Hollie Pearce lifts the top two places in the SEIB Winter Novice Championship Qualifier at Arena UK
Monday 20 January 2025
Hollie Pearce is on a roll and, after seizing the top two Hickstead places in Hartpury’s Winter B and C, she repeated the feat in the SEIB Winter Novice at Arena UK’s Winter Classic II on two of John and Laura Renwick’s six-year-olds.
It was mission accomplished as Hollie had only travelled up from Essex specifically for this qualifier, winning on NFS Taluga and taking second aboard Opium VD Kruisselbrink.
“The boys stood a good chance, and I knew I could trust both to turn up [in the jump-off] and be careful,” said Hollie.
Twenty from the original field of 60 competitors achieved initial clears over course-designers Neil Foster and Declan Perry’s 12-fence 1.10m track to join the jump-off, the on-form Hollie claiming three of the rides. The clock certainly came into play, but two tight turn options – into a set of skinny black planks at two and a turnback option into a vertical two from home – lured riders into errors, and only five posted the required clean sheet.
Hollie set the goal from second draw with Opium VD Kruisselbrink – by Action-Breaker out of a Connor mare who traces back to Rolf-Goran Bengtsson’s 5* 1.60m ride Casall – executing breath-taking turns into the planks and later vertical with confidence.
“The turn to the planks was horribly tight, you had to be sitting on a super-careful horse, but going round to the planks and the vertical was too long to be quicker everywhere else and not an option if you wanted to qualify,” said Hollie.
Unsurprisingly, she remained ahead until mid-draw on second ride NFS Taluga, again rode with trust and confidence despite competing at only their second show together, beating her own time by 0.31 seconds.
Caroline Barnes’s early effort on the six-year-old mare CH Special Q (I’m Special De Muze x Kannan) was 2.29 seconds in arrears but was sufficient to claim the third Royal International Horse Show qualifying place.
Hollie moved to Essex in October to base herself with John and Laura Renwick as second rider to Laura, mainly riding the youngsters. She only picked up the reins on John and Laura’s home-bred NFS Taluga – by Action-Breaker and out of Laura’s former top speed mare, Beluga (Heartbreaker x Darnels) – in the New Year, jumping one class at Hartpury University’s Winter Classic.
“He’s Laura’s ride but she isn’t eligible for the Winter Novice [as she’s jumped at top Nations Cup level] so I jumped him. Laura’s off to Spain in 10 days and he’s staying at home, so I’ll keep the ride for now, but I expect we’ll share him, as we do with a few
others,” said Hollie, who finds Taluga, “easy and straightforward. He’s so lovely and kind, easy to turn up [at a fence] and just gets on with the job.”
Opium has been ridden by Hollie since October.
“I know him quite well now and can trust him to be careful, he’s also quick, brave and wants to jump the jumps, although he’s a little more hot-headed than Taluga,” she said.
Arena UK Winter Classic II – 19 January 2025
SEIB Winter Novice Championship Qualifier
1st Hollie Pearce & NFS Taluga – 0/0 - 31.61
2nd Hollie Pearce & Opium VD Kruisselbrink – 0/0 - 31.92
3rd Caroline Barnes & CH Special Q – 0/0 - 34.21
NB Results pending final grading
Image: ATG Photography
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