Todd And Amanda Minikus Have A Partnership Focused On Horses And Family
Todd and Amanda Minikus have had an enduring love affair with horses — and each other. They first met at the prestigious National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the late 1990s, just a couple of equestrians at one of the biggest shows in the United States.
“Todd was trying to steal my pallet for my equipment to be taken up,” Amanda recalled. “Needless to say, he was unsuccessful.”
Several years later, Amanda ended up working for Todd. Fast forward a few more years and Todd was finally able to steal her heart. They were married on Jan. 6, 2008.
The 2020 season is Todd Minikus’ 40th as a professional rider and 35th competing in Grand Prix competitions — an amazing achievement in the world of show jumping. He has won more than 150 Grand Prix classes and represented the U.S. on numerous occasions, including medal-winning Nations Cup and Pan American Games teams.
Todd also won the Million Dollar Grand Prix in Saugerties, N.Y., en route to earning the prestigious Equestrian of the Year award in 2014. That same year, his horse Quality Girl earned the top ranking for Horse of the Year with the most cumulative points.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments I have achieved so far,” Todd said of his lengthy career. “The more I do this, the more I realize I didn’t know anything about training horses and you still learn every day.”
Minikus, who grew up near Des Moines, Iowa, was also involved in bull riding when he was younger. He often attends the annual Professional Bull Riding Championships. He also enjoys NASCAR and went to the race in Charlotte in 2019.
“I love the sport. It’s the best sport in the world,” Todd said of bull riding. “I just played around with it. I just love all fast sports. Maybe I’m an adrenaline junkie.”
At their 10-acre compound in a gated community near Wellington, Todd is in charge of riding and training, while Amanda is in charge of everything else. When Todd is away at shows, Amanda takes over the riding and care of the horses at home. They moved into their four-bedroom home and 24-stall barn compound on Thanksgiving Day in 2010.
“It has been a partnership for more than 20 years, and at this point we have really found a balance between the two of us that makes it really work,” Amanda said. “As far as rules, no rules. Hard work and do it right.”
“My wife is always right,” Todd said. “Well, we are still alive.”
Balancing career and family can sometimes be tricky, but together they make it work. Their secret? “I have no idea,” Todd said. “We take it one day at a time.”
Minikus, who turns 58 years old on June 11, is planning to be busy during the current season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.
“I have a string of younger horses that I am bringing along and hoping to get some top horses to add to my string,” said Todd, who also trains and coaches several other competitors at various levels.
Robert Reyers of Wellington enjoys training with Todd Minikus.
“He’s one of the great American riders,” said Reyers, who trains with Todd six days a week. “He’s very visual. He’ll get off his horse and get on my horse to show me the right way.”
Even during training, Todd injects some fun into it.
“He has a very good sense of humor,” Reyers said. “And he’s a big family man. Everything he does, he does for his kids.”
Todd and Amanda have two children — Colt, 11, and Langley, 8. They also have several dogs, including Rhodesian ridgebacks. Managing it all together just works out for them.
“I cannot say there is any kind of program to make it all work. It somehow just happens,” Amanda said. “Our son Colt plays tennis and golf and is an extreme Lego builder. Our daughter Langley rides and does gymnastics. Langley shows a lot of promise with her riding. The barn chores tend to be difficult, seeing as both of our children are allergic to horses. Who would have thought?”
Langley will get itchy eyes and must take allergy medicine to alleviate the symptoms, Amanda explained.
With so much going on at home with the horses and children, spare time is hard to come by.
“There is really not too much time for relaxing,” Todd said. “It is a 24-hour occupation. But if there are moments, hanging at our house would be one of them.”
Equestrian Sport Productions President Michael Stone, a former rider and coach at the highest levels of international horse sports, has been watching top competitors for many years.
“Todd is one of the world’s top riders and has been able to maintain that for a long time,” Stone said. “It is not a matter of luck that he has remained at the top for all these years. He is, without a doubt, one of nature’s gentlemen.”
Equestrian insurance executive Joe Norick has known Todd since the 1980s when they met while both were in Arizona.
“To me, there’s no better horseman,” said Norick, who also is impressed by Todd’s teaching ability and his sense of humor. “He’s an amazing teacher. He’s super nice and warm. He doesn’t yell; he’s not mean. He’s like, let’s fix it, let’s make the horse better, let’s make the rider better, let’s make the team better.”
Todd and Amanda Minikus, as a team, are getting better every day.
To learn more about Todd Minikus, visit www.toddminikusshowjumping.com.
