In a League of her Own Agatha D’Ambra:
There are plenty of young stars in the world of show jumping, but Agatha D’Ambra stands out not only for her riding successes but also her entrepreneurial spirit.
With the support of her family, Agatha has swiftly gone from horse-crazy kid to successful rider and business- woman. Not only does the 26-year-old from Rexford, New York compete a string of international Grand Prix jumpers, she also runs her family’s farm, assists with their Thorough- bred breeding and training business, and still finds time to support her favorite animal rescue charities.
Crazy About Horses When Agatha was a child, she and her
father, Thomas D’Ambra, would often go trail riding in the nearby Catskills. By the age of ten, she began taking riding les- sons at a local barn. At 12 her parents bought her a horse of her own, an off-the-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) purchased from a local barn where she was a working student. He was named Mattie Monster, but she renamed him August Eclipse for the show ring. “He was spirited and
green and taught me every- thing I know, especially how challenging horses can be!” she says. “He was a little crazy and bucked me off almost on a daily basis. I put a lot of long hours in before and after school.
Top right: Agatha with 2 homebreds: A Thor- oughbred on the left, and on the right, Linken (Liocalyon x Grandel) Holsteiner gelding. Right: Agatha riding Quivola in the Winter Equestrian Festival.
We purchased him when I was 12 and by the time I was 14 we were winning ev- erything at the local level.” Quickly
outgrowing the local cir- cuit, Agatha, who is the youngest of three children, began to head south for the winters to compete at the Winter Eques- trian Festival in Wellington, Florida. By the time she was in ninth grade, she found a tutor and began homeschooling, as many top young equestrians opt to do in order to follow the show circuit. Meanwhile, her parents were busy designing and building a new venture, Trade Winds Farm, on 80 acres located in Rexford, New York. Today Agatha manages the business, oversee- ing 11 full-time employees who look after the 20 horses in residence. Her father, the co-founder of Al-
bany Medical Research, Inc., which was instrumental in the develop- ment of the allergy drug Allegra, had developed an interest in Thor- oughbred racing and Agatha also became involved in the Thoroughbred aspect of the farm. She handles breed- ing and foaling, breaks yearlings and even attends races on occasion, when her busy show schedule al- lows. She also rehabs Thorough- breds with racing and training injuries
Warmbloods Today 31
By Amber Heintzberger
Parker Russel – The Book LLC
The Book LLC
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