Simone Pearce Gets Ride on Ahorner's St. Felice

Dressage

Australia

Australian Olympian Simone Pearce has welcomed a new horse in the barn, Nicola Ahorner's St. Felice.

St. Felice is a 7-year old Hanoverian mare by St. Schufro out of Felicity S (by Furstenball x Regazzoni). She is bred by Patrick Seefeld.

Marcus Hermes

St. Felice made her show debut as a 3-year old under Markus von Holdt, who rode her to a fifth place in the 2020 Hanoverian Young Horse Championships in Verden.

She was entered for the 2020 Hanoverian Autumn Elite Auction in Verden and became the price highlight, selling for 205,000 euro to Austrian-Israeli Nicola Ahorner.

She put the horse in training with Marcus Hermes who produced her to S-level. He first competed her in Verden in July 2021 and then took her to Furstenau. In 2022 he qualified her for the Bundeschampionate in Warendorf, where they won the first round but dropped to 17th place in the 5-year old dressage horse finals. In 2023 the pair was entered for the German team selection trial for the 2023 World Championships but did not get long listed. At the 2023 Bundeschampionate, however, they grabbed the silver medal in the 6-year old finals.

Hermes last competed St. Felice in January 2024 in the St. Georg Special test at the CDN Munster. They were second with 72.358%.

Simone Pearce

In March Ahorner's collaboration with Hermes ended abruptly. In February Facilone had moved to Helen Langehanenberg and in March St. Felice relocated to Cathrine Dufour in Denmark.

Meanwhile in the late spring Ahorner had allocated the ride on the 7-year old Holsteiner bred Zoolaboo (by Zack x Lorentin I x Carthago) to German based Australian Simone Pearce and after a while Nicola decided to bring St. Felice to Pearce's barn in Aach as well.

"This horse is just something else. Wow," Simone took to Instagram. "I really don't know her well enough yet to be competing and usually I would love to have more time to find each other better, but with such a special horse and a big opportunity we are putting ourselves out there and trying to risk it to get the biscuit."

Pearce and St. Felice made a last-minute attempt to qualify for Australia for the 2024 World Young Horse Championships by competing at the CDI Samorin on 12 July 2024. Last year the gamble paid off with No Limit, but this time it didn't work out. Pearce retired her from the test.

"She was so good but before the second pirouette she got a bit distracted by the jumping next door and got hot and stressed," Pearce told Eurodressage. "I decided to retire and do a few relaxed rounds."

The Australian deadline for overseas riders to qualify young horses for Ermelo is 31 July 2024. This month there are no more CDI's in Europe where young horse classes are being held. Pearce added, "I think maybe we do the Bundeschampionate instead or maybe try for the Burgpokal."