Our Team
Cultivating winners.
Serious fun.
Head Trainer
Jill Hamilton created Millennium Farm with Nancy Thomas in 1996 out of a shared desire to provide expert training and care for show horses while providing customized programs for ambitious riders. Jill has extensive experience on the show circuit as a competitor and as a trainer, which allows her to incorporate sophisticated knowledge with a high degree of individual attention not often found at training barns.
In the tradition started by Nancy and Jill in 1996, Jill continues to manage every aspect of horse care and rider training to ensure that our human and equine athletes perform and feel their best. Jill travels to shows and is deeply involved in the home training program.
Assistants
Nicky Elsinetti joined the Millennium Farm team in 2024 and has proven an incredibly successful addition to the team. As a longtime professional, Nicky brings great show ring experience as well as valuable expertise and tips for training horses and riders of all levels, from the walk-trot to Maclay Finals. As a trainer's kid, Nicky is focused on instilling proper horsemanship skills and helping riders achieve their goals both in and out of the show ring, all with a positive attitude and a sunny demeanor! Nicky excels with teaching our youngest students as well as our more seasoned riders - she really can do it all!
Christie Saunders joined the Millennium Farm team in 2025, with over 20 years of professional experience. Christie excels as a rider and trainer. She has competed successfully in International Derbies and Grand Prixes and is also a seasoned horse trainer, having spent time making up young horses to the Grand Prix level. As a USEF "R" judge, she has a keen eye for detail and, as the former head coach of the University of Alabama's IHSA team, she is an experienced coach at all levels. Christie's passion lies in developing both horses and riders to their fullest potential with a positive instruction focused on creating confident, well-rounded riders and horsemanship!
Grooms
Joaquin Padilla is Millennium Farm's head groom and has been with us for over 20 years. He manages our team of incredibly hardworking grooms who work tirelessly to give our horses the best care.
Adrian Delgado who has been with us for 8 years, manages logistics and transportation for shows. In addition to managing our trucks and equipment, he makes sure that the horses have all the hay, feed and shavings they need. Adrian also organizes our night checks and makes sure everything is running smoothly.
Our other grooms, both at home and at the shows, have been carefully vetted by Joaquin, who does a wonderful job of choosing and training grooms who are kind and gentle with the horses. We feel so lucky to have the team we do. Our horses could not perform without them.
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Equine Health
Dr. Jay Reynolds, our in-house vet, has been with Millennium Farm for over 20 years and brings decades of experience. Jay takes a hands-on approach with every horse, working closely with them to understand their needs and provide personalized treatment. Jay is frequently on site with us, offering same-day care, from routine checks to emergencies. From diagnosis to maintenance, Jay provides exceptional care to ensure the horses stay happy and healthy.
We also partner with top sports medicine vets like Jessica Dugan and Courtney Lewis, who specialize in acupuncture and chiropractic work and provide an amazing extra set of eyes on our horses. These professionals often see potential issues before they flare up and help keep our horses performing at their best.
Dave Gilliam, our farrier, has over 20 years of experience and is a graduate of the prestigious Royal Veterinary College's Equine Motor Research Program. He specializes in shoeing performance sport horses and has extensive expertise in corrective shoeing and lameness prevention. Dave's philosophy is to work from a proactive position rather than a reactive position, allowing him to handle potential issues before they cause a problem.
Leslie Norton is an equine massage therapist who ensures that our horses are feeling and performing at their best. We use her services year-round and find her especially helpful in busy periods, because she comes directly to the shows and does massages there!