Tim Holekamp, the Trakehner Breeder of the Year 2019, has passed away on 19 April 2025. He was 79 years old.
Holekamp and his wife Cheryl own New Spring Farm in Columbia, MO, but lived more recently in Ocala, FL, where he passed away.
Dr. Holekamp
Tim grew up in St. Louis and 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. He was one of the first fellowship-trained specialists in laser retina surgery.
He not only practiced his profession for over 40 years, but became his group’s business manager, the Chief of Surgery at his hospital, and the leader of ethics and quality improvement for more than 20 years. He spent time abroad as a young man, committing his efforts, medical skill, and a suitcase full of donated eyeglasses to those less fortunate in El Salvador. This was possible because, in addition to English, he could understand and speak Spanish, French, and German.
Passion for Trakehners
One trip to the 1984 American Trakehner Association convention sealed a relationship with the breed and its association. They bought two Trakehner mares at the two Trakehner mares that we bought at the ATA auction in Columbus, Ohio, that same year.
Tim an Cheryl are possibly best known for their acclaimed Trakehner stallion Windfall (by Habicht x Madruzzo xx), which they bought in Germany in 2000 from Wolfgang and Christa Diehm of Gestut Hörstein. The stallion helped win the Olympic team bronze in Athens 2004 with rider Darren Chiacchia. In 2022 Cheryl and Windfall became members of the Century Club.
In 2011 Holekamp was elected President of the American Trakehner Association at the 36th annual convention in Jacksonville, FL. He succeeded outgoing president Brad Kerbs and got re-elected for a second two-year term in 2013.
Holekamp has been a steadfast supporter of eventing in the United States for many years. He was a member of the US Equestrian Federation-sponsored Eventing Owners Task Force. 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.
Tsetserleg (by Windfall out of Thabana (by Buddenbrock)) was born on at New Spring Farm, where he spent the first five years of his life developing the basics for eventing success under Emily Coulter. Christine Turner recognized something special in this quirky young horse and purchased him. She allocated the ride to Boyd Martin, who earned an individual and team gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. Two of the four horses on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Eventing Team were born of their efforts. Other successful horses from their breeding programme are Fast Forward, Falkor, and Flirt (all by Windfall x Heraldik xx). They owned the licensed stallion Glücksruf (by Dramatiker).
In 2019 he was proclaimed Trakehner Breeder of the Year and celebrated at the stallion licensing in Neumunster, Germany, marking the first time that this distinguished honour was awarded to a Trakehner breeder in the U.S.
Greatly Missed
Laurie-An Lanpher, ATA President, announced Tim's passing two weeks ago.
Lanpher wrote, "Tim was, for many of us individually and for the ATA in general, a mentor, benefactor, source of encouragement, and ATA historian – the descriptors are insufficient to describe what he meant to the ATA and its members. His passing happens far too soon. Our thoughts in this difficult time, of course, are with Tim’s wife Cheryl, his children and grandchildren, and all of his friends."
Read a detailed obituary on Holekamp's life accomplishments on Horsesdaily.com
Photo © Stefan Lafrentz
Related Links
Tim and Cheryl Holekamp, Trakehner Breeders of the Year 2019
Tim Holekamp Elected President of the American Trakehner Association
Windfall Sold to the United States