A proud John Pearce takes a photo of Penny aboard Papanui Just Dynamite. 2023 NZL-Bates NZ Dressage Championships. NEC Taupo. Saturday 25 March. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography
The inaugural recipient of the first Penelope Pearce Memorial Award is to be announced this coming weekend and her husband John Pearce is looking forward to congratulating the winner on their great achievement.
“It’s just something I knew that should be done,” says John.
The Award will be presented for a rider gaining over 70% in Prix St Georges level or above. The category was selected to reflect Penny’s own landmark achievement, when she became the first NZ dressage athlete to score 70% in a Grand Prix Test, aboard Magnus Spero, just over a decade ago at the NZ Horse of the Year Show. This achievement was accompanied by a handsome cash prize donated by the Seventy Per Cent Club spearheaded by Beth Bielski.
“I remember her sharing with me with great glee that achievement, so that is why we set the benchmark at Level 7 and upwards, to encourage riders to strive to get over 70% and if they can go on to achieve that score at Grand Prix, at that level, that’s even better.”
Penny Pearce and Just A Spark
Penny was very active in the dressage scene nationally and internationally, as a competitor as well as a coach. After a long line of roles she held with ESNZ spanning back to the 1990s, Penny became High Performance Dressage Manager in 2022, three years before she passed away.
“I talked to Penny’s two good friends, Sue Jenkins and Jo Collins, and we decided that we wanted to have something to remember Penny by. With her involvement in high performance sports, we decided to award achievement at level 7 upwards for those riders who were at the top end of the game,” says John.
The Penelope Pearce Memorial Plaque plus a $1,000 cash grant will be awarded to the combination with the highest scores over 70%. It will be presented annually over the three seasons, with the events in contention being confirmed by 30th September each year for the season a head.
John still lives in the Hawke’s Bay, where he continues to keep Penny’s dressage arena maintained.
“It was her project and her place of work. People still use the property for clinics; a group of ladies regularly run training clinics, while locals use the arena about every weekend,” says John.
John also continues to follow dressage rider Cooper Oborn on his journey aboard Donny, (Papanui Just Dynamite) one of two horses Penny sold before she so sadly passed away. He says he is delighted to hear that Cooper has been nominated for Rider of the Year at the ESNZ Hall of Fame awards and is looking forward to the presenting Penny’s Award at the Dressage Awards Dinner on Saturday night.
For more details about the Memorial Award see https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/2025/10/penny-pearce-legacy-lives-on-with-new-dressage-award/