Each week I interview the people behind some of the most interesting and popular equestrian accounts on Instagram. This week I’m chatting with the lovely Amy Blount, dressage rider and UKCC Level 3 Dressage Specific BHS Accredited Professional Coach based in Hampshire Read on to learn more about the very inspiring young lady behind the popular and informative @amyblount Instagram account.
Tell us a little about you and your horses
Amy looking fabulous during a dressage test. Her ambition is to get one of her homebreds to Grand Prix level
I am a Worcestershire born rider and coach, based in Hampshire, who after doing a range of disciplines including endurance, on homebred horses now concentrates on dressage.
I have 3 horses with me currently; Boris my giant horse who has been a slow burner but shows real potential now he’s getting to grips with his size! His little sister Dotty, who despite being out of a black mare, and by a bay stallion is coloured, and again showing real potential! And my top horse who has recently retired – Gkar who is my 15.1 Anglo Arab who despite being my pony club pony once upon a time, competed up to Inter I. But I also have a youngster – Rodney who is the little brother to Boris and Dotty.
How did your horses come into your life?
My family bred horses and both my parents rode. They had a TB stallion, who my dad did endurance on, they crossed him with lots of different mares, so it was inevitable that I would end up riding being around them so much!
How long have you been riding?
Since I was about 4yrs old when my mum put me in a pony she was breaking in! ? so 26 years!
When and where do you ride?
Amy is a hugely inspirational coach BHS dressage coach and is shown here with a pupil during a coaching session
I rent 5 boxes on a DIY yard, which has lovely facilities! I ride in the mornings after doing office work, but before I go coaching.
How did you start riding?
After mum putting me on a pony, I then rode her old pony and started going to pony club.
What you and your horses currently working on?
I am currently aiming both horses to be training at Medium by the end year?? with hope that we can aim for PSG sometime in the next couple of years.
What do you love about riding?
I love the journey! I love training horses and progressing with them, sometimes horses are the greatest teachers!
What you would you like to be doing in the future and do you have any goals?
I would love to train a homebred to grand prix – that would be the dream! But I want to continue progressing as a coach too, I love the mindset work, so would love to combine the two as well as take my BDCC Level 4 one day.
Have you ever had to deal with nerves in riding?
Yes – I got kicked in the head last October, which caused me post-concussion syndrome for many months, and I still suffer the effects some days now. But one of the side effects was that I had a new-found set of nerves about hacking. My brain was still in protection mode, and after some work with Jenni from Flying Changes Coaching, as well as taking her mindset reset course online, I started to tackle it.
How do you deal with them?
It was mostly putting in the techniques I had learnt with Jenni, noticing what my trigger was, and changing how I reacted to it. It’s taken time and I have been cautious to create positive experiences. I’m getting there now, and can ride in the fields fine, but still have the odd day where it catches me out!
Your Top Tip
Never say never – if you believe something enough you can achieve it! When I started doing dressage with Gkar, many people told me to sell him as he wouldn’t go far enough, but I was determined to get him as far as we could. He is an amazing horse who was bred for endurance but went on to compete in the Pet Plan finals twice and finish 10th at the small tour championships at Inter I.
The Final Furlong
Who would be your dream horse to ride?
Utopia would be amazing as that’s Boris’s dad!
Who is your equestrian hero?
There are quite a lot of people I admire, I just love people who are such horsemen/women, thinking outside the box, training the horse for who they are, to be the best they can be.
If you could have 5 people to dinner who would they be?
Eddie Jones, Allistair McCaw, Clive Woodward, Dina Asher Smith, and Pippa Funnel- not a big horsey line up but a room full of excellence!
Favourite colour horse?
I am a fan of a good bay – Dotty being coloured has a lot of washing!!
Favourite horse event
Badminton – it’s over my birthday so makes it even better!
