Welcome one, welcome all to The Amateur Experience with me, your host, Sydney: a semi-successful online influencer, full time horse weirdo who has big dreams and seemingly no regard for the risk both financial and physical.
I, as the resident pinnacle of the adult amateur (you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like), have been tasked by Eventing Nation to bring you the real stories from life as an adult amateur — from my own trials and tribulations (which are never-ending and ridiculous), to those of my peers. We’ll even be taking a look at amateurs in other horse disciplines to see if there’s anything to be learned from them.
This sport would crumble and dissolve like sugar in a bottle of rum were it not for the adult amateurs carrying it on their backs. Yet, we often do not hear their stories.
Why is that?
Well, it doesn’t matter anymore because I’m bringing you the stories. The real stories of the literal blood, sweat, and tears that amateurs pour into this sport for literally no monetary gain. The term amateur, which is so often derisively flung at anyone not deemed a good enough rider to hang with the cool kids, actually just means someone who does something without getting paid.
I ask you, is it not more admirable to do something for money or because you love it? In today’s world, where money is quite literally everything, is it not actually a little brave to do something for the sheer love of the game?
Some background on me, in case you do not know who I am (disgusting, how dare you, I am so famous, etc, etc.).
I’m Sydney. I’m 32 years old and I have two horses currently competing. I have a gelding going Modified and a mare competing for her dressage bronze medal. I have been riding competitively for a little over six years now. I started riding as a child, my parents said stop that and go to college. I went to college, got two degrees (in Statistics and Religious Studies, in case you were wondering) and immediately bought an OTTB from a friend. I’m crazy and I refuse to be stopped.
Do I have aspirations of competing at the upper levels? Yes of course! Would I love to be a professional myself One day? Certainly! Will I give up the well-being and love of the horse to accomplish these goals? Absolutely not.
I subsidize this insane endeavor with help from family, as well as side gigs like editing, working for Eventing Nation, and this whole social media affair (though don’t let these influencers fool you, it’s not as lucrative as you might think).
The aim of this bi-monthly column is to shed light on the struggles, the triumphs, and all the moments in between that exist for the adult amateur. There is so much true and raw beauty in the work that the amateur puts into this craft that it feels like a crime to ignore their stories. The goal is not to sugarcoat how incredibly hard this industry can be for those who pay to be a part of it, but rather to shine a light onto the dedication that these women, men, and sometimes kids display everyday in the pursuit of something they love.
I can’t wait to share these stories with you, and hope you find them as inspirational as I do. I also hope you’ll accompany me on my continued journey with my own horses as we scratch, claw, and kick our way to the top.
Stay tuned for more columns and videos from Sydney, coming your way all year long here on EN. And because we’re severely underpaying Sydney, give her a hand and follow her on TikTok here and on Instagram here.
