Equestrian: A life devoted to showjumping

Peter Holden holds a photo of himself riding Rum at the Sydney Show in 1957. At right is a painting his late mother, Helen, did of him on Starlight in 1953. PHOTO/Warren Buckland

PETER HOLDEN'S introduction to equestrian was typical of many of his generation in New Zealand.

"I was given a pony at the age of five. I learned to hang on to the reins tight otherwise I would fall off and have to walk to school," Holden said recalling his younger days in Ongaonga.

Taking that introduction into account and his breeding it was inevitable Holden, now 81 and living in retirement in Havelock North with wife Juliet, would go on to win two Horse of the Year Olympic Cup titles. His late father, Duncan, was instrumental in establishing the New Zealand Horse Society and was a driving force behind the first Horse of the Year Show. His late mother, Helen, introduced dressage to New Zealand.

Holden was the first Olympic Cup winner in 1953 with Starlight.

"It was a huge surprise considering the quality of the field with some of Hawke's Bay's best including Hugh Thompson, Bill Meech and Bruce Hansen among them. Four years later when I won on Rum in Hastings it was a thrill because I had become the first to win the title on two different horses ... but I considered that second win a bonus," Holden explained.

Following his success with Starlight, Holden, who was educated at Onga Onga, Hereworth, Wanganui Collegiate and Massey University, was selected in the New Zealand team which beat their Aussie counterparts. Two years later he was named in the team again and this time they took on the Aussies on their turf, at the Sydney Show, and lost.

"The Aussies had improved a lot by 1955. We took our own horses across the Tasman by ship from Wellington.

"The show went on for 11 days and eight nights. We jumped under lights for the first time ... it was a really exciting time," Holden recalled.

Attending showjumping shows around the country was a family affair for the Holdens. One of their two horse floats would be towed behind a car and the other behind a truck.

If the Holdens didn't camp at the venues they stayed with friends of their dad.

When Holden got married in 1958 he retired from competing and moved into administration. He was secretary of the Hawke's Bay branch of the Horse Society and in later years the father of four and grandfather of 13 also got involved with the Hawke's Bay A&P Society.

Holden has been a regular spectator at all of the Hastings-hosted shows. One of his highlights in recent years came at the 2010 edition when his family was inducted into the Horse of the Year Hall of Fame.

"I'm just amazed at the growth of the sport. I've got huge admiration for the way Horse of the Year director Kevin Hansen has grown the sport and taken it to another level. The show will carry on here in the Bay but Kevin has huge skills which are hard to replace," Holden said referring to the fact this will be Hansen's last show at the helm.

"I was sitting in the grandstand earlier this week and next to me were some people from Southland. They told me there was no better place than Hawke's Bay for the show ... it's great for Hawke's Bay, a bonanza for the province," Holden said.

He agreed New Zealand eventers had done better on the international scene than showjumpers.

"Kiwis have never been able to match the Europeans at showjumping and that gets back to dollars," Holden, a member of one of the more successful horse racing syndicates in the Bay," said.

When he's not at an equestrian event or race meeting Holden is likely to be found playing golf or croquet. These pursuits keep his fitness levels up and his equestrian mind as sharp as it was in his prime.

We couldn't leave Holden without getting his prediction for tomorrow's Bostock International Olympic Cup winner.

"It will be Katie Laurie ... she's the Tiger Woods or the Federer of showjumping. If not it will be Maurice Beatson as he lifts the bar every year despite now being in his 60s ... and it would be great to see a Hawke's Bay lad win again."