I’m pretty sure it’s a cliché to say you’re terrible at introductions, but I really, truly am.

The title of this blog tells you two of the important things right off the bat – my name is Amy, and I’m an Adult Amateur in the world of Hunter/Jumper riding. Now in my early thirties, I’ve been back in the saddle almost eight years after a decade-long break from consistent riding.

Besides listening to my trainer remind me for the thousandth time to pick my hands up or open my hip angle, I enjoy reading, creative writing, video games, and fiber arts. I live in Michigan in the company of two delightful French Bulldogs and my boyfriend of almost six years. (Don’t ask me which of them snores the most, I’m not quite sure.)

I’ve competed for the past six years in the Michigan Hunter Jumper Association’s C and B circuits, with success from the Primary Adult (2’3″) hunters and equitation up through the Limit Adult (2’9″-3′) hunters and equitation. I’ve been the reigning Limit Adult Medal Champion for the past two years, and relinquishing the title this year is going to be a sore spot, I can already tell.

Because I am at heart a restless creature always looking for something new (blame my ADHD-addled racoon brain), I decided sometime in 2023 that I wanted to try a green project for the first time. I’d had two wonderful, saintly packers (first Cosmo, then Bronx) – and that is the very, very simplified story that led to the impending arrival of Pierce, a 2020 Oldenburg gelding who hardly trots in a straight line and has probably stepped over fewer than twenty jumps in his life.

But hey, at least people can’t call me boring!