I am a horsewoman and rider. Ricardo Amaya was my coach and trainer who helped me blossom as a competitor in ways I could not have imagined. I have always felt so honored and privileged to be riding with him. Approximately two weeks ago, he suffered a fatal riding accident. There are three things that stand out in my mind as I remember Ricardo:
1. His devotion to his clients’ horses. My dressage horse Huntington colliced last year 2007 in the middle of the night. It was impossible for me to get to the barn in which he was staying as I live some 100 miles away. In my stead, Ricardo left his home in Woodland Hills, CA to trailer Huntington to the equine hospital in Somis where he could be treated. He stayed with the horse throughout the night and in the process called me to give me updates and console me. As it turned out, Huntington recovered nicely. I owe my deepest gratitude to Ricardo Amaya whose quick and determined action saved my horse.
2. His generosity. I had won a first level championship class last Fall at LAEC in Burbank CA on my beautiful mare Mahogany. Prior to the awards ceremony in the evening, scheduled to honor all the winners of the various championships, a Latin celebration was being held complete with steel bands and dancing girls donning huge feathered head dresses. The award winners had to wait in a ring adjacent to the arena in which the celebration was held. This arena was also the one in which awards would be given. Needless to say, a number of horses would not go near the arena, forcing their riders to return to the barn and dismount. Mahogany was doing fine until a horse standing next to her blew. After that, she would have nothing to do with the awards ceremony. Ricardo knowing my horse and recognizing that we were no where to be found, left the celebration and the table where his family and friends were sitting to come and find us. When he did, he took Mahogany by the reins and led her on foot into the awards arena so that we could be honored. I can’t think of many coaches who would abandon their fun to seek out a troubled horse/rider pair after the show is effectively over. I will never forget this act of generosity on the part of Ricardo.
3. His ability as a rider. Among the most stunning riding exhibitions I have ever seen by Ricardo was when he rode a silver Lusitano stallion at the invitation of the horse’s trainer. What I remember most about this ride is not so much the movements performed by this Latin pair but how Ricardo’s visible yet quiet presence on the horse seemed to melt into the background, thrusting the stallion’s beauty and glory into the foreground of the onlooker. I have thought to myself that this is what mastery in dressage is all about – the rider diminishing himself to showcase his horse. Ricardo’s ride on the silver Lusitano stallion will always linger in my consciousness as one of a true virtuoso.
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