Leicester Benjamin Jarden
13 September 1932-17 May 2025
The New Zealand equestrian community is mourning the loss of a gentleman who arguably made a world of difference to national showjumping.
Waikanae’s Leicester Jarden dedicated his life to showjumping but was also very active in Pony Club, eventing and local shows as well as within the national body.
His involvement in equestrian started long before his daughters Kristin, Robyn, Pip and Bretta started riding but it was through them that he continued to grow the sport. Leicester grew up with horses. His father was a trotter trainer and he had a horse at the Ferndale Riding School at Waikanae. It was there he and his late wife Joy sent the girls to learn to ride.
That led the family to Waikanae Pony Club where Leicester was president and started building his own jumps. Early on he helped build the Battle Hill cross country course at Pauatahanui and at Queen Elizabeth Park at Paekakariki.
In 1974 he became an ESNZ registered course designer and with his beautifully crafted set of jumps, toured the country, opening everyone’s eyes to the future of the sport.
It was on returning from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games that he revolutionised New Zealand showjumping by introducing the colourful jumps he had seen there.
In 1986 he became an international course designer which took him all over the world, including to Spruce Meadows where he was assistant course designer, the Adelaide Royal and saw him designing courses for the FEI Children’s Challenge.
In a 2014 interview, Leicester says the Games inspired him to do things differently in New Zealand. “I saw a lot of fancy jumps there,” he says. “I probably did help move New Zealand away from those clunky metal jumps to wood.”
At the peak of his ‘creative’ years he figures he had 120 rails, 50 stands, 10 towers, nine ladders and loads of jump fills and walls – all hand crafted and used by shows across the lower North Island.
Many say he revolutionised the national showjumping scene. His first Horse of the Year Show was in 1973 when Levin played host and didn’t miss one for at least four decades. He was a director for the show from 1993-1998 and the premier ring designer for many years.
HOY was a huge deal for the whole family and for anyone who called by in the weeks leading up to the mammoth show. They’d be given paintbrushes and asked to help with the preparation.
For ESNZ he was on the executive from 1987-1990, vice president of the organisation from 1989-1991 and a showjumping director from 1992-1998. In 2012 he was awarded the Pilmer Plate for his commitment, dedication and service to equestrian, and in 2023 was awarded an ESNZ honorary life membership.
Leicester was a keen hunter and was still out on the field until the 1990s with Manawatu. He died at 92. His ill health in recent years had slowed him down somewhat but didn’t dampen his spirit of wanting to do things.
Daughter Bretta says she and her sisters are incredibly proud of the legacy he leaves. “He was a driving force for equestrian here,” she says. “When we stopped riding the horse truck will be filled with show jumps instead when it went to shows.”
The family felt it was so heartwarming reading the many comments about Leicester from all of those whose sport and love of equestrian he had made an impact on.
Diana Dobson
5 June 2025