Ameera Singh Pasrich is a dressage rider based in Germany. Ameera has been riding since she was about two years old when her father first put his daughter on a horse. Ameera’s journey began as a junior rider in India where she used to re-train racehorses. Ameera explains “I ended up winning the junior nationals somehow on a leased horse and then the bug really bit me. So, I spent my summers being a working student in England and then Germany. Then in 2019 I randomly fell in love with a colt I saw online and begged the breeder to keep him for me while I tried to sell my Eventing ex race thoroughbred. I ended up selling him for half of what I needed for this colt and after paying the breeder (who’s a great friend of mine now) all I had. My poor father felt obliged to pay for the rest somehow and that’s where my story began.”
Ameera moved to the UK in 2020 with one crazy young mare and then a year later “the fruit of my life choices”; the now three-year-old stallion straight from the field. She describes her dressage journey from there. “Richard Barrett the Grand Prix rider who so kindly took a very useless working student under his wing, named this stallion of mine “Bollywood” the B from his Sire Bernay and the drama from his owner, the crazy little Indian girl. After three years of young horse chaos in the UK, I flew back to India with three of my horses. Then I ran my own stable for a year before deciding I need to be in the big arenas, so I sold all my horses and moved to Switzerland and bought this random stallion off a video that is today; Vlad. Then a year later came Ori and here we are now. This is all I do. I don’t really know how to do anything else, so this is my whole life. Horses and my little dog peanut.
How did horses come into your life?
My whole family rides; absolutely everyone, my father was a polo player, my mother rode, my sister rides, my aunt rides, my grandmother and grandfather, in fact my parents first date was on horseback, my mom fell off and my dad jumped over her. My father put me on a horse before I could walk. I grew up warming up his polo ponies. I used to show jump but after a bad accident I switched over to dressage and I never looked back.
Who are your horses and how often do you ride?
So, I currently have two horses under me; both are stallions which I love. They are both licensed by Oldenburger. One is a 6-year-old by Total Hope, and the Other is a 7-year-old by Quaside MD. Our weekly schedule is usually four days of work in the school, one day off and two light days of stretching. However, these past months it’s been very hectic as we have done six CDI shows since March.
Where do you keep your horses and what is their routine and management?
Ameera with Fateh, (meaning Victory). Fateh was her first horse and came straight off the racecourse
My horses and I are now based with Joyce van Rooijen-Heuitink. To elaborate on their management, I would need a couple days but to summarise it I think horses with good nutrition, work and turn out, along with lots of love and understanding, are the best kept horses. I don’t understand the concept of no turn out and competition horses that only come out to be ridden, I think that’s cruel. Usually, on a normal day they get breakfast, go on the walker, then I ride, then they have lunch and maybe go in the paddock before or after and then dinner, it’s quite simple. They have regular physiotherapy appointments I think that’s required for sport horses, sometimes acupuncture too, I like to do hill work when I can, lots of groundwork and just spending time to get to know them. I like horses with big personalities, I like that they come out and neigh, I enjoy getting to know them and I enjoy riding them when they are proud and happy. Sundays are usually therapy days where I like to use the massage gun on them, magnetic boots and some stretches, I call it “yoga day”. For me honestly if my horses don’t feel good, if they’re not proud and big in the ring it’s not fun so I try to do everything to keep them feeling like themselves.
Who do you train with?
I’ve been lucky enough to have many super trainers; a large part of my current season was navigated alone. My journey started with Richard Barrett, and he will always be so special to me, he’s a dear friend and mentor still. I also had the opportunity to train with Mr. Klaus Balkenhol for about six months; I will carry every word from him with me my whole life, it was a real privilege, and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.
image courtesy of Linnemann Photography
What do you love about dressage?
I love to feel like my horse is an extension of my own legs, I love this feeling of being in it together. I always loved dancing and this is dancing with a beautiful, majestic partner.
What have been your proudest moments?
There are big moments and small moments, but I think the proudest aren’t moments that are so extravagant. One of my proudest moments was riding my ex-racehorse who was going to be put down for being dangerous with no bridle or saddle and jumping him over a metre like that. Then one moment of pride for me was when both my stallions got licensed by Oldenburger but I’m most proud actually whenever I get a compliment from someone I respect; from my sponsor, from my trainers or from a judge at a show I think those are the moments my heart really swells. Recently I was really proud when I got my first Eurodressage article for Qualifying for the young horse world championships.
Have you faced any challenging moments?
image courtesy of Sassofotografie
This I can write a Netflix documentary on but let’s stick to the most challenging in my whole career, being under an extremely abusive trainer and losing my horse to him when I left. This season the most challenging has been when I did two back-to-back CDI shows alone; my horse had heat stroke and needed fluids, I had a nonstop nosebleed and heat stroke myself and then was so tired that I crashed my car. In the moments when it’s hard, I tell myself you can cry but then you get up and do your job. We really pulled it together the next week and brought our marks back 5% higher so I’m proud of Ori and myself.
This is a tough sport, it’s even tougher when people have expectations of you and you want to win for your sponsors and yourself but if it was easy everyone would do it. The truth is your struggle, your excuses, your problems are irrelevant, don’t complain just do your job. You must want to succeed as badly as a drowning man wants to breathe if you have a hope in hell of being in top sport.
What is your training philosophy?
Happy horses make good athletes. You can be consequent without being cruel. When you do something with your horse ask yourself why? Find logic in your training and refer to biomechanics. If it’s not working take a step back and think. The most important part of this sport is my horse and my relationship with him, so I protect that above all else.
Your future aspirations?
Well, I hope to be at the Olympics someday but doesn’t everyone?
Your Top Tip
image courtesy of Linnemann Photography
When you feel frustrated or angry if you can’t control your mind, get off. When you feel scared or insecure drop the reins don’t tense up because then the horse is going to tense up too. Always be open to learning even from people who you think know less than you. You can learn something from everyone.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
My Portuguese friend said this; I was really upset and crying and he said ‘Amara chin up and move on’. Best advice ever, thank Paulo.
It takes a team to do dressage, who is in your support team?
So many people; First my sponsor who is my mentor and like my godfather. He is someone I trust 100% and I look to him for advice and guidance all the time. My parents who are my sounding board. My friends as well, even if they don’t all understand the sport, they keep me sane. My little peanut butter who comes everywhere with me and without whom I think I’d have a mental break.
The team from my sponsor are always available and supportive. My biggest rock this season was my transport company owned by Jacintha the most amazing woman I ever met who just did everything with me. And then of course my trainer, the farrier, my wonderful vet Verena who did so much for my horses this season including their physiotherapy.
And then I have a bunch of great equestrian friends who I can always lean on for advice. One of them is Maxime Osse, she was Ori’s previous rider; she’s always been in my corner and helped me navigate things. She’s a great person. Then another person I’d name here is my British trainer Greg Sims, I left England over four years ago, but Greg is always there to give me advice and support. I could go on, honestly, I’m privileged to have many kind people and friends in my life. The best part of my team though are my boys; Ori and Vlad. These horses always have my back, they fight for me, they love me, they give me strength and they just are the best stallions, and I am thankful to them.