USEF Adds Ashley Holzer to the U.S. Olympic Team Short List

Dressage

U.S.A

USEF Selectors and the Dressage Sport Committee have named Ashley Holzer as last minute addition to the U.S.Olympic Team short list "following recent results in Europe."

This makes her legally eligible for Olympic team nomination. The FEI nominative entry deadline is 24 June 2024. There is one more qualification show (Rotterdam/Kronberg) to go next weekend.

Seasoned Olympian

Ashley Holzer is a seasoned Olympian, having competed for her native country Canada at the 1988, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She has been based in New York City but is now year-round in Wellington, FL, where she runs a successful training business with a string of loyal students (Jill Irving, P.J. Rizvi, Naima Moreira Laliberte, Brittany Fraser, Katherine Bateson).

She is married to American Charles 'Rusty" Holzer, who represented the United States Virgin Islands in show jumping at the 1992 Olympics. A son of Andy Warhol's muse Baby Jane, Rusty is a real estate developer and has close ties with Mark Bellissimo and the development of the show grounds in Wellington.

Holzer declared for the U.S.A. in 2017.

Riding for the U.S.A.

Ashley first represented the U.S.A. at the 2022 World Cup Finals aboard Diane Fellows' Havanna (by Hochadel x Rodgau, finishing 9th with 75.532%. It was the mare's last international.

Four months later she rode her own Valentine (by Sir Donnerhall x Ragazzo) at the 2022 World Championships in Herning, where they finished 88th with 61.258%. Valentine's last CDI was in September 2023.

Aiming for Paris

Ashley's hopeful for Paris is PJ Rizvi’s 11-year old KWPN gelding Hansel (by Don Olymbrio x Metall) whom she began competing internationally at small tour level in 2021 and moved up to Grand Prix in 2023.

During the winter competitions in Florida, the talented liver chestnut often showed tension and spookiness, which led to mixed results throughout the winter (Grand Prix scores between 64.783% and 71.283%). At the CDI Myakka City (a non OG/MER event as a late addition to the calendar, one 5* judge present) at the start of May the pair found its stride and posted 72.500% in the Grand Prix.

The pair's overall score was not high enough to be named to the U.S. Short List but Holzer shipped four of her horses at her own expense to Europe to try out nonetheless. At the first observation event at the CDI Hagen she finished 8th in the Grand Prix (71.456% - 5th best US score) and 4th in the Special (72.000% - second best U.S. score).

Added to the Short List

With Hansel at the CDI Hagen on 6 June 22024

USEF selectors have now recommended the Dressage Sport Committee to add Holzer to U.S. short list.

Her inclusion on the list is based on Article 1.2.2. of the USEF Athlete Selection Procedure. It reads: "In exceptional circumstances, an additional athlete/horse combination may be added to the Short List (possibly exceeding eight (8) athletes) if the scores are reflective of a combination that could assist in the overall Team performance. In reviewing the possibility of adding the combination to the Short List, Selectors will use the criteria cited above, in addition to the combination’s scores achieved over the last six (6) months in FEI Dressage Events."

Holzer and Hansel will have to prove themselves in the highly electric environment of the CDIO Rotterdam, where they will ride for the U.S.A. on the FEI Nations Cup.