Tommy Greengard and That’s Me Z. Photo by Sherry Stewart.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that That’s Me Z, owned by Tommy Greengard and Andrea M. Pfeiffer, is the likely recipient of the 2024 Holekamp/Turner Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize. That’s Me Z (Take A Chance On Me Z x Venetia) is a 7-year-old Zangersheide gelding ridden by Greengard and was bred by Simons Roeland. The pair aims to represent the U.S. at the 2024 FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L championship. The championship will take place at La Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France, from Oct. 17-20.
The intention of the Holekamp/Turner Grant is to further develop an upward pathway for U.S. team horses in the sport of eventing. The grant recipients who are North American-bred are awarded the full cash grant of $17,500. If the winner is an imported horse, he/she will be awarded $8,000. Since That’s Me Z was imported, his team will be awarded $8,000 USD. The team will also receive The Dutta Corp. prize which is one round-trip flight to Europe. The grant will be officially awarded after That’s Me Z passes the first horse inspection at the championship in France.
“Andrea and I fell in love with ‘Z’ after seeing a Facebook photo Matt Flynn posted over two years ago,” said Greengard. “Since then, we’ve shared a fantastic journey together, owning several horses. We playfully set our sights on Lion when Z was the highest-placed young horse from both coasts, and he has continued to exceed our expectations. Andrea has been an incredibly supportive coach and owner, encouraging us to go early for much-needed European experience before aiming for the CCI3*-L at Lion. We would not be here without her.”
Z has had the opportunity to compete at some bigger-atmosphere competitions leading up to where he is today including the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds (Lexington, Kentucky), as well as the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs (Temecula, California), and the Wellington International (England). In an attempt to best help prepare Z for the experience at Le Lion, the pair packed up at the end of July and made their way overseas where they are currently based with New Zealand Olympian Jonelle Price. They recently competed in the CCI3*-S at Cornbury House (England).
“He has grown a lot from his experiences here in England,” noted Greengard. “As he matures, Z has become quite comfortable in the larger venues and high-pressure situations. This year, as a 7-year-old, has been significant for his growth. It’s a crucial learning year for him, marking a step up from the Preliminary level, but he has developed noticeably in his mind and strength. His natural understanding and aptitude for the job continue to impress us. We look forward to seeing him come out of his shell even more this fall.”
Greengard describes Z as a quirky, sensitive type, but in the past two years his confidence has grown exponentially, and so has their relationship together.
“Watching Z embrace this role and develop a love for the sport has been a joy,” he shared. “Our goal is always to bring horses to the top levels of competition and major championship events. This feels like a natural progression for both mine and Z’s career, and I look forward to gaining more exposure and experience. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about. I hope to do him justice because he is truly a special horse, and his time will surely come.”
The horse that has the highest score from the 2022 USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) 5-year-old Championships that is also qualified to compete in the 7-year-old championship and is able to travel, receives the Holekamp/Turner Grant. Last year was the first year in the history of the grant that the overall champion from the YEH Championships was the recipient of the grant, and that tradition will continue with That’s Me Z. The Zangersheide gelding won the Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships on an impressive score of 85.3, topping all scores from both the East and West Coast Championships.
If the highest-scoring YEH horse from the 2022 YEH Championships does not qualify or is unable to attend, the grant is then awarded to the next highest scorer who is qualified and able to go. The 2022 Reserve Champion Top Carrera, a 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Roland Millican and Gabby Dickerson and ridden by Dickerson, have expressed an interest in competing and representing the U.S. if they were to receive the grant funding.
