Before she enters the arena, Amy Michau, a showjumper champion and now Stellenbosch University (SU) graduate, is petrified.  But the moment she and her horse, Blu Equestrians Go To Blue, cross into the ring, everything changes.

“I’m very calm once I go in,” says Michau. “I kind of forget about everything – it’s just me and my horse and what my coach has told me to do. I don’t really hear anyone else around. I just know what I’ve got to do.”

This focus delivered an extraordinary 2025 season: three Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) World Cup Qualifier victories, the overall South African FEI World Cup Qualifier League title, and her South African colours – the pinnacle achievement in her sport.

At 23, competing at the elite 1,50 m–1,55 m level, Michau has built on her 2023 South African Adult Showjumping Championship to cement her status as one of the top riders in the country.

On Tuesday 9 December, she graduated with a BSc (Agric) in Animal Science.

Most people can’t fathom how she’s done both. Michau lives what she calls “two different lives”. In Stellenbosch, she’s a student; in Johannesburg, where she flies to every few weeks, she strictly competes.

Being a student and a top athlete is difficult, and she shares that she struggled at times. The key is learning to thrive under pressure rather than crack beneath it.

“I figured out how to control everything. If I take all that stress and pressure and put it to good use, then I can accomplish whatever I want.”

This mindset fuelled her breakthrough season. After taking a break from competing in 2024, she sat down with her mom at the start of 2025 and set small, achievable goals. Every time she hit one, they set another. “I achieved way more than I ever expected, ending up with three World Cup qualifiers.”

Earning her South African colours was a dream come true. “When I was eight years old, I used to watch all the top riders. I never thought I’d ever end up being there one day,” she shares. 

Next year, Michau will take on a Master’s degree in meat science – she wants to work with cattle and make the family farm profitable so she can eventually fund her own horses, while continuing to train and compete with and learn from the world’s best riders. 

Her advice to anyone pursuing what seems impossible? “In my experience, your goals are never too big. You can always achieve them. Never stop believing in yourself, because if you do believe in yourself, and you believe in your horse, you can definitely get to wherever you want to go.”