Hall of Fame inductees Harvey and Ann Wilson are congratulated by ESNZ Chair Lynda Clark and Patron Jennifer Millar. ESNZ.

Equestrian Sports New Zealand’s 75th Anniversary Dinner played host to the sports organisation’s Hall of Fame Awards held in the Banquet Hall at Parliament Buildings on Friday night.  While celebrating this milestone, ESNZ announced the 2025 Hall of Fame inductees who have made an outstanding contribution to ESNZ. 

 

David Goodin

In March David Goodin was inducted to the ESNZ Hall of Fame, received by his family.  Copyright Photo: KAMPIC / Kerry Marshall

ESNZ was delighted to share his induction with David’s family, wife Anne Goodin, along with their daughter Christine and son Stuart, with his wife Chrissy during Horse of the Year in March.  David is one of the absolute stalwarts of New Zealand equestrian and was inducted into the ESNZ Hall of Fame at Defender Horse of the Year in March.  His induction was celebrated at the ESNZ Hall of Fame Awards.  David Goodin competed at Horse of the Year for decades, riding well into his 80s, and he played an instrumental role in the riding careers of many New Zealand athletes.  In the 1950s, he and Telebrae became the first Kiwi combo to clear 1.82m – six feet back then – over a massive triple bar. He was the first captain of the New Zealand showjumping team and mentored the likes of Daniel Meech, Grant Wilson, Donna Edwards-Smith, Phillip Steiner and many more top equestrians, including – of course – his son Bruce.  A horseman through and through, he also bred many champion horses including Dunstan Dolly, Holly, Balmoral Sensation, LA Connection, Matahura, He’s Cool and Paris Design among others. Balmoral Sensation was unofficially ranked as the world’s top eventing horse in 2016.  David is hugely respected, admired and loved in the equestrian community.   

Harvey and Ann Wilson

Ann and Harvey Wilson, inductees into the Hall of Fame 2025. ESNZ.

Harvey began show jumping on horses as a teen, with his first successes coming on a horse called Hei Ha. He quickly established himself as a rider with great potential.  A highlight came when he won the Victorian championships in Australia, in 1973, on Joe Yorke’s Olympic mount Big Red.   In 1975, Harvey made his first trip to the UK with the two horses Tussock and Ladies Man, and it was there that he met Ann Fenwick, a very successful British show jumper.  They became married in 1979, and moved back to NZ as a couple.  Over the years, Harvey and Ann rode and competed numerous horses to the highest level in New Zealand, and have won multiple major titles at the Horse of the Year show, multiple times.  Horses have included Mayday, Broadway, Crosby, Old Smuggler, Ladies Man, Wishful Thinking, Wishful Willie, Imperial, Surprise, Whose He, Cranleigh Kohl, Pirate, Tussock, and Franco to name a few.  Harvey and Ann are known for their exceptional horsemanship.   Every winter they would take a young rider under their wing, teaching them valuable skills in developing and working horses correctly. Hunting was a passion from very early on, and Harvey was the master of the Egmont – Wanganui Hunt for many years.  Both Ann and Harvey were also active members of the Taranaki area group, where Harvey was chair for several years.   From their Waverley base, they are very successful Thoroughbred race trainers and their horses have achieved in excess of 60 wins.

Joe Yorke and Big Red

Joe Yorke, inductee into the Hall of Fame 2025. ESNZ.

Joe and Big Red became equestrian household names after a very successful competition career in NZ then heading off to the Montreal Olympics in 1976.    Joe and Big Red had numerous wins and placings, including Horse of the Year and the Pilmer Plate for puissance in 1974, and the Norwood Gold Cup in 1975.  The Big Red Cup, awarded to show jumping’s Young Rider of the Year, is named in honour of the big rangy chestnut ex racehorse who had the heart of a lion. Following the Olympic Games, Joe finished his show jumping career and, with his wife Karen,  focused their lives on their business of pre-training, breaking and agisting Thoroughbreds. In a Bulletin article in the early 2010’s, Joe acknowledged that much of his success was due to his very supportive parents, especially his father who was ‘a complete stockman’ and that he was lucky to have two very, very good horses.  Joe is known to call a spade a spade, and over the years has been incredibly supportive of young people who give life a go especially in the equine industry, regardless of the level they chose.

Penny Pearce

Representing Penny Pearce who was inducted into the Hall of Fame 2025, are her proud children Jordan and Grace, and husband John. ESNZ.

Penny Pearce was a remarkable equestrian who had been involved in equestrian sports for the majority of her life.  Her dedication to continuous personal and professional development is unrivalled. She would seek out learning opportunities to improve both her personal performance and also to provide the maximum learning opportunities for those she coached.  Penny’s professional career was dedicated to equestrian sport both as a highly competitive professional dressage rider, coach, and a key member of the ESNZ High Performance team. These roles were juggling with family and life commitments. Over the many years in the sport, Penny  worked with, trained and learnt from the best. Her dedication to providing access to the best information, systems and support within a NZ budget has enabled so many talented NZ equestrian athletes to be the best they could be.  Sadly, Penny lost her battle with cancer earlier this year, but her memory lives on through the many lives she touched.

For more see: https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/esnz/about-esnz/75-years-anniversary/