By Sarah Pape Hester
We are celebrating the honorable Holsteiner as our April Breed of the Month on YourDressage!
Did you know that dressage riders who choose a Holsteiner as their 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 mother-daughter pair share the story of the Holsteiner gelding who helped them both achieve their USDF Silver Medal, and how this special horse has been so influential on their lives and dreams.
Most serious dressage riders would not buy a 10-year-old, First Level horse with the hopes of reaching Grand Prix, but that was what my budget allowed, and that was where my aspirations lay. As a result, in 2010, I purchased my next dressage partner, Austin Chase, a 2000 registered Holsteiner gelding (Ariadus x Konsuelo – Cicero) from a lovely woman, Jana Nelson. Austin was named after a new coffee company in Seattle, Washington (Austin Chase) and had been bred by Mike McCormick of Foxfire Farm, on Fox Island, Washington. Not a white hair on him at the time I purchased him, his color appropriately resembled a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Although I had a lifetime history of riding and equestrian activities (hunter/jumper, eventing, Pony Club, judging), I had been out of the competition ring for 15 years. Raising a family, running a small farm, caring for my retired horses, and working as a full-time Montessori teacher left no space for competitive riding. I missed it, and when my daughter, Amanda Hester, showed an interest and talent for riding on her horse, Herbie Hancock, I decided it was time for me to get serious again.
There could have been no better match for this busy mother than Austin Chase! To say that he was kind, talented, sturdy, and friendly is an understatement. But what capped it off was his work ethic! Every single day he went to work where we left off. He was not graced with fancy gaits, but had a solid walk, trot, and canter, and worked as hard as he could, to do what was asked of him.
Amanda developed a special bond with Austin and we both delighted at his loud “trumpeting” when he heard us walk into the barn. Soon after we purchased him, young Amanda looked at me and said, “I am going to get my USDF Silver Medal on Austin.” Her optimism has always led the way for me, and my thought was, “That’s great, but get in line, because I am going to get mine first!”
I credit Austin’s Holsteiner breed, and his specific breeding, for his phenomenal ability to work hard and retain his training. Although he could spook like any horse at times, it was always warranted, short-lived, and followed by a back-to-work demeanor. I’ll never forget the show where Amanda was competing with him, and there were motocross races being held outside and below the dressage arena! Austin came around the corner, lost his mind briefly, and then went right back to work. Show management closed the arena doors after that!
At our first show in 2011, Austin was Second Level champion, and from 2011-2019 we made our way up the levels, from Second Level to Intermediate 2, garnering many championships along the way with the help of our Texas trainer, Lyndon Rife. We earned a trip to the 2015 US Dressage Finals Presented by Adequan®, in Lexington, at Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges (PSG), placing fifth at Fourth Level, and in the middle of a large pack at PSG. It was a thrill to ride in the Rolex Arena. Did Austin mind the close crowds and noisy arena? Not a bit! “Bring it on,” he said! Every single year we competed, Austin earned North American Holsteiner Association Inc All-Breeds Awards top three placings at every level he competed.
In 2020, our trainer decided it was time for us to retire Austin. Unsure about this decision, I left this trainer’s barn and took him home to our farm, to assess the situation and give him much needed pasture time with his buddy, Herbie Hancock. Amanda and I put together a new team of experts, including vets from two different clinics, and a new farrier. We also changed his nutrition to more closely match his needs. It is hard to say which of these changes made such a difference, but it was apparent within three months that Austin had no intention of being retired! He became livelier, healthier, happier, and so eager to work and play that he passaged out to the pasture each morning! Every single professional in Austin’s team of caregivers came to the same and independent decision: keep this horse in work and keep going! He will let you know when he needs to retire.
I earned my USDF Silver Medal in 2015, and had taken Austin successfully to Intermediate 2. Amanda had competed successfully through Third Level and, with her background in hunter/jumpers and pony club, was eager to move up the levels in dressage. It became clear that the right thing to do was to pass the reins to Amanda to do what she had declared she would achieve 10 years ago: earn her USDF Silver Medal. Although she had never shown past Third Level, Amanda, under the guidance of Gail Abele, earned her Silver Medal on Austin in just two competitions.
Photo by Sarah Pape Hester
A testimony to Amanda’s talent and Austin’s ability, this pair exceeded all expectations (except Amanda’s) and, in the next three years, from 2020 through 2023, Amanda and Austin rose steadily up the ranks to Grand Prix! She has now declared her goal of achieving her USDF Gold Medal with him. Having earned her first two scores toward her Gold, the Grand Prix scores have understandably been a bit harder to get. But, with Grand Prix scores up to 58%, this pair is not far from that elusive Gold Medal!
Amanda and I both continue to train and show Austin and, at age 24, he has given us no indication of wanting to retire. He is evaluated twice a year by his new team of professionals in Aiken, South Carolina, where we moved in June of 2023. This new team of vets, farrier, and body worker have also all agreed: keep on riding this marvelous horse!
Austin has been such a powerful influence in our lives that Amanda designed our new Foxglove Equestrian logo with Austin in mind. We both credit Austin with giving us the opportunity and confidence to do things and to go places in the world of dressage that we never expected! We both believe that being a Holsteiner is a big part of Austin’s talent, good-natured personality, sturdiness, and work ethic. If we could buy a clone of Austin Chase, we would! We all know that things can change in a heartbeat, but as of this writing, Austin is going strong. He will be 24 on July 11, 2024.
