We are celebrating the honorable Holsteiner as our March Breed of the Month on YourDressage!
Did you know that dressage riders who choose a Holsteiner as their dressage mount are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the Holsteiner Verband-North American Breeding District is a participating organization?
Here, a rider from Region 2 shares the special bond she’s built with her Holsteiner as they’ve tackled her goals together.
By Lauren Hamm
My love, passion, and fascination for horses began when I was just a toddler. My dad, my papa, and I would frequent county and state fairs, local farms… anywhere animals were available. Although I enjoyed all animals, my attention was always drawn toward horses. I started riding when I was 12 years old, and my dad bought my first horse, a five-year-old green and spirited Morgan mare named Cookie, who I just retired last year. My nights and weekends were consumed by barn time with my new best friend. Our bond was instant, and we spent as much time together as possible. Cookie even went to college with me, where we showed dressage, which ultimately became my main focus. My goal was to show upper-level dressage, but despite her dedication, Cookie wasn’t built to take me there.
After I completed veterinary school, I purchased an 18-year-old Rhineland gelding in January 2022. In June of that same year, I had to euthanize him due to an inoperable tumor found during colic surgery. I knew finding another horse was going to be very difficult, especially since I didn’t exactly know what I was looking for. I rode so many horses of all ages, breeds, and training levels while looking for my next dance partner. Amid the search, my trainer and I traveled to Lexington, Kentucky. Charleston, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, was the second horse I tried while I was there, and I immediately knew he was the one. I had never ridden a lead change before, but the trainer told me how to ask, and he automatically changed. I still test rode numerous other horses, but he kept coming to the forefront of my mind, and I brought him home in November of 2022, ready to begin my next chapter.
Charleston is one of those horses with the most intelligent – albeit goofy – personalities, and brings that to light each day. He loves drinking from the hose and demands it after every ride in the summer. He enjoys playing over the jumps while being free-lunged, and he loves to take his daily naps in the sun, appearing deceased at times. Every day with him is a new experience, but his dedication to work is never-ending. Charleston is eager to please, loves positive reinforcement, and always tries his hardest, especially at shows – even more so if it means treats are involved!
In 2023, I started showing Second Level consistently with Charleston, though he was trained through Prix St. George, and I really had to work on sitting his trot work. Just last week in April 2024, we danced down centerline for our Fourth Level debut, earning a 66.184%, and his medium and extended trots have become so easy for me to sit. Charleston has proven himself to be a superb partner. Had I been told just a year earlier that I would earn my USDF Bronze Medal and my first score towards my Silver Medal, I would have been skeptical. But Charleston is one of the most talented horses I have ever had the pleasure to ride, and continues teaching me new things with every ride.
As we look ahead, my goal is to compete a Third Level freestyle, and qualify for the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships at Fourth Level. Charleston is not just a horse; he is a once-in-a-lifetime companion, and I am proud to say he’s a Holsteiner.
