Amy Kennedy competing during the 2025 Global Amateur Tour in Mexico.
Launched in 2018, the Global Amateur Tour offers tailored opportunities for amateur riders to train or compete on quality borrowed horses worldwide. When Amy Kennedy and Kirra Nicholls took the leap and joined a tour, they never dreamt of just how much it would impact their lives.
The Global Amateur Tour (GAT) was founded by three passionate and accomplished show jumpers: Lucy Olphert of New Zealand, Alexander Stefan Dattelkremer of Brazil, and Christian Lopez Redetzki of Mexico. Their aim was to give amateur riders the opportunity to train and compete on borrowed horses in stunning locations around the world. Seven years on, and after countless successful tours, GAT is the largest and longest running tour provider of its kind and offers a variety of programmes to suit a wide range of ages and abilities.
GAT training tours focus on daily coaching with elite trainers and include opportunities to attend major shows as spectators, while GAT competition tours run in conjunction with CSI international level events and offer riders the chance to compete. GAT hybrid tours combine the best of both. All tours pair riders with quality, purpose bred horses, and this, along with the thoughtfully chosen destinations, forms the foundation of every GAT experience.
ALWAYS SOMETHING I’VE WANTED TO DO
When Amy Kennedy first came across Global Amateur Tour on Facebook, she had no idea it would eventually give her some of the greatest experiences of her life to date.
Coming from a family background in drag racing, Amy had switched horsepower as a teenager. After gaining experience working in racing stables, she went on to successfully retrain many Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. She explains she hadn’t had the luxury of riding purpose bred horses and wasn’t sure she would qualify for GAT, given she was only competing her Standardbred up to 105cm. Fortunately for her, GAT Argentina offered a wide range of heights.
“Riding a Standardbred, it’s a bit harder to get up the levels,” says Amy. “But I thought I’d throw my name out there, and so I sent in some videos and I was lucky enough to get chosen. It’s always something that I’ve wanted to do.”
Amy joined the GAT Argentina competition tour in 2024 and then, because she loved it so much, participated in the GAT Mexico competition tour in 2025.
Riders on the Global Amateur Tour Mexico enjoy one of the many cultural highlights woven into the tour experience, sharing local flavours and unforgettable moments off the horse.
GAT Mexico Nations Parade; a highlight that captures the global community and cultural exchange central to every tour.
“They raved about it and
absolutely loved it…”
Like Amy, Kirra didn’t start life in the saddle. She grew up on the Gold Coast, and as her name suggests, she comes from a family of keen surfers.
“At age 4, I woke up one day and decided I wanted to ride. I started at a local riding school, and it grew from there. As soon as I sat on a horse, I couldn’t stop talking about them. Fortnightly lessons turned into weekly lessons, which turned into three times a week.”
Kirra now has a couple of show jumpers of her own and is hooked on the sport, competing up to 135cm and contesting Junior level competitions along the east coast.
Kirra explains that she heard about GAT through friends. “They raved about it and absolutely loved it. I started following the Global Amateur Tour Facebook page and saw all these incredible tours.”
She then saw a hybrid tour advertised for Ocala, USA with Ronny Riemer, globally known as The German Riding Instructor, listed as the trainer. Kirra had long followed Ronny on Instagram and was a huge fan of his training style. “I had to do it!” she says.
GAT USA Trainer Ronny Riemer, the world-renowned German Riding Instructor, in action in Ocala.
EQUINE HIGHLIGHTS
Kirra says Ronny certainly lived up to expectations. “The highlight for me was definitely training with Ronny after following him for so many years; being able to train with him at his base, Diasti Stables, for four days then compete for another three was really incredible.”
Kirra’s GAT USA tour saw participants stay at the stunning World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, which was a highlight in itself. “It’s even nicer in person!” enthuses Kirra. “It’s pretty incredible. I think we counted 31 arenas, and they’ve got climate controlled barns and indoor arenas and all the surfaces are amazing. I would do anything to have just one of these arenas back home.” The 2026 edition of the USA tour will again stay at this remarkable venue, regularly described as an equestrian Disneyland.
Kirra says the emphasis on good flatwork for jumpers was a valuable takeaway from her time on the tour. “Americans are really big on flatwork, so you don’t start jumping until you’ve nailed the flatwork foundations. It’s the ability to adjust your horse between fences, to go down a line that you might do in five strides and then come back and do it in seven. The elasticity of the horses over there is something I’m really trying to instill in my horses now since coming home.”
Although Kirra rides Warmbloods at home, the level of training of her tour horse meant she learnt a lot about the right feel. “It’s very different watching videos of these European and American horses and then getting on one and riding it. To feel that machine underneath you is incredible.
“I’ve definitely upped my goals now,” she grins. “It has ignited a spark in me to go out next season and do well, and really commit and strive to exceed my goals by the end of the year. It has also encouraged me to come home and give it everything.”
“It has ignited a
spark in me…”
Amy says the highlights of her tours to Argentina and Mexico were endless, but the horses were certainly among the best parts. “I would have never dreamed of riding horses like that.”
She gained valuable exposure to higher level environments, with many GAT competition tours involving CSI2* to 5* shows, which taught her adaptability and gave her the confidence to stay calm under pressure. “Riding different types of horses at these massive shows really teaches you how to keep your cool.”
Although Amy knows her Standardbred may never canter into a jump like the purpose bred Warmbloods she rode on the tours, she has gained a feel for what is correct and the tools to work toward it. “I’ve got a lot of tips that I can work with and make my horse a lot better than what we had beforehand.”
Kirra Nicholls and the stunning eight-year-old Warmblood gelding, Romeo.
