According to trainer Jill Pelzel, Amaya Bellfield’s riding opportunities are well-deserved. 

“Amaya is an incredibly hard worker,” said Pelzel of Fall River Farm in Fort Lupton, Colorado, where Bellfield is a working student. “She doesn’t just come and do the fun things. She does all of the things. She’ll pick stalls if you need her to. She will groom horses at the horse show; she’ll show up in the morning to longe if you need her to. She’s just incredible, with a good work ethic.”

That hard work is paying off, as Bellfield, 18, earned a spot in this week’s 2025 USHJA Gold Star Clinic, running today through Sunday at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. Bellfield, of Longmont, Colorado, got a ticket to the Gold Star Clinic after earning reserve champion honors at the 2024 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session (Virginia). 

Gold Star Clinic riders will learn under riding clinician Nicki Shahinian-Simpson and stable management clinician Colleen Reed. In between those sessions and morning and evening barn duties, they will attend presentations with sports psychologist Dr. Jennifer Speisman, PsyD, CMPC, and farrier Scott Lampert. 

Bellfield, a high school senior, said she’s looking forward to learning from top riders and networking during the clinic. 

“We really never can learn enough. So I’m just super excited to learn from more people that, you know, I wouldn’t normally get to ride or speak with,” she said. “And also just expanding my relationships with girls my age and making new friends.”

Bellfield’s earliest days aboard the backs of horses took place in a western saddle. After visiting her aunt in Maryland, she swapped to an English one when she had the opportunity to jump for the first time and immediately fell in love with this new style of riding. She came home and began competing at her first schooling shows on a Colorado local circuit when she was 8. 

“It was so exciting,” Bellfield said. “I just remember getting to watch the Olympics and being like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ It wasn’t ever scary for me; it was more just like, ‘This is exactly where I want to be.’ ” 

At 12 Belfield began competing on an Interscholastic Equestrian Association team and got comfortable with the catch-riding format of the shows. She jumped at the chance to gain experience on any horse she could. 

“Even from a pretty young age, she was always pretty fiery, always at the barn, working hard and wanting to ride as much as possible,” said Jennifer Shannon, whom Bellfield trained with for much of her junior career. “So she often didn’t have the easy ones to ride. That, I think, really helped her gain a lot of skills on how to deal with certain situations and different types of horses.”

Bellfield primarily committed her junior career to the equitation ring. She competed in the Hamel Foundation NHS 3’3″ Equitation Championship (Kentucky) in 2021 and the EMO Insurance/USHJA 3’3″ Jumping Seat Medal Finals—West (California) and USHJA 3’3” Hunter Seat Medal Finals—West (California) in 2022 aboard Calimero, known as “Phillip” in the barn.

“I tried Phillip, and immediately fell in love,” Bellfield said. “He taught me everything. He definitely taught me how to ride and not take anything for granted, which I think was a lot more impactful for me than getting on something that maybe knew more.”

Those years prepared her for her goal of competing in the National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay Final (Kentucky) in 2023. 

Competing at her first and last Maclay Final during her 16-year-old year, Bellfield leased and rode “Fashion Week,” whom she had shown in just one class the summer prior. 

“I’m so grateful that I got to have that opportunity,” Bellfield said. “She was the most perfect horse in the world.” 

Before making the trip from Colorado to Kentucky, she spent time preparing at home under the tutelage of Shannon of Cornerstone Farm in Longmont, Colorado. Bellfield said her indoors preparation included working on “technical flatwork” as well as jumping challenging courses comparable to equitation finals courses. 

Bellfield made the transition from junior to amateur in December and is currently riding Pelzel’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood Zanotti in the 1.20-meter amateur jumper division

“He’s just taught me about the jumper arena,” Bellfield said. “He’s just made me so confident as a rider, and it’s been a really nice switch over [from the equitation ring]. … I’m very grateful for him.” 

Bellfield recently committed to the Lynchburg University (Virginia) National Collegiate Equestrian Association team and looks forward to the camaraderie of competing alongside teammates as she did in IEA. 

Bellfield hopes her future beyond college will also always revolve around horses. She’d like to become a professional, importing and selling horses, and she dreams of riding on the U.S. Equestrian Team.

“She’s a special kid,” Shannon said. “And I definitely think she can take it as far as she wants to go.”