Emily Miles Puts Riding Career on Hold, Back to School

Dressage

U.S.A.

American professional dressage rider Emily Miles has put her show career on the back burner as she decided to go back to school and finish her medical degree.

The 36-year old Miles (née Wagner) finished her pre-med bachelor in 2011 at the University of Kansas, but put that professional path on hold to pursue a career with horses.

Yellow Brick Road

Emily is from LaCygne, Kansas, and grew up in a dressage loving family at at Wally Woo Farm with mom Jana being a dressage rider, trainer and coach.

Her first claim to fame came as a junior rider representing the USA at the 2006 North American Junior Riders Championships with stallion Mushu (by Macht). In 2007 she move up to Young Riders level and returned to the NAYRC aboard Molinari (by Metternich x Acajou). In 2008 she piloted Wagnis (by Weltmeyer x Lungau) at the NAYRC and in 2009 it was Brigadier's turn (by Batido x Art Deco), although they were rung out.

WakeUp Launches Emily's Career

Emily's career launching horse has been Wakeup (by Wagnis x Macho AA).

The pair went to Europe to represent the USA at the 2010 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where they finished fourth in the 5-year old consolation finals. In 2011 the pair won the U.S. Young Horse Championships for 6-year olds. In 2013 the duo won the Developing Prix St Georges Horse Championships and two years later he claimed his third major national title, the U.S. Developing Grand Prix horse Champion.

In 2014 Miles got a grant to train in Europe, where WakeUp pulled a suspensory, and it took a long time for him to recover. Wagner married Jeff Miles in October 2014 and changed her name to Miles. More recently she also goes by the name Emily Juchser Miles with Juchser pointing to her mom's maiden name.

Emily and Wakup returned to the CDI ring in January 2019 in Temecula before he was retired from sport.

Leslie Waterman

Emily bought the Hanoverian bred Weltdorff (by Weltmeyer x Ludendorff) as a three year old in Germany and produced him to Grand Prix level. They won the 2013 U.S. Under 25 Championships and debuted at international medium tour level in 2014.

With Sole Mio at the 2019 WCYH in Ermelo

Her successes with both horses attracted clients and Emily went on to campaign several horses internationally between 2016 and 2024. The Tennessee based dressage lover Leslie Watermann became her main supplier of horses. In the late 2010s she showed Leslie's Sir Sherlock (by Sir Donnerhall x Sherlock Holmes), Florentienne (by Florestan x Jazz), and Quantum Jazz (by Quaterback x Jazz).

Aboard Waterman's Daily Show (by Danciano x Stockholm) and Sole Mio (by Stanford x Donnerschwee) she went back to Europe to the 2019 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo and placed them 24th and 11th in the consolation finals. Daily Show went on to win the 2021 U.S Developing PSG Championship, while Sole Mio was the 2018 U.S. 4-YO Champion and became a finalist in the 2022 U.S. Developing GP Horse Championship. He won the title in 2023.

In 2022 Miles became the $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize Winner and debuted Waterman's Java Dulce (by Jazz x Deemster) at Grand Prix level. She has been showing the gelding and Sole Mio at international Grand Prix level through April 2024

Back to School

With Daily Show at the 2013 Palm Beach Derby

Miles, who is one of the most decorated producers of young horses up to Grand Prix in the U.S.A. with a string of national titles to her record, has now made a big change in her life and decided to pursue a Master in anaesthesia at the University of Missouri in Kansas City.

Emily will be juggling numerous tasks in the next chapter of her life as she is also a mother to a son since March 2017 while keeping some horses to ride. She starts school on 9 January 2025.

"I am going back to school and taking a break for a bit," Emily told Eurodressage. "I hope to be able to still ride and train my own horses. I love riding and the training process. I have a couple just for fun." She added jokingly, "it’s an addiction you know."