There are few people who have an equestrian resume quite as varied as Kelley Holly. From English, western, and saddle seat to eventing, dressage, vaulting, and driving, she’s said yes to every opportunity to come her way.
“I've never given up on something, I just keep adding on things that interest me, or I see as a benefit,” said Holly.
As someone with a deep love of learning, her desire to educate herself has influenced everything in her life and led her to become licensed official with USEF and FEI. First, she earned her judge’s card for vaulting, and knowing a judge’s day is heavily influenced by the steward led her to pursue that license as well. She currently holds licenses as a ‘R’ vaulting technical delegate, ‘R’ vaulting judge, and a level 3 FEI vaulting steward (and is working towards becoming a level 4 steward). She’s also the executive vice president of Equestrian Vaulting USA and sits on the USEF Licensed Officials Committee.
“I would love to be the person for the US who can teach the next generation about stewarding and the joys of it and the need for [people in those positions],” she said. “I'm still actively judging, but I'm also on the technical committee for EVUSA to help people understand why a rule is in place. Not just that this is the rule, but why do we have the rules? Why is that particular thing important to do a certain way?”
The joy of working with horses is a huge motivation and has shaped how Holly interacts with the horse world. Though she spent many years competing, she stepped back several years ago. She’d accomplished her showing goals and felt she could better contribute by dedicating her efforts to other facets like coaching, officiating, serving on committees, and introducing more people to horses, which would impact more people.
“It’s super important to me to create a community where all have a place, and people can see how each person and each animal can contribute,” she said. “It’s really important to me that when I see that there's an issue, not to ignore it, but to see, is there something I can do to make this better?”
From Park Pony Rides to Complete Involvement
Holly got her first taste of horses through the pony rides held at Tilden Park in Berkeley, Calif., and from there she was hooked, getting her horse at five. Before Holly’s interest sparked, her family had limited horse experience, though her dad grew up on a dairy farm in Oklahoma, so he was at least used to ranch horses. But her parents recognized the burgeoning passion in their daughter. They believed in doing everything properly, and if Holly was going to be involved, so were they.
After spending hours driving to and from the city twice daily to care for Holly’s horse, they moved to Sonoma, where they could have property. Horses became central to their lives, and they began raising Morgans.
“I soaked up every bit of knowledge I could everywhere I went, and same with my parents,” she said. “We knew we didn’t know it all, but we knew enough to get advice and attend clinics. My dad has always been the type who, if you’re going to do something, do it right, Same with my mom, she was a teacher, so it was something near and dear to our hearts. If you’re going to do something, you’re not going to sort of do it, you’re going to do it the right way and the best way possible.”
In addition to horses, she raised rabbits and sheep while participating in 4-H, and an animal-filled childhood instilled a deep appreciation for the positive effects of sharing your life with animals. She inherited a love of raising dogs from her father, and she’s continued to do so throughout her adult life. She trains her Golden Retrievers as therapy dogs, and when she worked in a classroom, she brought them to the school, where they served as mental health support to her students.
“Kids would come through who needed to regulate, they would come in in tears or super anxious, and they would sit with the dog,” she said. “I would acknowledge that they were there, but I wouldn't intervene. My dogs were trained to be calm, to accept that angst, and give back.”
Though Holly originally attended UC Davis intending to pursue pre-med, after her dad passed away, she explored other options. Spurred by her love of working with kids in 4-H and education, she got her teaching and administrator credentials. She taught Anatomy, Physiology, and Honors Biology and worked as the Health Career Pathway Coordinator for 40 years until she retired last year. The skills she needed for that job meld well with the skills needed as a trainer and coach, and she also holds a master instructor certification from the Certified Horsemanship Association in both English and western.
She operates Tambourine Farm, in Petaluma, Calif., where she teaches horsemanship and runs a vaulting program, where’s she’s taught students from beginner levels to international rankings. Though she no longer breeds horses, working with rescued horses is a huge part of her mission. Many of the horses she’s helped have become faithful members of her vaulting program.
She began working with rescue horses and horses who have been labeled difficult as a young adult and became someone others turned to when they didn’t know what to do next.
“I kind of fell into it by being somebody that was able to connect with horses and help find out what their fears were, what their bad choices were, and give them other tools in their toolbox to make different choices when they encountered different things,” she said.
Connecting with these horses and changing how they interact with humans is extremely gratifying for Holly.
“Being able to take an animal who's scared and give it reassurance, give it tools, that to me is the joy that makes my day,” Holly said. “When we've had a horse that comes in and is flinching, and I can now go in and put the bridle on without it pulling away from me, and it turns towards me to accept the bit. My world just lit up.”