Ashley Holzer Declares for the U.S.A.

Dressage

American Dressage News

Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer has officially declared to ride for the U.S.A. Holzer is a four-time Olympian, having won team bronze at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

For almost four decades Holzer has been a Canadian team anchor. She participated in the selection trials for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. On Reipo, Holzer won team bronze at the 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul. She went on to ride in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Holzer also represented Canada in the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, in Jerez in 2002, in Aachen in 2006 and in Lexington in 2010. She rode the World Cup Finals in Gothenburg in 1989 and Las Vegas in 2009. She also won team gold at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba, and team silver at the 2003 Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo. In 2004, Holzer placed 42nd in the individual dressage event and ninth with her teammates.

Holzer (née Nicoll) is married to Rusty Holzer and lives in New York City. Rusty competed at the 1990 World Equestrian Games and 1992 Olympics. The couple founded the Riverdale Equestrian Center in the Bronx in New York City in 1994. In February 2016 Holzer became a U.S. citizen with dual citizenship. She kept on riding for Canada, but now in 2017 she has declared for the U.S.A

"I have been living in the United States for almost 25 years. This country is now my home. My children are American, my husband is American, the owners of my horses that I presently compete or American so it made sense," Holzer told Eurodressage.

Ashley currently has two Grand Prix prospects to ride for her clients. Her own Grand Prix horse, the 12-year old Westfalian bred Dressed in Black (by Dresemann x Silvano), did his last CDI in April 2016.

"I'm going to start competing sir Caramello, owned by PJ Rizvi, and Havana ,owned by Dr. Diane Fellows, at the Grand Prix level. My fingers are crossed that it will look good for next year's World Equestrian Games," she added.