Amelia Lilliehöök was only a year and a half when she sat on a horse for the first time. She was hooked on equestrian sports early on and has been riding regularly since the age of four. Today Amelia is nine years old and competes successfully with her two dressage ponies; Vosco’s Mr Bright Eye (”Jagger”) and Brännornas Rigoletto (”Rigo”).

At Maya Delorez we are so excited to have Amelia on the team, who will also be our first team rider who is a young rider! Amelia is not only a talented rider but also demonstrates good horsemanship and attitude – a role model for other young riders in the equestrian sport if you ask us. We are so looking forward to following and supporting her development going forward. Go, Amelia! 👏

About Amelia

• Lives in: Stockholm, Sweden
• Age: 9 years old
• Discipline: Dressage
• Instagram: @amelia.and.theponies

When Amelia turned five, she was finally old enough to take lessons at the local riding school. Before that, she had been riding regularly for just over a year and had time to get hooked on the sport. It didn’t take long before Amelia started nagging her parents to get her own horse. Her parents rented a pony for a few weeks to try it out and to make sure that her interest was genuine and not just temporary. The trial period was a complete success. Amelia’s interest grew increasingly, and after a couple of weeks, the pony Jagger became a part of the family.

Today, Amelia has two ponies that she successfully competes with in dressage, Jagger and Rigoletto (Rigo). Jagger is a pony from 2015 who loves to cuddle! Amelia describes him as kind-hearted, careful and willing to work. He loves to train and always wants to do his best. Before shows, he can get a bit nervous, but he usually calms down as soon as he enters the arena.

Rigo, on the other hand, is the coolest horse in the world according to Amelia. He’s the sweetest pony, born in 2007 – but a bit clumsy at times. His favorite thing to do is to roll. According to him, there is always an opportunity to do so, whether it’s sunny, rainy or muddy. Rigo loves scratches, but unlike Jagger, he doesn’t really have the patience for a long cuddle.

“Rigo doesn’t really have the patience to cuddle as much as Jagger does”

When Amelia rode at the riding school she tried both jumping and dressage, but now she enjoys dressage the most. Amelia’s mother Anett has a theory about why:

“Amelia has always been good at dancing and I think that when she started riding she got hooked on the interaction between horse and rider. Trying to get the movements exactly as they should be.”

Amelia says that she likes the feeling of being one with the horse and that it is extra fun when you manage to achieve that at a show. Then she laughs, and adds that she really likes to win! When I ask if she ever gets nervous before competitions, she tells me that she can be nervous before a competition, but the second she gets up on the horse, it all goes away. But for Mother Anett, it’s the other way around, Amelia says:

“All the nervousness goes away when I jump on the horse. Mom stays calm the whole time – until I ride up the center line”

In closing, I ask Amelia about her biggest riding goals, and her answer comes without hesitation:. She wants to win Olympic gold. And if she dares to dream even bigger, she wants to be the youngest person ever to do so. At Maya Delorez, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if that dream came true, and we promise to watch, cross our fingers, and cheer on when the day comes! 🥳