World Class Equestrian Training for You and Your Horse

Since 1967, Amanda von Argyriadis has been riding and training with some of the best professionals the international show jumping world has to offer, and is now available to share that depth of knowledge with you.  Her former trainers include USET coaches Bertalan de Nemethy and George Morris, renowned Grand Prix riders Rodney Jenkins, Alexa Bell, Deborah Conner, Nona Garson, Gary Zook, and "The Galloping Grandfather" Harry de Leyer.  But her experience doesn't stop there...she has also trained with distinguished hunter trainer and judge Walter "Jimmy" Lee, Olympic dressage rider/judge Elizabeth Lewis, and has participated in clinics with Ann Kursinski, Emil Jung and Sally Swift.

As a junior rider, Amanda competed in the equitation division finals for both the Gold Medal and the Alfred B. Maclay trophy. She has shown both hunters and jumpers at the national level for over twenty-five years, first in the junior and then in the amateur divisions at shows  including the Pennsylvania National, the National Horse Show, the Devon Horse Show, Upperville, The Hampton Classic, the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, Tampa, Lake Placid and the Washington International.  She is particularly talented and experienced with the preparation and groundwork it takes to present a young horse at top level (A) horse shows.

Amanda ran her own equestrian facility for ten years in Madison, Virginia, offering international services, including government approved quarantine for export.  She has experience in all elements of equine management, including breeding, medical and nutritional supervision.  Amanda's accomplishments both in the United States as well as abroad culminated in 1992 when she represented the United States in the qualifying rounds for the 1993 World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Living and training in the Netherlands for several months, she won ribbons on both her self-trained horses at international competitions such as Zwolle, Wierden, Dortmund, s'Hertogenbosch, Amsterdam and Leuuwarden.

In addition to her experience in the horse show world, Amanda has had fox hunted for years with both Essex and Farmington Hunts. She is currently studying jumper course designing. Her interest in being a well-rounded horsewoman has moved her to become involved in Single and Pairs driving, and a lifelong interest in polo has recently come to fruition at Chetwood Park under the masterful tutelage of Martin Maldonado. She began training for polo and carriage driving in the fall of 1998, but has been a bit preoccupied with accomplishing another goal, earning her PhD in American History at George Mason University and Georgetown. Amanda graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in May 2002, obtainer her M.A. in Early Modern European history at George Mason University in 2004. She teaches American and European history to undergraduates when the opportunity arises. Currently in training at the farm is her Connemara stallion, Math Duaine, son of the great pony Aladdin. Also in training is Harry, the last and very promising son of the famous Connemara stallion Grange Finn Sparrow; twice the Dublin Horse Show open jumper champion and American jumper champion many times over.

Phone:  540-222-0427
felixpony@aol.com