Matt is a California native and has been riding horses since the age of 9. After riding horses for 10 years and being introduced to reining, he was confident he’d be training reining horses for a while.  ”I only wanted to play basketball or train horses,” Matt says.  A summer internship at age 18 with the NRHA Professional Dell Hendricks turned into a job, and then became the defining moment of his career.

Matt is consistently ranked in the top 20 (competition) and top 25 (purse) listings of reiners worldwide, with 14,000 riders internationally who participate in the sport. In addition to his youth and skill, Matt is better known for his mega-watt smile, professionalism and charismatic personality.

While Matt has been working his way up the ladder of success in the show pen, 2006 was a standout year for Matt when he won the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) Reining Championship in Lexington, Kentucky. Riding the beautiful and athletic Easy Otie Whiz, a stallion by top sire Topsail Whiz, Matt won the event with an amazing 231.5, punching his ticket to the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Matt credits ‘Easy’ with being a big reason for his success.  “He was my breakthrough horse,” Mills said. “He’s done more for my career than any other. I was right there knocking at the door until that time, and he spring-boarded my career to the next level.”   At the World Equestrian Games, Matt and “Easy” scored a 224.5, earning the Team USA Gold Medal and placing fourth in the Individual competition.

Reining, unlike horseracing or steeplechase, is the rider’s mastery of a symbiotic relationship between horse and rider. Together, they perform a routine of maneuvers that must satisfy a five-judge panel.  Athleticism, beauty, and precision are the very definitions of reining, and like any athlete, Matt works hard to be an expert at his trade.  ”You have to prepare for it just like athletes prepare for football, basketball or any other widely exposed sport,” Matt explains.

Matt operates his training operation from Bar A Ranch in Cave Creek, Arizona where he trains horses and non-pro riders. At the ranch, Matt manages a rigorous day of training horses as well as mentoring assistant trainers

Of all his wonderful clients, supporters and stellar equine partners, Matt counts his most important partners as his family. He has been married to his wife, Karen, for 6 years, and the couple has a 5-year-old son, Ryan, in addition to Alec, 16, and Emma, 13.   In his free time, Matt enjoys spending time with his family and playing basketball and golf.