Amy Stoll, a 17-year-old equestrian who was born and raised in Ketchum, is featured in an article in the April issue of Horse & Rider magazine. A former Wood River High School student, Stoll has lived in Twin Falls for two years in order to train. She is currently a freshman at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.
The article came about as a result of a surprise win at the Appaloosa World Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas, in November 2006. Stoll is the youngest person and first youth to win the competition's pinnacle event, Toys for Tots Freestyle Reining. Riding her 5-year-old Appaloosa mare, Santa Fe Fritz Olena, she qualified for a spot in the ApHC reining heavyweights that include the 2006 Nutrena Iron Horse and World's Best Appaloosa Captain Zip Ahoy ridden by Sandy Jirkovsky.
Freestyle reining consists of traditional reining maneuvers, such as sliding stops, spins, rollbacks, lead changes and circles, set to music. Competitors were judged on required reining maneuvers as well as artistic impression and an applause meter.
Inspired by the book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and the 2005 Walt Disney Pictures feature film "The Chronicles of Narnia," Amy dressed up as the White Witch, the key villain from the book, and performed to music from the movie.
"It was surreal. Almost unbelievable," Stoll said in the article. "It was something I'd hoped to accomplish in my lifetime, but never dreamed it could happen so soon."
She has three other Appaloosas that she shows at various levels.