OPENING DOORS
For Kirra, the experience didn’t end when the tour concluded. “After the tour I got an opportunity to stay at Sharn Wordley and Lauren Balcombe’s property for a week and groom there,” she explains. Sharn is an Olympian for New Zealand, while Lauren is an elite Australian rider who has enjoyed immense success in recent years with Verdini D’houtveld Z.
The opportunity came about at a barbeque organised by GAT and hosted at Sharn and Lauren’s stables. Tour participants visited the training facility and met the riders and, encouraged by the tour chef d’equipes, Kirra took the chance to speak with Sharn and Lauren about training with them for a week.
Kirra, who had watched and admired both Sharn and Lauren for years, says she was somewhat starstruck, but she put her best foot forward and was invited to join the stable for a week to groom and train. “I am very, very grateful to Sharn and Lauren for taking me in for that week. It was definitely unforgettable.”
With an open invitation to return next year, she is already planning her next trip. “We’ll see where that path takes me!” she grins.
GAT co-founder Lucy Olphert says it is not unusual for riders to be presented with opportunities like this on tour. “One thing we always say on these tours is they are what you make of it. If you go over there and you’re open to opportunities and open to making connections, then those doors will open. Kirra is a really good example of that. There have been quite a few Australian riders that have gone on to have those life changing opportunities,” she adds.
CULTURAL EXPERIENCES AND LIFELONG FRIENDS
GAT tours are not just about horses; they also deliver rich cultural experiences with authenticity that is hard to replicate as a solo traveller.
“In Mexico, I was trying to look at the view as I was cantering around the competition area, because where the event was held was just amazing. We were 2400 feet above sea level, and you could see the volcano directly in front and the city below; it was unreal,” recalls Amy, who also lists finding a cocktail bigger than her head and visiting nearby Aztec pyramids among her favourite moments.
Smiles all round for Australian riders Chloe Gee, Eva Shore and Isabella Day during a well-earned day off at Universal Studios Orlando, one of the many memorable moments beyond the arena on the 2025 GAT USA tour.
Amy also found that strong local knowledge from the tour operators meant she experienced authentic cuisine she otherwise wouldn’t have encountered. “In Argentina we were invited to the home of the show organiser for an Asado barbeque. To be able to really dive into the culture and get to share that with them is next level.” Mexico’s food, of course, was also hard to beat.
For Kirra, visiting Universal Studios and Silver Springs in the US was unforgettable. “Universal was so much fun,” she says. “I have a massive phobia of roller coasters, but I did go on them all and that was a lot of fun. We went to Silver Springs, which is a famous natural spring, and we saw manatees. They are probably my new favourite animal.”
GAT tours also offer opportunities for non-riding spectators, such as parents and friends, to join the trip.
Kirra’s mother joined her in the USA. “She had just as much fun as me. She would come home with all these stories by the end of the day.”
Amy’s mother accompanied her to Mexico. “She was a bit nervous to go to Mexico, she will admit, but she absolutely loved it. She raved about it afterwards and will likely join another tour.” For Argentina, a friend of Amy’s came as a spectator. She hadn’t ridden for years but joined in to ride a polo pony, had a ball, and is now looking at doing a training tour in the future.
Tours typically feature riders from many nations. Amy says she has made lifelong friends, some of whom she has since visited overseas, and the multicultural experience offers insights into how riders in other countries live their horse lives.
“The group of riders that you go with all end up being your best friends by the end of the tour,” smiles Kirra.
Kirra pictured with Romeo’s owner, German Grand Prix rider Christoph Schröder (Wellex Sport Horses).
“The quality of the
horses is unbelievable.”
JUST APPLY
The energy, drive and passion generated by these tours is palpable. Both Kirra and Amy speak with the excitement of someone who has just stepped off the plane.
Both encourage others to consider a GAT tour.
“I would absolutely recommend travelling with the Global Amateur Tour,” says Kirra. “To go overseas and ride can be a little bit nerve wracking, but everything is so organised and so clearly thought out and planned. The quality of the horses is unbelievable and you get to ride in some stunning locations and train with some of the best trainers. And the people that you meet and ride with, you do become really close to quite quickly. It was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Amy is equally enthusiastic. “Just apply. Most likely you will qualify. Between the competition and training tours, GAT caters for anybody. You get to travel in a new country, ride horses, and still sightsee. It is the absolute perfect way to see a new country. Just do it.”
The logistics behind GAT tours are mind boggling, but the team has it down to a fine art. As Lucy explains, it is no fluke that riders like Amy and Kirra come away radiating enthusiasm and a desire to return. As the largest and longest running organisation of its kind, GAT has spent years refining every detail and building a strong reputation, with more than 100 riders taking part in its tours every year.
“There is a huge amount of work behind the scenes to ensure that each and every tour is a success. That includes the relationships we have with the horse owners, the venues, the trainers, and the show organisers,” says Lucy. “We are pretty proud of what we have created.”
WHAT’S ON IN 2026?
Global Amateur Tour has the following tours scheduled for 2026, with more to be announced:
GAT USA Hybrid Tour – Show jumping (20-30 March)
GAT Portugal Training Tour – Dressage, show jumping and working equitation (10-18 April)
GAT Portugal Training Tour – Dressage, show jumping and working equitation, Adults only (18-26 April)
GAT UK Training Tour – Eventing (1-11 May)
GAT Germany Hybrid Tour – Show jumping (14-25 May)
GAT Mexico Competition Tour – Show jumping (May – June)
GAT France Training Tour – Show jumping (June)
This article was written in conjunction with Global Amateur Tour. To learn more, visit the GAT website here. EQ
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