Amanda Derbyshire: Courage. Determination. Hard Work.

 

It’s a long way from Leyland, Lancashire to the Equestrian Village in Wellington Florida but that is the life journey British show jumper Amanda Derbyshire has made. And it is not finished…she has her sights set on the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.  I had the opportunity to speak with Amanda recently about her journey. But before I get to that I’d like to show you this video of Amanda riding Roulette on the Derby field in Wellington .  The riders will have had the opportunity to walk this course. Each rider will know the horse they will be riding and know the length of the horse’s stride, what fences will be easier for their horse and which will be harder. The rider will decide how many strides will be needed in the jump combinations and where they can make tighter turns to save time.  In this video at minute 1:46 watch how Amanda takes a tight turn and rides on to the next fence. This is the gutsy riding that can lead to show jumper glory.

Comments

10 responses to “Amanda Derbyshire: Courage. Determination. Hard Work.”

  1. Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram Avatar

    Inspiring post, thanks for sharing that lovely video

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you Subbashini. I’m glad you liked the video. Amanda is a very skillful rider and Roulette clearly loves to jump.

  2. Mark Tulin Avatar

    A very determined young woman. Amazing.

  3. da-AL Avatar

    interesting & entertaining – what a fun interviewer you are, Anne 🙂

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post.

  4. Sascha Darlington Avatar

    Beautiful. I am always amazed at how easily the horses approach those jumps. It SEEMS so effortless.

  5. Tina Schell Avatar

    Oh it’s a wonderful story Anne but to a photographer that image of Amanda and Roulette flying over that red fence is just jaw-dropping! How amazing she is the first woman on the British Show Jumping Team!

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you Tina. I’m sorry to be so slow in replying to your comment it got “lost” and I just found it today. I think she is not the first woman ever but there has not been a woman on the team for 20 years and now she is the first one to make if after all those years of all male teams. Also this past weekend she won the Horseware Ireland $174,000 Grand Prix on Roulette and also on Thursday of this past week she won another Grand Prix competition on the mare Luibanta. She is amazing! And she is a powerhouse for a small woman of only 5’1″ and about 95 pounds soaking wet!! I feel certain she will be on the British team for Tokyo 2020.

  6. Gavin & Wyatt Avatar

    Determination, outrage, and hard work for human and horse alike. A brilliant inspiration for us all.

    1. anne leueen Avatar

      Thank you Gavin and Wyatt.

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