Replies

- USEA Lady Rider of the Year
- Chronicle of the Horse, Eventing Horseman of the Year
- Chronicle of the Horse, Eventing Horse of the Year

Amy Tryon’s 2006 successes included performances at every star level, around the world and with a variety of horses.

- Poggio II, individual Bronze Medal at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany
- Woodstock, 5th place at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****
- Le Samurai, 5th place at the Blenheim CCI*** in England
- Leyland, 1st place at the Galway Downs CCI**
- Coal Creek, 2nd place at the Galway Downs CCI*

But she is no spoiled brat; she worked as a firefighter while starting her eventing career.

Spotlight on U.S. Equestrian eventing star Amy Tryon
By Nikki Dee Corum // USOC Media Services // April 14, 2004

When Amy Tryon, U.S. Equestrian eventing rider, says that she got where she is today through hard work, don’t take her lightly. Tryon and her older sister got their first pony when Amy was only one year old. Raised by a single parent, Tryon was well aware of the financial strain that becoming an equestrian would put on her mother. So, she became content with watching her passion from a distance.

“I used to read books and watch video tapes of the people that I idolized, but I never thought that I would have the opportunity to compete at that level with those people and travel around the world,” says Tryon.

But Tryon’s mother was not about to let her daughter give up on that dream. Tryon began competitions in the local 4H when she was five years old, and rode in her first event at the age of eight. Since then, she has come a long way. Now, Tryon is a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, competing at the highest level and riding among her role models. She can also boast of being an Olympic hopeful and a member of the World Champion Eventing Team, but even with her credentials, Tryon remains humble.

“I consider myself lucky,” she contends. “I’m happy to go out there every day and do it, because there are so many people who would love to be in my position. So, I’m enjoying it while I can.”

Tryon gets up about 6:30 a.m. and is in the barn by 8:00 a.m., riding between three and eight horses daily. In between rides, she takes care of the day-to-day responsibilities that come with owning a stable that boards 20 horses – keeping books, ordering hay, picking up rocks, repairing fences, cleaning stalls, and anything else that might come up. Not to mention feeding and grooming the horses. After a grueling day of work, Tryon gets in at around 9:00 p.m. with just enough time to eat dinner and go to bed.

“Every day I’m home, I ride. I probably take about two days off a year,” she says.

Tryon is also a full-time firefighter in Spokane, Wash., working 24-hour shifts every other day and getting four days off every five days. But her dream was not to become a firefighter. During college she began looking for a job with a schedule that would accommodate her riding. Immediately drawn to being a paramedic, Tryon began researching her field of choice. However, she soon discovered that the road to being a paramedic was long.

“You have to have experience as a firefighter before you can go to paramedic school. I started going to the fire academy and volunteering for the fire department. About a year and a half after I started testing, I got hired full time,” Tryon explains.

There are definitely sacrifices involved with being an Olympic hopeful. Tryon travels to the East Coast from her home in Washington for competitions and is often gone for months at a time, taking off time from work, leaving her husband to take care of the horses, and missing the support of her family and friends. But it will all be worth it for her to have the opportunity to compete in Athens this summer.

“My husband and I look at it as even though it’s a sacrifice for us financially, I don’t want to wake up when I’m 60 years old and say ‘I wish I had tried,’” says Tryon.

Not too long ago, Tryon’s Olympic career looked like it might be in jeopardy. Last May she had back surgery to correct problems that had progressed into painful pressure on her nerves. Taking a risk, Tryon decided to have surgery, and she says that it has made all the difference.

She couldn’t work or train for five months, but she began conditioning herself as soon as possible and feels like she is back in shape, though it has been an “uphill battle.”

The final step in Tryon’s path to the 2004 Olympic Games will be the Eventing Selection Trials, April 22-25, in Lexington, Ky. Though this competition will take her away from home once again, it has the prospect of bringing her closer to Athens.

Tryon has not only become a successful athlete, but also an inspiration. One thing that Tryon wants to communicate to young riders is that anyone can do what she has done, but the only way to get there is hard work.

“Work hard. Hard, hard, hard work. Anything is attainable if you work hard enough. You don’t have to have money or live in an area that has horses, but you have to work hard. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and be willing to learn,” Tryon advises.