94 SIDELINES JULY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Nicky Graf Ussher
Hannah Holik of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was born into an
equestrian family and began riding under the watchful eye of her
mother, Renée, when she was just 4 years old. Hannah, now a
junior in high school, is a proven competitor in the hunter ring, and
is moving up the ranks in the jumper ring as well.
For the past four years, Hannah has been training with Randy
Henry, a well-respected rider, trainer and judge from Winsome
Farms outside of Denver, Colorado. Hannah keeps her horses
at home on the family farm where Henry comes to do clinics in
between training Hannah at the horse shows.
One of Hannah’s biggest accomplishments came in November
2013 at the North American League’s (NAL) West Coast Finals
at the Las Vegas National Horse Show. Dozens of riders from
across the western United States competed in the important year-
end championships in five different divisions. It was the first time
for Hannah to compete in the NAL Finals, and she claimed the
$5,000 Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship title
with her horse Santiago, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned
by Czech Mate, LLC. Only three horses made it to the jump-off
from the starting field of 25 entries, and Hannah clinched the win
after producing a clear round in the jump-off with the fastest time
of 32.944 seconds.
“I’m very proud of my horse Santiago,” Hannah said. “I feel very
fortunate to have such a special horse with that kind of heart and
determination. Santiago has a giant stride and I relied on that in
the jump-off. That’s where Santiago is always at his best!”
Santiago is just one of Hannah’s horses, and she considers him
to be her speed horse. “He loves making tight turns, and thrives in
the jump-offs,” Hannah said. “At home he’s a completely different
horse. He’s extremely lazy and sometimes cranky when I ask him
to work hard on the flat. Santiago has been a wonderful teacher,
and has taught me a lot about riding a horse that truly wants to
win.”
Hannah also has two other Belgian Warmblood jumpers, Cupido
de Laubry and Ferno. Riding Cupido de Laubry, Hannah topped
the West Conference Junior Division standings of the 2013 Show
Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series,
and also placed second in the Series’ West
Coast Final at the Las Vegas National Horse
Show. During the 2013 season, the duo won
two Hall of Fame classes at Colorado and
placed second in another.
For the 2014 winter circuit, Hannah took
all three of her horses to train and compete
in Ocala where she was able to focus on
the upper level divisions of the High Junior
Jumpers and some Grand Prix with Cupido
de Laubry. She’s now turning her sights to
the competitions at the Colorado Horse Park,
Sonoma, California, and the Sacramento
International.
Besides riding, Hannah enjoys skiing,
reading, and baking horse cookies, but when
she’s in the saddle, her favorite thing is to
condition and gallop her horses in the fields
around their farm. She manages to balance
her riding with her school work, and has set
goals in both. She’s focusing on a strong
finish to her junior years and adding to her
Grand Prix resume, but her ultimate goal is
to go to college with a focus on the veterinary
medical field.
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Hannah Holik – Rocking the Ring
Hannah and Santiago jump at the 2013 NAL West Coast Finals in the Low Jr AO.
Photo by McCool Photography
Hannah Holik
Photo courtesy of Hannah Holik
