Young Rider: Amy Gotts-Wheeler

YOUNG RIDER

With her heart set on one day representing Australia, star eventer Amy Gotts-Wheeler is a young rider to watch. CLAUDIA BRODTKE spoke to her about her career so far.

Growing up on Sharvalley Estate, her family property in Victoria’s beautiful Gippsland region, Amy Gotts-Wheeler was riding before she could walk. At just twoyears-old, she would perch on her pony for hours until her mother, herself an accomplished horsewoman, detached her daughter from the pony’s back. And with her mum running a successful training business on the property, Amy was surrounded by a constant stream of horses – from breakers and racehorses to performance horses.

Very grateful for her upbringing, she recognises that it’s helped shape her into the rider she is today. Mounted on green horses right from the start, she has experienced the joys – and the frustrations – of training horses up the levels.

Amy’s passion for eventing began when she realised how much the sport benefitted her horses. “It’s so beneficial for young horses to get out in an open space where they have to think for themselves and trust their rider,” she explains.

Of course, the adrenaline rush and the challenge eventing presents proved to be a huge drawcard too! “Although it’s such a difficult, up and down sport, when everything comes together the reward is incredible and I’m utterly obsessed,” she admits.

At the age of 17, Amy is an accomplished 2* rider. She won the 2021 Tonimbuk International 2* and pre-COVID, the 2019 Australian Interschool Championships National Champion 1*. Both successes were with Sharvalley Thunder, a homebred horse who was recently sold to Andrew Cooper as his next potential 5* mount – a testament to Amy’s noteworthy abilities as a talented trainer.

Currently she is enjoying the ride on her main horse, Sharvalley Furst, who is helping her keep her skills finely tuned. “He’s going along really well and I’m looking forward to campaigning him and bringing him up the levels of eventing once lockdown is over,” she says. Her other horse, Sharvalley Dance is also

coming into heavier work now the days are getting longer.

Juggling Year 12 with her equestrian pursuits has necessitated a varied and very busy routine, which, if it’s all to run smoothly, requires careful orchestration and more than a little self-discipline. Usually riding at least one horse a day, when her studies are less demanding Amy is sometimes able to work two or three horses. On the weekends when she’s not competing she can be found helping her mum train horses.

Ever busy, Amy, who was a Top 10 finalist for Equestrian Victoria’s 2021 Young Ambassador of the Year, is

a social media influencer with an

impressive 40,000 plus followers on her Instagram account. She regularly works with different brands, and the opportunity to be a role model for other young equestrians through her social media presence is something Amy is very proud of, and takes very seriously.

Amy cites her mum as her biggest supporter, and she says Roger East, her mentor for the past nine years, has “taught me more than I could ever thank him for.”

As her studies wrap up and with some exciting horsepower waiting in the wings, Amy has the world at her feet – and Equestrian Hub wishes her the best of luck in all of her future endeavours.