Montana Cowgirl Recovers Stolen Trailer, Vows Never to Stop Searching for Her Saddles

A blue horse trailer carrying bronc rider Brittany Miller’s “entire life” was stolen from the Public Auction Yards in Billings, Montana, on Jan. 31.  Two weeks later, with help from an army of online sleuths, Miller has recovered the trailer and some of her equipment—but her most valuable items remain missing.

“I’m still missing two saddles, two bridles, and my Buckaroo Business armitas,” Miller told Cowboy State Daily. “I’m willing to offer $500 cash, no questions asked, to whoever could bring me the rest of my stuff.”

Miller believes she was specifically targeted for the $15,000 worth of customized equipment inside. Surveillance footage shows a white pickup backing up to the trailer, hitching it, and driving off. “They entered our facility with the tailgate already down, so we could not pull a license plate off the back,” she said. “To me, this was premeditated.”

She launched her own investigation, leveraging social media to spread the word. Within days, an anonymous caller provided a suspect’s identity. Miller confirmed the truck matched security footage.

On Feb. 6, she ventured to a property south of Billings with a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer. They searched from the road; a friend flew over in a plane. Nothing. The next day, another anonymous tip led her to a farm field adjacent to the suspect’s property. The trailer was there—broken into and damaged—along with about 70% of the equipment and one saddle.

The most important items, her Diamond G Cactus and Martin saddles, are still gone.

The search took a dramatic turn when Miller spotted the suspect’s truck—a four-door Chevy with a missing headlight and a dent—heading into town. An officer pulled it over, but before they could seize it, “a high-profile shooting and high-speed chase occurred right next to us,” Miller said. “That pulled all the units off, and we had to let him go.”

Miller has faced criticism for “playing detective” online, but she’s unapologetic. “Just because I’m posting about it on Facebook doesn’t mean I haven’t been following all the right procedures,” she said. “My dad’s wife is a sheriff. My grandpa is a sheriff. I have cop friends. I understand what I need to do.”

The BIA and Billings Police Department are investigating, and Miller says formal charges are pending. A GoFundMe to help replace her gear has raised nearly $5,000.

Miller isn’t upset about the damaged trailer—she was planning to trade it anyway. The saddles are another matter. Custom-made and irreplaceable, they’re what she’s really after.

“I’m never going to quit looking,” she said. “You might as well return it now before you end up as collateral damage in something you have no part of. I just want my stuff back so I can move on.”