Zone 10 Spotlight: Sami Milo

It’s all in the family!  Trainer Sami Milo, along with children Mason and Gianna, ride and show together, and are supported by super horse show husband and dad Mike.  The Milo Family proudly display their ribbons from Brookside Premier Week II in April.  Photo by Sophie Meissner.

For professional rider Sami Milo, balance and consistency are the keys to her training program at Cavallo Stables.  With a background in equitation and jumpers, Sami now competes mostly in the hunters and is finding success with her talented mare Lulavani.

“This year I hope to continue earning top placings in the USHJA International Hunter Derbies,” Sami shared. “I’m qualified for the Derby Finals in Kentucky and the $500,000 Hunter Prix Final in New York so I’m hoping to make it east again this year. I’m also hoping to qualify and compete as a Developing Professional in the High Performance Hunters as part of the World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Program.”

On the other side of the coin, Sami is developing her own students who mostly compete in equitation and jumpers.

“My barn philosophy is consistency is everything. I push my riders to ride as much as possible,” Sami said. “I have found that if you commit to being consistent in your training, you will be successful.” 

Along with consistency, Sami works hard to balance her responsibilities as a trainer and mom to her two children, Mason and Gianna, who ride and compete with her. 

“When all three of us are showing, there are usually lots of highs and lows. As a mom, it’s hard to see your kids struggle and to not let it affect everything else you have going on that day,” she explained. “I have learned to mentally prepare myself and I often reach out to my husband Mike or my mom for some extra support. Sometimes it’s hard to be mom, trainer, and competitor all in one day, especially if I’m preparing for a big class. But the highs are easy and honestly the best moments of my life. We competed as a team last year in a jumper relay class and it was a day that I will never forget. Not only was it fun preparing and practicing for the class, but we really enjoyed competing as a team. It was a very proud mom moment. We ended up winning and got to do the victory gallop together.”

Sami hopes to see many more victory gallops as her children continue to progress. Gianna rides a pony jumper in the 0.85m to 0.95m and Mason competes in the Low Children’s and Children’s Jumpers.

“Gianna is trying to get consistent rounds on her pony. It’s a new ride for her this year and she has had to completely change her riding style,” Sami commented. “Mason’s big goal is to make the USHJA Zone 10 Children’s Jumper Team.”

The USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships are part of the Emerging Jumper Rider Program, which identifies riders who have the skill and desire to excel in the sport, while educating these riders to become well-rounded horsemen. This is a huge draw for Sami as she encourages Mason and her other students to strive towards competing in the championships. 

“The most exciting thing about this program is the ‘team’ aspect of the competition and the hope to be chosen as an emerging athlete,” Sami said. “It would be unbelievable to be able to participate in the Emerging Jumper Rider Program and be instructed and mentored by top jumper riders.  That kind of elite education is priceless.”

As a junior rider, Sami did not have that same guidance and is happy her students can take advantage of this program. 

“It’s so important for our sport because it really gives our jumper riders challenges, goals, and a structured path. When I competed as a teen in the Young Rider qualifiers it was kind of like being thrown to the wolves. Today, kids can learn at lower levels what they need to do to get on a team like Young Riders. They will have a much better understanding of what’s expected of them,” Sami explained. “Both of my kids dream of being Grand Prix riders and the first step in getting there is making the Children’s Jumper Team. I’m also very motivated to get my amateur riders involved in the program. It is so amazing that they finally have a goal to work towards as jumper riders!”