Although Milly Dove hasn’t competed as much as she would have hoped in 2024, her future in dressage looks incredibly promising. She embodies the next generation of welfare-conscious, social media-savvy riders coming through – with her compassionate approach to dressage earning her over 82,000 followers on Instagram.
“I’ve always loved dressage,” Milly says. “I grew up in a British Dressage centre called East Soley, which my parents ran for 25 years, and from the age of 10, I was helping school and back ponies for clients.
“My family was never in a position to buy ready-made horses, but I’ve still been incredibly lucky. I did working hunters, a lot of side-saddle growing up, but it wasn’t until I was around 14 that I say I got my first nice, dressage horse.
“I had a normal Instagram account back then but my friends were getting sick of hearing about my horses, so I made my own horse account and I basically just put up what we did each day.
“I was obsessed with training – I still am – and looking back at videos my Dad must have got so annoyed at me asking him to video me constantly. But I’d love to get videos to see what I could work on and I loved seeing the progress day-to-day and other people seemed to as well, and it took off from there.”
At 23 years old, Milly is preparing to move to her own 12-stable yard – a milestone she says wouldn’t have been possible without Instagram. However, she acknowledges that the platform might not be the right fit for everyone.
“I think there are very few downsides, but you need to stay humble because people will call you out on things.
“Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, there was no need to comment that,’ but often it’s the kick up the arse you need to fix something, like my legs or whatever. That said, there are times when it’s easier to just delete the comment and move on with your day.”
Her advice for others looking to build an online presence?
“Post regular, high-quality videos – phone footage is fine – and be honest in your captions. If your horse looks tight or overbent, say so.
“I find people really appreciate authenticity and openness about things like that. No one’s perfect and I think it’s really important, especially with what’s going on in the dressage world, that if you can see a problem you comment on it, and show people that it’s something that’s being worked on and that you’re aware, and that you’re not presenting it as the ideal end goal.”
Milly Dove: “I’d love to ride for my country”
Milly’s Instagram has not only helped her attract sponsorships but also proved to be a lifeline when it came to keeping her top ride, Jaguar VOD (Olaf).
“His story is a bit special,” Milly says, “because he’d actually already been sold when I first enquired about him. I’d seen his advert six months earlier and fell in love with him and had just been following him but when I came to message he was sold. Then, last minute the buyers pulled out, and I thought ‘Tough luck to them because he’s amazing’.
“He did then deck me twice within the first week, and we’ve had our problems, but he is an incredible horse and he makes all the mucking out worth it.
“But later down the line his owners decided to sell, and he was worth a lot of money, which I’d never have been able to put down if it wasn’t for Lana Zavada of Phillyrides and my trainer, Mary Wanless, who not only taught me to ride but also truly believes in me.”
Milly Dove and her top ride Jaguar VOD pictured at home. Credit: Alesha Christian
Milly has known Mary for nearly her entire life and describes her as both her inspiration and the foundation of her riding ethos. However, Milly’s connection with Lana began through social media.
Lana is prominent on Instagram herself but had to take a break from professional riding when war broke out in her native Ukraine.
“But I always knew I was meant to be with horses,” Lana says. “I also wanted to create a kind of business that would require utilising my expertise in equestrian sport.
“Yet my initial business ideas did not seem to quite cover this last part. Nevertheless, I secured funding to kickstart my venture. And shortly after, the universe finally knocked on my door: by sheer coincidence I stumbled upon the news that the rider who has been inspiring me over the years sought new owners to keep the ride on her main horse.
“This is when all the pieces fell into place. I have always been driven by the conviction that the welfare of the horse must always be paramount. Witnessing the ongoing battle against horse mistreatment in recent years, I realised that aggression, even when well-intentioned, does not lead to change.
“I felt that the best way to promote this change was to set an example, demonstrating that ethical horsemanship is not only crucial but also leads to success. And in my eyes, there was no better candidate for this role than Milly.”
Through Phillyrides, Lana partnered with Mary and a syndicate of additional owners to purchase Olaf, ensuring Milly could keep him while helping foster a new generation of riders committed to ethical training methods.
“Lana understands the difficulties a lot of riders coming up like me have and if it hadn’t been for her I wouldn’t have been able to keep Olaf,” explains Milly. “I know in the future she’ll want to help other young riders keep their rides on horses and improve the sport.”
Now established at small tour, Milly has big ambitions for 2025. “I’d love to ride for my country in the next year or two,” she says. “A CDI has been on my list of would-love-to-dos since about the age of 10 but I’ve never had the horse power until now.
“But dressage is so hard – there’s always so much to learn – test riding is something I’ve got a bit out of practise with, but I’m excited to be back out there and working towards being as perfect as we can be, and to have happy, healthy horses. If they could all keep their four legs intact then I’d be very grateful!”
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You may also be interested in:
Horse & Hound’s guide to starting a professional career in dressage
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‘It’s not just about the riding’: Lewis Carrier on what it takes to become a professional
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