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Wednesday, October 10 2018 / Published in Sidelines Spotlight

Amanda Steege: Finding Her Inspiration by Leaving it Behind

Amanda and Lafitte De Muze, owned by Cheryl Olsten, at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show

By Laurie Berglie

Portraits by Isabel J. Kurek

While horses have always been a part of Amanda Steege’s life, it wasn’t until her last year of college that she realized they would become her life. Armed with a psychology degree she admits would later come in handy, Amanda set out on a path that would lead to her current role as owner and operator of Ashmeadow Farm.

Amanda Steege

Horses are in Amanda’s blood as she was raised in an equestrian family. Though Amanda was too young to remember the first time she ever sat on a horse, she enjoys the story her father tells about the momentous occasion. “When I was born, my parents were working in Sterling, Massachusetts, at Saddle River Farm for Hank and Marion Hulick. Their son, James, was a very famous rider, and he is also my godfather. When I was just a few months old, my dad had me out at the farm while James was on his grand prix horse, Tiny Thoughts. My dad handed me up to James while he was on Tiny and said, ‘We want her first ride to be on a really great horse.’” Tiny Thoughts would be the first of many great horses yet to come.

Power of Positive Thinking
Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Amanda could regularly be found in the show ring. She started in lead line and went all the way through the junior hunters and the Medal/Maclay Finals. By the time she went off to college, however, she was content to leave her success in the show ring behind and create a different life for herself — one that didn’t include horses. “I went to Boston College where I was a psychology major with a concentration in business. I graduated magna cum laude. When I left for college as a freshman, I did not want to be a professional horsewoman, and during my four years at school, I really didn’t ride very much.”

Horses have a way of creeping back into the lives of those with horses in their blood, and Amanda was no exception. Every summer, she went home and would ride for her father. These summers would become central to her life and by her senior year of college, she had decided to enter the horse industry after all. “My college friends were so surprised when they were all writing their resumes and starting job interviews and I was kicking back and relaxing. They would say, ‘You graduated at the top of your class and spent all this time doing all this work — and you’re going to ride horses?’”

Shortly after graduation, Ashmeadow Farm was born. Now Amanda spends half of her year in Ocala, Florida, and the other half in Califon, New Jersey, where she rents a beautiful property called Pinnacle Farm. Amanda’s day-to-day is consumed with the rhythm that is horses. “I’m very involved on a daily basis with the care and riding of my horses. My boyfriend, Tim Delovich, is also my barn manager, and he and I are extremely hands-on — we even do night check ourselves every night that we’re home in New Jersey. We have some beautiful fields at this farm, and I like my horses to spend a lot of time in turnout. We also spend a lot of time riding outside of the ring on the trails and trotting through the fields.”

Lafitte De Muze and Amanda

Amanda credits her many successes to more than just her riding skills and training techniques. She believes the education she received at Boston College has played a huge role in her ability to stay relaxed and focus on the task at hand while showing. “I use my psychology degree every day to help battle my own performance anxiety as well as to help my amateur clients control their nerves. Visualization and the power of positive thinking are two techniques I learned in college, and I use them as often as I can. I have also taught these techniques to my students, so this is something we practice before big classes.”

Now Amanda puts all her positive thinking and energy into her current string of horses, all of which have bright futures. “MTM Self Made is owned by Niki Holtzman. Selfie was champion earlier this summer at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show. Balou is owned by Lisa Arena Davis. I started Balou as a pre-green hunter. One of the most exciting moments of his career was when he and his owner, Lisa, were champions at Devon in the amateur owner Hunter 3’3” division and grand 3’3” champions. Lafitte De Muze, owned by Cheryl Olsten, is a 7-year-old showing in the green 3‘6“ division with aspirations of being a top derby horse. Also, Cheryl and I have recently partnered up with The EQUUS Foundation and she is donating all of Lafitte’s prize money to EQUUS!” The EQUUS Foundation is the only national charity in the United States 100% dedicated to ensuring the welfare of America’s horses.

Amanda and MTM Self Made, owned by Niki Holtzman Hayes

 Find Your Inspiration
With a barn full of beautiful horses loaded with potential, it’s no surprise that Amanda is pretty happy with where she is in life. In the next five years, however, she’d like to continue to find quality young hunters and develop them through the ranks. As an instructor, she’d like to continue helping her amateur students fulfill their riding goals.

Amanda is proof that sometimes you need to step away from something you love in order to find your way back and give it your whole heart. She would also like to encourage others who are considering a career as professional riders to go for it. “First and foremost, take your time and get as much experience with as many different people as you can. Spend time working in the barn and really learning all the horsemanship skills that you can. Go to college. I know at the time it seems like you’re stepping away from riding but there’s time to come back to it, and I really learned so much in college, even beyond the formal education, that’s helping me run my business and be the person that I am.”

Amanda says she is inspired by her horses every day

Amanda describes herself as “soft, still, precise, forward and connected,” and she believes her diverse riding and training background, as well as her college education, have allowed her to become the rider she is today. And at the end of the day, no matter how many horses she’s owned or ridden, Amanda finds inspiration in the animal itself. “They are such individuals with big hearts; I think it’s truly amazing what they do for us and how giving they are. I’m inspired by my horses — plain and simple!”

Amanda believes that Lafitte De Muze will be a top derby horse

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Tagged under: Amanda Steege, isabel j. kurek, laurie berglie

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
Standing at Ryan Pedigo Sport Horses, in California

For more information, you can contact 
🖥Ryanpedigosporthorses.com
🖥Ryan.p.f@hotmail.com
☎️(714) 357-2714

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

@ryanpedigosporthorsespf_

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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