Harrisburg, Pa.—Oct. 21  

When Amy Lloyd Thompson first met her horse Paramount three years ago, the timing was not ideal.

“I kind of stumbled upon him, and he’s just my ride,” Thompson said. “I work full time, I have a 7-year-old daughter, but I had to have this horse.”

So Thompson made it work—early mornings and late nights spent riding and lessoning with “Denzel” paid off big time at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show when she captured the 3’3” amateur owner, 36 and over, championship.

“I’m a human resource generalist at the Chester County Intermediate Unit, theres 17 or 18 people in our department, and they have a glassed in conference room in the lobby, and there are 1,500 people who work there, so they put the live stream on the big screen TV in the lobby,” Thompson said with a smile. “So that was in my head walking into the ring. I was like I need to ride this for Denzel, because he’s such a great horse, and I have to do it for everybody at work!”

Amy Lloyd Thompson and Paramount on their way to the 3’3” amateur owner, 36 and over, championship. Photo by Ann Glavan. 

Thompson, of Chester Springs, Pa., and the 16-year-old Westphalian gelding have been steadily building their partnership for the past three years. It’s crucial for Thompson to have a horse she can count on in the show ring.

“I rode ponies when I was little, but I took a break from riding when I was 14 because I had back surgery for scoliosis, so I’m actually not supposed to ride horses at all, or anything that risks a high impact fall,” Thompson said. “So it’s important to have a good horse.”

Thompson didn’t ride from the time she was 14 until she enrolled at Franklin & Marshall College (Pa.).

“My second year in college I found out they had a club equestrian team, and I didn’t tell anybody, especially my parents, but I started riding on the team,” Thompson said with a laugh. “And I didn’t tell anyone I started competing either, but they posted the IHSA results in The Chronicle of the Horse, which my mom gets, and so she saw my name in there and said, ‘Amy, I know what you’re doing!’ ”

Glen Senk guided Loyalty to the reserve championship title in the 3’3” amateur owners, 36 and over. Photo by Ann Glavan.

Thompson’s mother insisted she check in with the doctor who performed her surgery to see if it was OK she had started riding again.

“He said absolutely no jumping; you can only do the flat,” Thompson said. “Through college I did a year just on the flat, and it was not enough, and I was lik,e ‘I’m an adult. I’m going to do it anyways.’ “

Thompson plans to continue campaigning Denzel in the 3’3” amateur-owner division, and though they have both clearly shown their competitiveness in the best of company at the Pennsylvania National, she isn’t putting pressure on herself.

“My sister asked me what my goal would be for next year, and I said you know I just want to enjoy him,” Thompson said. “I usually like having a goal, and I’m pretty competitive, but I just want to enjoy him and have fun.”  

See all of the Chronicle’s Pennsylvania National coverage. Click here for full results from the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, and don’t forget to check out the Nov. 7 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse for more in-depth coverage from the show!