Welcome to our feature, 10 minutes in the tackroom. This is a regular feature where we ask riders, businesses and charities 12 questions and they have a maximum of 10 minutes to answer them.
Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring members of #teamequissimo.
#teamequissimo are a group of grassroots riders who we are helping to achieve their equestrian dreams while they carefully balance work and other commitments.
This week in the saddle we have Amy Taylor, you can follow Amy on her Facebook or Instagram page. You can also take a look at Amy's #teamequissimo blog.
Amy is also a member of the UK Armed Forces Equestrian Team, You can follow their page and progress on Facebook and Instagram.
Tell us about your horse
Zenna (Marina Bay) is 16.3hh Warmblood Mare. I’ve owned her for 2 and half years and we compete in British Showjumping and the Royal Navy and UK Armed Forces Showjumping Team.
Zenna is a gentle giant and loves Crosscountry, Bananas, having her photo taken, and boys! She is the easiest horse to deal with and is the ultimate amateurs horse!
Her dislikes are being bathed, lack of bananas and not enough attention (mainly from boys!)
Tell us a horse joke
What do you call a scary female horse?
A NightMARE!
What do you do when you aren't with your horse?
I’ve just moved to Somerset, with my new job role. So when I’m not at work or with Zenna, I am usually trying to help renovate the new house, which consists of telling my boyfriend what I want done, making tea and entertaining our two Sausage dogs Cheddar and Gizmo.
What do you love about the horsey community?
Friendship and support.
At the end of the day, we all have similar ambitions, to spend time with our horses and achieve our goals.
Our sport can be stressful at times and you need support from friends,this can sometimes be hard to find in the sport, but if you can find those likeminded people, you have friends for life!
What do you dislike about the horsey community?
Those who treat horses badly, or blame the horse for a bad round.
We all make mistakes and get frustrated at times but we should never take it out on the horse. They should always come first, you are a team!
Do your family share your passion of horses?
Not at all. My mother is actually allergic to them! and my father is a Cattle farmer who always told me horses cost money and never make money, and that they ruin his fields!
Neither of my parents can understand why I love the Sport so much but that didn’t stop them buying me my first Pony at the age of 4 and taking me to shows. I will always be grateful to them for that.
Tell us your funniest horse related story?
At 4 years of age, after watching Black Beauty and falling in love with a black pony in the stud next door, feeding it over the fence for weeks (and naming it Black Beauty), I was devastated to find out it had already been sold to Ireland.
The day they came to pick her up I cried my eyes out and so my dad went down to negotiate with the Irish gentleman to buy the pony before they put it on the lorry to take it away. When they saw me crying they doubled the price on an already overpriced, unbacked filly…!
We still laugh about how much my dad paid for that pony, but she was worth every penny! She was the best first pony any little girl could wish for!
Who is your favourite famous horse rider?
The Queen! She may not be an equestrian athlete but her love for horses and dedication to equestrianism is incredible.
Anyone who still rides at the age of 92 is and inspiration to me. And of course, she’s my boss!!
You can read more about Her Majesty the Queen's passion for horses here.
Who is your favourite famous horse?
Pippa Funnells Supreme Rock!
I grew up watching Badminton horse trials on the TV and I always remember loving him and telling my dad I wanted to own a horse like him one day!
He was part of the GB winning team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics andI was glued to the TV in 2003 when he went on to win the Rolex Grand Slam with Pippa Funnell with his win at Badminton.
Read more about Supreme Rock here.
How many times have you fallen off?
When I broke in Beauty (mentioned above) at age 4, I had never had riding lessons, so I fell of pretty much everyday.
But since taking up riding again 2 and a half years ago I’ve not actually fallen off that much!
Zenna is a superstar and she always seems to keep me in the saddle…but I always make sure I wear sticky breeches just in case. Maybe my many falls as a child made me learn to sit a bit better!!
What horsey product can't you live without?
My Montar Breeches! They are flattering, sticky and don’t break the bank! I couldn’t like without them and I’m pretty sure I own the whole range!
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?
Before I got back into horse riding in 2016 I used to compete in 2-man Bobsleigh for the Royal Navy! I think it’s fair to say I like an adrenalin rush mixed with a bit of danger!
Well done Amy, You have completed the #10minutesinthetackroom challenge. Don't forget to visit us for the next few weeks to read all the #teamequissimo team members entry.
If you would like to take part in the challenge please email info@equissimo.
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