She started riding horses at a very young age.
Since she was 5 years old, watching her older sister take riding lessons, Amanda has wanted to ride horses. It was then that she set her sights on becoming a star show jumper. This has been the focal point of her life for the past 25 years.
Now, with her own successful ELMCROFT stable of horses and students, she is ready to take her place on the National and International equestrian stage. With a string of talented horses, her sights are firmly set on consistently achieving competitive success for her students and herself.
In a recent acknowledgement of this commitment, Amanda was chosen to be a featured rider in Global TV`s `` Along for the Ride`` programs about the 2005 Kubota Cup TV show-jumping series—14 episodes on Global TV, Fall 2005—one of which starred Amanda. In the Spring of 2007, Amanda was asked to appear in the latest version of this hit TV series.
But it hasn’t always been easy
Amanda and her star horse Nero were on their way to representing Canada in a Washington, DC Nations Cup when a horrific accident changed everything. At the 1999 Capital Classic Show Jumping Tournament--held in Ottawa, Canada --Amanda suffered a spectacular fall, which at first glance did not look serious. However, looks can be deceiving. The concussion that she suffered was far more serious than first suspected and led to an eventual diagnosis of severe head trauma. Head injuries don’t heal quickly.
But Amanda, with dogged determination and an iron will, returned to full strength and fitness and qualified for the National Talent Squad in 2001, 2002, 2004 and again in 2005. In fact, after a successful come back at the 2004 Royal Winter Fair at the CNE in Toronto, she was asked to represent Canada as a member of the show jumping development team that expected to be heading to Europe to compete in the summer of 2005[1]. At the Royal in 2004, Amanda showed her tremendous recovery ability by ending up as the runner-up in the Talent Squad Final on Nero, see below.
In the past, Amanda has had other honours as a rider, some of which include:
Who trained her? Who has she ridden with?
Initially coached by Wayne MacLellan in Toronto and Gerard Fontaine in Montreal, on her way to winning 11 successive CEF Equitation Medals, the first ever awarded CET Jumper Equitation Medal, the Junior Hunter Finals and the CET Finals at the Royal, Amanda was also Richard Spooners [USA] first ever student when he was training with Ian Millar in Ottawa. She has also been associated with other leading equestrians, including Buddy Brown [USA],, Mac Cone and Jay Hayes [Canada].
Amanda’s training pedigree is peppered with the names of some of the most illustrious equestrians in the world. In Germany, at Shoeckemuller`s, she was the warm-up rider for Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, winner of the WEF Finals and the world’s leading female rider. She has ridden against and been trained along side world champion Ludger Beerbaurm and Olympic medalist Franke Sloothaak, while she was living in and competing in Europe in the late 1990’s. In Canada, she was the Assistant Barn Manager and warm-up rider for Canadian Team member Jay Hayes.
Amanda is a Rarity
Amanda Hay is a rarity in Canadian show jumping circles. She is one of only a handful of younger riders who have competed overseas and been successful in Europe. Amanda has competed in Germany, Holland and France, including coming second in the Grand Prix of Cannes. One of her goals is to once again return to Europe and compete.
Her successes as a junior rider and then a professional competitor, both in Canada and the United States, have made Amanda a much sought after as a coach. She has recently worked with US Olympic Gold Medalist Phyllis Dawson, coaching show-jumping techniques to eventers. She is regarded as a mentor for many of her younger clients and riders with similar high goals and aspirations. Amanda now knows that it is time for her to give back to a sport that has given her so much.
Along with coaching her clients and training horses, Amanda plans on increasing her involvement with junior riders at the National level, while continuing to compete at the Grand Prix level.
Amanda’s show jumping equine team for 2007 includes:
NERO-– Her gentle giant partner since the late 1990’s, the consistent Nero is a striking white-faced 18.0 hand Belgian Warmblood gelding. With Nero, she won high ribbons in Grand Prix in Belgium, Holland and France and then qualified for the Nations Cup in Washington in 1999. Most recently Nero was second at The Royal in the National Talent Squad Finals in 2004, and led the Quebec Grand Prix league in 2005, before suffering a minor injury. Nero is good to go for 2007.
IMPERVIOUS—This Irish-bred [Master Imp] former eventer is a horse that Amanda sees coming on very strongly during the 2007 season. Flier—as he is known—showed excellent form at the Yann Candele clinic in Hudson, Spring 2006. He has begun his 2007 season on the A circuit with a string of high ribbons.
BRAVADO—He is a wonderfully bred [Pik Koenig] imported Hanoverian who has all the markings of future super star show jumper. Owned by a syndicate that includes Amanda, this horse is beginning to feature strongly in the young horse development series.
ULTIMO—A wonderful 18.2 hand bay gelding [Berggraf-Joost], who was miss-cast as a dressage horse. This youngster was bred at Hendrix stables, in Baarlo Holland and has all the show-jumping parentage and character that such refined horses are noted for. Watch for 'Timo' in the development classes.
Not content with just her accomplished show jumpers, Amanda is also developing several more young hunter and jumper prospects for clients or to be sold. In the sport of show jumping, versatility is everything and with her proven track, record of developing and nurturing young horses—such as REDFORD who was sold in 2006 to US Olympian Norman Della Joio-- the recent record simply underscores that Amanda is all about equine versatility.
[From the Kanata-Courier Standard]
AMANDA HAY AND HER HORSE NERO CLAIM
SECOND PLACE IN THE NATIONAL TALENT SQUAD FINALS OF SHOW-JUMPING AT THE ROYAL
WINTER AGRICULTUAL FAIR IN TORONTO
By jumping a perfect clear round in the second phase of the Canadian National
Talent Squad Show-Jumping Finals, Amanda Hay of Ottawa and her Belgian warmblood
gelding named Nero forced a jump off to determine the Finals winner. Amanda, who
trains at the Elmcroft Equestrian Centre in Kanata, and is a business student at
Algonquin College, qualified for the Finals through a series of high placings in
regional Grand Prix show-jumping tournaments during summer 2004. After a mix-up
in points' calculations, Amanda and Nero entered the Talent
Squad Finals at the bottom of the competitor list. They overcame their difficult start by reaching the second phase, where only they and the final winner, Carly Campbell-Cooper and her horse Croft Sensation from Guelph, were able to go clear. This put them into a thrilling two horse jump-off over the very technical course set by Olympic course designer Leopoldo Pallacios of Venezuela. As the challengers, Amanda and Nero had to jump off first, and although they poured on the speed with one knockdown, they left the door open for Carly and Croft Sensation to pull off the win-which they did. Nevertheless, Amanda remarked” Im thrilled with the result—it puts Nero and myself right up there on the National scene again—roll on 2005” [Press Release, November, 2004, video available]