life at the age of 5 after her mother passed away from cancer. She spent the following summer with her aunt in Iowa, learning the basics of horse life surrounded by her family’s polo ponies and Saddlebreds. “I have a picture of me riding my aunt’s Saddlebred, Kacy, in Keds tennis shoes, a visor, T-shirt and shorts. I remember thinking how cool it was that even though I was so small, I could still make him do stuff,” Sarah said…