Amy Stovold with her old Grand Prix horse Macbrian. 

Amy Stovold is aiming high again

By Phoebe Oliver

It’s a beautiful morning as I drive to meet British dressage rider Amy Stovold at her yard in Horsham, West Sussex. Being a rider myself, I have a basic understanding of the art of dressage and am intrigued to learn more.

Amy’s yard manager Claire greets me and I am walked through an immaculate yard into Amy’s tack room – the smell of clean leather is the polar opposite of my childhood memories of ill-fitting, unwashed tack and Thelwell ponies and I quickly make a rash assumption that this is a woman born into a world of horses and/or wealth.

The first thing I learn, however, is that Amy’s history contradicts nearly everything that people assume in the world of horses. She wasn’t born with a silver spoon and given her first pony before she could walk – in fact quite the opposite, which makes her story all the more interesting.

Amy’s passion for horses began as a child when she worked at Dorte Semler’s yard as a groom. As time progressed it became the training ground of world-renowned dressage rider Kyra Kyrkland, and between the enthusiasm of Dorte and Kyra they cemented Amy’s firm passion for dressage. It became her life from there on in, but it was her initial experiences with these two incredible mentors that encouraged her determination and set her on a path to a competitive career. She wanted to be the best and to win – all she needed was the right horse....

Read the full article here in the April issue of Equestrian Life!