Vale Judy Amory

Judy Amory was a knowledgable, intelligent and compassionate horsewoman who will be remembered by many.

Australian equestrian great Judy Amory has sadly passed away at the age of 96. Judy was a passionate and knowledgable horsewomen, who influenced, encouraged and taught countless people. A memorial was held on the 5th of September, at the Yarramalong Hall in New South Wales, to commemorate her life, which was attended by equestrians of every age, level and discipline. The Hunter Valley Equestrian Club attended the memorial in their hunting attire to show their respect, and as a moving tribute, Jilly Paterson blew the ‘Going Home’ signal on the hunting horn. Judy was an extraordinary woman, who lives on in the hearts of many.

A tribute to Judy Amory

By Carol Heuchan

In my lifetime with horses (over sixty years competing, EA National Saddle Horse Judge, SHCA National Saddle Horse Judge, six years as main arena commentator at the Royal Easter Show) I have encountered many amazing horsemen and women. But I have always said, if I had to name one that I admire above most others, it would be Judy Amory.

She competed in Dressage, Showjumping, Eventing (including Sydney 3 Day Event), Saddle Horse events – Hacking, Riding, Turnout, Sidesaddle, Teams etc. She judged Dressage, Hacking (including at Sydney Royal and many other State Royals), one of the first Show Hunter classes held, trained innumerable horses and riders, and mentored many horsemen of all levels.

Judy Amory competing.

Judy competed in her last Dressage Test at age 89 and was still hunting, in the Hunter Valley, at age 91 – and giving a lead over fences that daunted others!

In my opinion, she was one of the very first to bring ‘Dressage’ riding and training, as it was called back then, from Europe to Australia and consequently had a huge influence on the riding position and thinking of Australian riders and of course, on the performance of their horses.

She was a highly intelligent woman and very artistic. But her passion was horses. Two things stand out in my many memories of Judy. Despite her extensive knowledge of all aspects of horse management, she remained inquisitive, fascinated and ever enquiring of everything to do with horses in general and their welfare in particular. The other admirable quality was her humility.

Judy Amory winning the Lady Rider at the Melbourne Royal Show in 1948.

She would offer her help and tender it with understanding, regardless of the level of competency of the recipient. And she knew when to draw the line. I once asked why I hadn’t seen her judging for a while when we so needed judges of her experience and she replied “I wanted to stop while I felt I was making the right decisions. It’s a demanding job and can be tiring and I wanted to stop before I started making mistakes.” Wow.

She was equally at home in Sydney’s artistic and entertainment world as she was in the barn (perhaps ‘sampling’ for herself, the taste of some new horse feed). In today’s highly competitive, very ‘bling’ and often gimmicky world of equestrian pursuits, Judy stands out as an example of down-to-earth work ethic, foresight, knowledge, competence, courage and caring.

Farewell to a gregarious, gracious, amazing lady.