Holly started riding at age four and she has been hooked on horses ever since. She began riding at Whipple Tree Farm where she competed in the hunter ring from age seven to twelve. At Whipple Tree, she grew a solid foundation for which to further develop her riding skills. Holly was one of a few kids who could handle riding the naughty ponies. After Whipple Tree, Holly was introduced to Pony Club. Holly achieved the C-3 Rating in Pony Club before focusing on other riding endeavors.
Holly strongly believes a good rider starts with solid horse management skills. The care a horse receives will ultimately affect the relationship between horse and rider and the extent to which a horse is willing to give 110%. Horse management skills are stressed to all of Holly's students.
Over the past 13 years she has been Eventing, Holly has worked with numerous trainers to become a more effective rider. Holly recently began taking dressage lessons from well-known riding instructor Paul Kathen. Paul utilizes the German system for dressage training and has significant accomplishments within the USDF including obtaining both his bronze and silver medals.
Holly also has plans to begin furthering her skills and knowledge through instruction from Bobby Costello of North Carolina. Bobby represented the United States in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 where he finished 8th individually. In addition, he won team gold at the Pan Am games in 2003.
Holly will utilize the experience and expertise she gains from both Paul and Bobby to assist with furthering the education of her students and she hopes to bridge the gap in the level of instruction available for Area V based competitors.
Holly was a long-time student of Nancy Lindsey (Richmond, TX). Other trainers she has worked with extensively include Clark Montgomery (Winner of the 2011 CCI*** at Bromont), Ruth Sawin, and Barbara Jacobs. Additional instructors she has worked with over the years include Boyd Martin, Kerry Millikin, Phillip Dutton, Nick Larkin, Jennifer Bodtmann, Carsten Meyer, Karen Brown, Donna Meyer, and Cody Seibert.
Holly has competed successfully to the Preliminary Level in Eventing. Her main passion is for retraining ex-racehorses for careers as Eventers. She has a significant amount of experience dealing with green horses and problem horses. In November of 2010, Holly purchased a young OTTB prospect who began his competitive career in the fall of 2011. In July of 2011, Holly purchased a Preliminary mount who she has aspirations of competing through the Advanced level in the coming years. Be sure to check out the "Competition Horses" page for more information on both new barn additions!
Holly graduated from Texas A&M University in May of 2009 with both a Bachelor's and Master's in Accounting and is currently employed by Deloitte Tax LLP as a Senior Tax Consultant with a focus on individual taxation of expatriates and inpatriates. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Texas.