about
At Amara Equestrian, our goal is to provide our students and their equine partners with a customized program tailored to help meet short term and long term goals. In addition to providing professional training, quality care and amenities, we also believe in having fun and enjoying our time with our horses.
ALEXANDRA MARACIC
Maracic, head trainer, owner, and founder of Amara Equestrian, was born and raised on Long Island. She first sat on a horse when she was 6 months old and has never looked back. At the age of 9, she began competing with a strong focus on equitation, while catch riding both hunters and jumpers for several professionals. She started competing in the Medal/Maclay at age 11 and achieved numerous top placings at all the major equitation finals. After aging out of her junior career, Maracic attended the University of Georgia, where she studied business marketing and was a member of their D1 Equestrian Team. During her sophomore year, she was offered a professional riding job and later transferred and graduating with a business degree from Penn State University.
She has trained under many renowned professionals throughout her career, including but not limited to Ross Reiner, Kaylyn Fogarty, Scott Stewart, Ken Berkeley, Andre Dignelli of Heritage Farm, Val Renihan, and Daniel Bluman.
Today, Maracic splits her time between Wellington and Long Island. She focuses on sales horses, breeding, and training her students from the short stirrup to the big equitation and junior/amateur jumpers. She has trained countless division champions, International jumper and derby winners, and more. Maracic herself has achieved numerous top placings at the national, U25, 2*, 3*, and 4* levels, along with hunter championships and derby wins up and down the East Coast.
MATTHEW SASSMANNSHAUSEN
Mattew, trainer and co-owner of Amara Equestrian, grew up on his family owned farm located just outside of Chicago. He started is competition career in the pony hunters before moving his career to the jumper ring. Following his junior career working and riding at home, he spent two years under Missy Clark and John Brennan of North Run. Spending the summers in Vermont and Winters in Wellington, Matthew competed, prepared, and managed some of the countries winningest hunters, jumpers, and equitation horses.
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In 2016, he began pursuing the sports top level of Show Jumping and started working along side Olympian Daniel Bluman of Bluman Equestrian. As a competition rider and manager, he has helped produce riders and horses from the junior/amateur ring, up to the 5* international level. He spent summers in Spruce Meadows and Europe, where he learned from the greats of our sport. Matthew himself has successfully competed in the young jumper divisions, as well as up to the National Grand Prix level. He cares for proper horsemanship and development of young riders and horses.
