Heike Holstein's Olympic Ride Sambuca Sold to the U.S.A.

Dressage

Ireland

Ireland's number one Grand Prix and Tokyo Olympic pair, Heike Holstein and Sambuca, are no longer a duo. Holstein has sold her Grand Prix horse to American Tracy Kelley.

Sambuca is a 13-year old Irish sport horse bred mare by Samarant out of Astoria (by Limmerick).

Home Bred

Sambuca is the first horse Heike bred herself. The four-time Olympian and 13-time Irish national champion is based in County Kildare, close to Dublin. Holstein trained the dark bay mare from novice to Grand Prix level herself.

"She was quite a bossy boots when she was younger, but she’s got much better," Holstein told Horse & Hound.

In 2019 Jake and William Bell became registered as owners of the mare.

Irish Team Horse

Holstein and Sambuca made their international show debut at small tour level at the 2018 CDI Hickstead after Holstein's 13-year absence from international showing! Three months later their Grand Prix debut followed at the CDI Le Mans.

In 2019 they campaigned at the CDI's in Lier, Dortmund, Keysoe, Compiegne, Bolesworth, and Aachen and rode on the Irish team at the 2019 European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, where the "girls in green" made history by clinching a team place for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics.

After a consistent campaign in 2021 in preparation of Tokyo, with starts at the CDI Exloo, Wellington Heckfield, and Rotterdam, Holstein and Sambuca seemed fixtures for the Irish team in Tokyo. However, Ireland's team trainer Johann Hinnemann decided not to nominate a team - a decision strongly contested by the riders - and Heike went to the 2021 Olympics as an individual rider. She scored 68.432% in the Grand Prix (37th).

In 2022 Holstein and Sambuca showed at just one CDI, in Wellington Heckfield in June.

Sold to the U.S.A.

Heike and Sambuca at the 2019 CDIO Aachen

Holstein announced the sale of Sambuca on 11 July 2022. The pair is therefore not available for team selection for the 2022 World Championships Dressage.

"I am so proud of her and all we have achieved together," said Holstein. "To train and ride a horse that is homebred all the way to the Olympics was a dream come true for me."

Heike confirmed to Eurodressage that Sambuca sold to the 45-year old American Tracy Kelley, who trains by Canadian Lindsay Kellock at Enterprise Farm. She competed Kajak (by Geniaal x Jazz) at fourth level in the national classes at the 2022 Global Dressage Festival.

Heike has no immediate FEI level star to ride but several up and coming ones in the pipeline.