By Jessica Sforza
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Ever since she was a toddler, Ashley Glica’s life revolved around horses—a fitting origin for the now-30-year-old equestrian business owner. Tracing her roots back to Akron, New York, a village 25 miles east of snowy Buffalo, she had the privilege of being raised in a farm environment with supportive family members backing her every step of the way during the early stages of her riding career, and then some. From the moment Ashley was gifted her first pony, Tara, she caught the horse bug.
“I remember my first pony, Tara—she was like 30 years old when I got her,” Ashley said. “Just getting up and braiding her mane and always dealing with her was so much fun. She was such a nice little girl, and it was such a good memory for me to have a beautiful first pony.”
Growing up surrounded by horses meant that Ashley was always riding and had encounters with many different disciplines. “My family members were always big supporters because my mom was a trainer, so I had a lot of horses and friends around because she had a lot of students,” Ashley said. “I was able to show and compete a lot, and my grandparents were really involved, supporting me mentally and financially by purchasing horses for me to ride. Two horses that really impacted my Junior career were Cheech Up In Smoke and Texas High Speed Chase. It was a good cycle, being able to ride many different horses at shows, and getting to work with sale horses at a young age—it was beneficial for my riding.”
It didn’t take long for Ashley to realize the life she wanted to lead in the horse industry once she got a taste of the business side of things as a child. At almost 19 years old, she made the bold decision to move to Wellington, Florida, by herself to pursue her passion. “When I was younger, I just knew I wanted to move to Wellington and become a higher-end show jumping trainer and work with hunters as well,” Ashley said. “I decided to move there mainly because I knew the area was busy and had a different level of forces than what I was used to in New York.”
Becoming a Professional
At the start of her journey to become a professional trainer, Ashley focused her energy on grooming and catch riding. She also spent time getting to know Wellington, the environment and how the barns operated. Though her new life in the south was different than what she was accustomed to, Ashley felt determined to keep going. Being in one of the most prestigious, horse-driven cities in the country fueled her ambition to create her own company even more. “I knew from the beginning I wanted to do it,” Ashley said. “The ladder just had to fall into place. I think I just took information from everyone whom I’ve learned from and forged my own path. I’m so happy with where I am now since I started out 11 years ago. It’s unbelievable.”
The where in question is ATG Equestrian LLC, a spacious state-of-the-art riding facility nestled on five acres of land just 10 minutes away from WEF. Originally founding ATG in 2015, Ashley purchased the Wellington property for her business in July 2023 after 10 years of leasing farms, which has in turn provided her with the necessary space to expand her business. Currently, she specializes in training hunter-jumper and equitation prospects for ‘AA’ rated shows.
“Right now I have a lot of sale horses rather than one particular show horse for myself,” Ashley said, adding that she rides client horses from 2’6” to 3’3” hunters to 1.0m to 1.15m jumpers. “I have one horse I’d like to sell and then upgrade and buy myself a nice hunter for the season so I can focus on my own personal show horse.”
Some of Ashley’s proudest moments in recent years include competing at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami Beach, Florida, with VDL Gottie W, and garnering the Circuit Champion title at the Winter Equestrian Festival with a hunter called Hollywood.
In addition to working with sale horses, Ashley also manages the facility, which she’s always worked hard to maintain after building it from the ground up. She has also discovered a way to operate ATG that keeps it running smoothly. “I do everything along the lines of managerial planning and scheduling,” Ashley said. “I feel like we have a good flow here and the horses are super happy, so that makes it easy, too. Everyone bonds with their horses, and I think that’s something that’s kind of lost along the way in our industry. Good horsemanship starts with grooming and tack—it’s not just about riding.”
Horse and Rider
When it comes to her students, Ashley has a natural talent for fitting the right horses and riders together, and she always lends a helping hand when it comes to the process of making them a team. “With my client horses, my goals are to compete on them, get some championships with them, and then have their riders show on them,” Ashley said. “I have a group of about five or six young riders from 13 to 16 years old with me that I’m focusing on developing right now. One of the things I think about when I’m working with a new horse and rider is the rhythm of the horse. I try to get the rider to go evenly with that pace, and I want to make sure they’re relaxed in their arms and upper body and overall position, so they’re riding their horse to the best of their ability. It’s also important to keep them calm and help them not be anxious, because the horses feel that. So by focusing on how they ride, we’re working on their whole demeanor on a horse as well.”
One of Ashley’s favorite parts about overseeing a competitive riding team is watching her students’ hard work pay off. She loves teaching and feels proud every time she sees them shine, whether it’s a moment of joy on one of their faces or someone overcomes a new fear or challenge that previously held them back. At the beginning of 2024, Ashley plans to bring AGT to WEF before attending the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, for a couple of weeks in the spring and summer.
Like all show barns, a typical show week for ATG is normally a busy one, where Ashley commutes back and forth between the show grounds and her barn to teach lessons. “At WEF, we’re normally at the horse show from Wednesday to Sunday,” Ashley said. “We have stalls there, and then I teach lessons during the week, whether it’s at the show or at the farm after the school day ends with the kids that are still going to school. But I’m either riding myself early in the morning at the farm or showing.”
Fun in Florida
In the off-season, Ashley’s students spend most of their free time trail riding on and off AGT’s property, which backs up to a 100-
acre preserve not too far away where the girls ride together as a group. When they’re not trail riding, they’re hard at work flatting and conditioning their horses to keep them in tip-top shape. “It’s nice because we’re so close to the ocean, too, so we’re able to do other things around here,” Ashley said. “We can plan an afternoon at the beach and have team activities that don’t always involve horses.”
Through it all, Ashley has not taken a single second of her journey for granted, crediting her humble beginnings in Upstate New York with allowing her to mold the life she currently lives in Wellington. “I really enjoy waking up every morning at this beautiful farm and my groom has my horses ready and I can ride them,” Ashley said. “It’s very fun. I really enjoy working with the horses, and giving them a good experience and a good ride is a very refreshing start to my day. I even enjoy dragging the ring and changing the course, mainly because it lets me work on different challenges for each horse.”
The future at AGT looks bright thanks to planner Ashley’s positive vision, and because of her strong-willed mindset that has never allowed her to give up on her dreams, now she can keep coming up with new ones.
For more information, follow AGT’s Instagram @atgequestrianllc and Facebook – ATG Equestrian LLC
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
