United States Eventing Association

In Memoriam: Dr. Timothy Holekamp (1946-2025)

The USEA is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Dr. Timothy “Tim” Holekamp on April 19. He was 79.

Dr. Holekamp has been a steadfast supporter of eventing in the United States for many years, especially with his involvement in the USEA Young Event Horse program and his promotional efforts of breeding event horses in the U.S.

Dr. Holekamp was an honor graduate of Amherst College (Massachussetts) and Washington University School of Medicine. He completed a medicine internship at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida and an ophthalmology residency and retina/vitreous fellowship at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He taught at the University of South Florida and founded the Retina/Vitreous service there before entering private practice in 1978.

Dr. Holekamp was a lifelong horseman. He and his wife, Cheryl Holekamp, founded New Spring Farm in Columbia, Missouri, in 1984 shortly after their purchase of two Trakehner mares that they found at an American Trakehner Association (ATA) auction in Columbus, Ohio.

They quickly fell in love with the breed. At their farm they raised their own three children, as well as countless Trakehner foals and became heavily involved in the two local colleges with well-known equine programs nearby: William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri) and Stephens College (Columbia, Missouri).

With all three children involved in the United States Pony Club and eventing, the Holekamps became supporters in the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (formerly known as the Instructor Certification Program) in an effort to continue to support safety initiatives in the sport.

In late 2000, Dr. Holekamp purchased the stallion Windfall II (Habicht x Wundermaedel) from the Diehm family of Germany. Windfall II was bred in Germany by Heinz Lembke and competed through the Advanced level with German Olympian Ingrid Klimke. They were short-listed for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Dr. Holekamp placed Windfall II with Darren Chiacchia who would go on to campaign him in the U.S. He and Chiacchia competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

During his career, Windfall II continued to be a popular breeding stallion. Prior to retirement, he was one of the most prominent Advanced level eventing stallions in the world.

In 2007 the legacy of Windfall II would live on when a foal was born on the Holekamp's farm that they would later name Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall II x Thabana).

Small, but mighty, “Thomas” began his USEA eventing career in 2012, where he participated in the USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH). Thomas was later purchased by Christine Turner, who allocated the ride on the promising horse to U.S. Olympian Boyd Martin.

Martin and Thomas would go on to represent the U.S. at the highest levels of eventing, including earning the title of 2019 Land Rover/USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Champions at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Later that year, they won team and individual gold medals at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Just a year later, they made their Olympic debut in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Windfall II also sired Vandiver, out of Visions Of Grandeur. Bred by Debi Crowley, Vandiver had success at the Advanced level with Werner Geven and then Doug Payne, who competed alongside Martin and Thomas at the 2021 Olympics.

Inspired by their involvement in Thomas’ career and their efforts to continue to support the development of young event horses in the U.S., the Holekamps joined forces with Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm in 2015 to create the Holekamp/Turner Grant. This unique grant opportunity provides one graduate of the USEA Young Event Horse Championships with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the support of both the Holekamps and the Turners, seven horses have received funding through this grant since 2015.

In 2019, the Holekamps were recognized by the Trakehner Verband by being named the Trakehner Breeders of the Year, marking the first time that this distinguished honor was awarded to a Trakehner breeder in the U.S.

Dr. Holekamp served as a member of the USEA YEH Committee for several years. His support of young breeders, young horses, and the Young Event Horse program was undeniable. Following his passing, many members of the community have shared their condolences and fond memories of how he supported their journeys in the sport.

Marilyn Payne, a competitor, dressage judge, and YEH judge, said Dr. Holekamp supported the YEH program in many ways, including paying for a production company to put together online judge training videos.

“He knew way more than I will ever know about breeding and bloodlines,” she said. “He was so helpful and instrumental in the YEH program. He was extremely generous. Anytime we needed anything, Tim always came with an offer to support. We had YEH symposiums, and he would bring over all the best European judges and clinicians. He went above and beyond for anything we needed in YEH.”

“The YEH program would not be where it is without him,” she continued. “I’m so glad I got to know him and got to work with him for all those years. He taught me so much. I feel like I’m better off because I knew him.”

The USEA sends our deepest condolences to Cheryl, their children, and all of their family and friends.