Olympics
Equestrian: Olympian from Duvall living for the ride

By Seattle Times staff

JOEL RICHARDSON / THE WASHINGTON POST Amy Tryon of Duvall, aboard her Olympic mount, Poggio II, whom she obtained in a trade with a friend who purchased him from a classified ad for $2,500.

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While flipping through the Seattle Times' classifieds six years ago, Amy Tryon and a friend found an ad for a former mountain packhorse with a Thoroughbred pedigree.

The friend snapped up the horse for just $2,500, thinking she would resell him for a profit. But just a week later the two women worked out a deal: Tryon would take the horse from the classifieds and the friend would get one from Tryon's stable.

"For me, financially, it's reality," said Tryon, a Duvall firefighter now on the Olympic equestrian team. "I come from a very modest background. It's just never been reality to be able to buy expensive horses. All of the horses I ride come from the racetrack outside of Seattle or kind of in the backwoods. Most of them cost under $3,000."

Six years later, it looks like Tryon made a good trade. The former packhorse, Poggio II, was named yesterday as Tryon's ride on the U.S. Olympic eventing team. It was an upset, as Poggio II had been the alternate, but was given the starting position at the last minute over another horse Tryon used in competition, My Beau.

"It's kind of like us old folks who — My Beau and myself — who stumble a half step when they get up from sitting with their knees folded under themselves," said Jeri Cain, Tryon's mother, on explaining the news yesterday. "I love Pogi to pieces, but I was hoping Beau would get to have his day in the sun, too."

Graphic  The three-day event

While Tryon owns part of the 11-year-old Poggio II with Mark Hart, the 14-year-old My Beau is owned by Bob, Barbara and Leigh Mesher. When not competing, both are stabled at Upson in Duvall, where Tryon and husband Greg run Maple Leaf Eventing.

"Horses to me are like people," Tryon said. "You meet them and you either bond with them right away and click with their personality (or not). You can't put your finger on why that is."

Tryon has made the five-member eventing squad — three disciplines: dressage, cross country and show jumping, demonstrating the range of their skills.

"I train (the horses), and if they want to be event horses, then that's fantastic," she said. "And if they don't, we sell them and they end up doing some other career, whatever they're good at. I've had a lot of horses I've bought that way. I don't have an option of any other way."

	Amy Tryon makes her living as a firefighter

Tryon grew up outside of Seattle, living an idyllic childhood, full of 4-H, Pony Club, shows and fairs. Her mother had always wanted a pony, so she provided her two tiny daughters with an opportunity she never experienced. Their first little Shetland pony led to jumping instruction in the backyard, coming together to form the makings of a world-class equestrian.

"This journey has been an incredible one for Amy — a shy, dyslexic girl who completed high school in two years so she could work her way across country to ride," said Cain, who lives in Kirkland and is now in Athens. "The title of the book I will someday write will probably be "Against All Odds!"

Tryon, 34, has been able to maintain her appreciation for her horses because she has never been able to spend all of her time training for competitions. She has worked as a firefighter for Eastside Fire and Rescue for 11 years, spending three 24-hour shifts on duty with four days off each week. Working only 10 days per month has allowed her the flexibility to continue her athletic pursuits.

After her request for a leave of absence from her job was denied in early July because of the additional costs, which come out of public funds, two co-workers organized 35 shift trades to cover Tryon's hours while she was away for training.

Her husband, Greg, also works for Eastside Fire and Rescue and is maneuvering some time off on his own to watch her.

The Washington Post contributed to this article.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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