Amy is a 28-year-old litigation paralegal trying to make up for the riding dreams she never got to live out as a child. Amy spends the majority of her time outside work with her Thoroughbred show jumper, Saint John, and Arabian pony, Lilly. Every day she rides is an exercise in maintaining shaky confidence and embracing the fact that riding should be nothing if not fun. The lifestyle she's chosen may always be an uphill struggle rolled up in a bit of chaos, but the payoffs always remind her that it is beyond worthwhile! Amy began riding sometime around the age of 6, but being from a very non-horsey family living just outside Chicago, the venture did not last long. She did not begin to seriously ride until she joined the IHSA team during her junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shortly thereafter, she jumped at an opportunity to free lease a green Arabian pony named Lilly, and the fate of being forever tied up in horses was sealed. After graduation, an internship at a therapeutic riding center brought Amy to Dallas. She purchased Lilly upon moving to Texas even though Lilly was completely the wrong horse for her, she had absolutely no solid life plans, no marketable job skills, nor any sense of what being a horse-owner or being an adult really meant. Fortunately, Amy and Lilly landed at a wonderful barn with a fantastic trainer to show them the way, and six years later they are still with the same barn family. Eventually, Amy found her way into the paralegal program at Southern Methodist University and took up a more stable, though far less equestrian-inspired career to support her riding and dog-adopting habits. She is currently a litigation paralegal for a law firm that represents public school districts throughout Texas and New Mexico. Finally somewhat settled down and with the support of her now-wife, Jen, she went on a search to find a horse she could show in rated competitions. In early 2015 she found John (“JJ”), a thoroughbred competing in the high children’s jumpers, and made the leap from show spectator and barn cheerleader to legitimate competitor. Since bringing JJ home, Amy has competed in her first ever jumper class, her first A show, her first AA show, and jumped her very first 3'6" fence - things she never dreamed she would be capable of doing. ![]() Nowadays, Amy (though forever a hunter rider at heart) competes in small jumpers up to the occasional 1m round with JJ and throws in a schooling show every once in a while with her pony. She can always be found with the prize list for the next show in her purse and her latest tack deal find in hand. She is still making everything up as she goes along, but the ultimate goal is still clear: it’s all for the sake of owning and riding horses. In her rare free time when she is not at the barn or at work, Amy is generally at home watching Netflix with Jen, their three dogs, and their rescue bunny. Needless to say, life is never boring! Connect with AmyInstagram: @AdultAmmyAmy
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|