Sunday, March 21, 2006

Ocala Winter Dressage at the Florida Horse Park

Cheryl Holekamp Earns Grand Prix Win

It took four years, but for Cheryl Holekamp the wait was worth it. Holekamp rode her home-bred mare Hera to a 63.75% in an FEI Grand Prix Level class and earned the blue ribbon, placing above James Koford on Donatelli II, Erin Brinkman on Hailo and Eleanor Rawle on Waldaire.

“I felt that Hera and I had a pretty good test and was hoping for a 60%,” said Holekamp. “I was amazingly surprised when I went to the scoreboard and saw that we had not only earned a 63.7%, but that we had won the class. Hera is a small mare that has three correct gaits but is not a big mover, so 8s are very hard to come by. We must ride a very correct and accurate test to get good scores. Hera gave me her very best that day as usual and I managed to be a worthy partner and rode her well.”

Since deciding to compete in dressage rather than eventing, Holekamps’s goal has not been only to breed a Grand Prix Level horse, but also be its rider and trainer, which she did with assistance from coaches Gunnar Ostergaard and Jayne Ayers. “Gunnar was the one to recognize the abilities of my ‘plain brown wrapper’ of a mare and fondly refers to her as a female Seabiscut,” said Holekamp. “She is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, cheerfully trying her best each and every day.”

Hera, a Trakehner by Garabaldi and out of Havel by Matador, is just one of the top Trakehners owned by Tim and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm in Columbia, Mo. and Ocala, Fla. Windfall II, who was Darren Chiacchia’s eventing mount at the 2004 Athens Olympics, is perhaps their most well-known horse. But, Hera may be on her way to joining Windfall II at the top. With Holekamp riding, the mare has earned her USDF Silver Medal and is one 60% score away from earning her Gold. Also with Holekamp riding, Hera was the third-placed winner in the 1998 ATA Dressage Futurity and two years later won the U.S. Combined Training Association Area IV Training Level Eventing Championship.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to compete at the Florida Horse Park,” said Holekamp. “The rapid development of this park into a first-class competition facility has truly been amazing. The footing is the best on which I have ever competed. I look forward to the continued development of the Florida Horse Park.”

HorsesDaily 'On the Scene' at The Florida Horse Park