Kelly Layne's Tokyo Olympic Ride Samhitas Sold to California

Dressage

U.S.A.

Kelly Layne has sold her 2021 Australian Olympic team ride Samhitas to California. He will continue his career as a schoolmaster for Jeri Walz.

Samhitas is a 16-year old Oldenburg gelding by Sir Donnerhall I x Abanos x Rohdiamant. He is bred by Annette Engel and Andreas Wempe.

Gary Van der Ploeg and Endel Ots

He was discovered by Canadians Gary and Jean van der Ploeg at the 2012 Oldenburg Autumn Elite Auction in Vechta, Germany, where they bought him as price highlight for 250,000 euro.

In 2015 the ride on Samhitas was allocated to Endel Ots from Wellington, Florida. He qualified for the 2015 World Young Horse Championships, where they finished 11th in the consolation finals.

In 2016 Ots competed the 7-year old Samhitas in the Prix St Georges at the CDI Devon and won the Open Prix St Georges Championship at the USDF Dressage Finals.

The horse did not compete in 2017 and 2018, but was in fact sold to Japan and ridden by Yuriko Miyoshi for a while.

Kelly Layne

In 2019 Samhitas was sent to Wellington to be trained by Australian Kelly Layne. Officially the ownership on his FEI passport changed from Van der Ploeg to Layne.

He arrived in her barn in February 2019 and they made their CDI debut at Grand Prix level at the 2019 CDI Tryon in September. In December 2019, Japanese Nora Maezawa was added as owner of Samhitas' passport, while Kelly retained the ride as her Tokyo Olympic hopeful.

In 2020 Layne competed him extensively on the Wellington circuit, but due to the corona pandemic the Olympics were postponed by a year. In 2021 Layne captured a team place after several Australians (both Oatleys, Jorgensen) dropped out of the race. In Tokyo, Samhitas did not cope with the electric atmosphere and reared in the piaffe. He scored 58.354% to finish 57th. It was their last international as a pair.

The pair returned to the national show ring at the WEC September Dressage (2022) and scored 69.348% to win a national Grand Prix

Short Trip to Japan and Back to Wellington

At the start of 2023 Layne announced in Equestrian Life magazine that Samhitas had moved to his owner in Japan. As of February 2024 Maezawa was listed as the full owner of the horse with the FEI.

Samhitas returned to Wellington though and in July 2024 Kelly showed him again at a national show in Ocala to a 68.936% Grand Prix score. In January 2025 the pair returned to the arena at the Global Dressage Festival in the CDI arena, scoring 64.913 in the Grand Prix and 67.950% in the Special.

The pair's last show was in the national ring two weeks later, for another 69.022 and 70.815% score.

To California

In February 2025 Samhitas sold to 77-year old Jeri Walz in California. She trains in Arroyo del Mar.

The new duo made its show debut at Grand Prix at last weekend's CDN Dressage Affaire in Del Mar.

Walz began competing in dressage in 2016 aboard Galo AL (PRE, by Jondo x Empaque II) going from training level to small tour. In 2019 she competed Moresco Essenbaek (DWB, by Loudini x Racot) at fourth level and after a five-year show break returned to the arena in 2024 aboard small tour horse It's a Pleasure (KWPN, by Dark Pleasure x Zack). Walz also owns Ribery (WESTF, by Rock Forever x Floestan) which has been shown by Matt Cunningham and Alexa Brown.