NZ equestrian stalwart Eric Ropiha dies
Respected New Zealand equestrian identity Eric Ropiha has died at the historic menses of 88.
Ropiha, who died on Fri at Palmerston North Hospital, received the ONZM (New Zealand Order of Merit) inward 1966 for his services to the equine industry, an honour shared past times exclusively 20 living people at whatever 1 time. He was also 1 of the best-known Māori figures inward Equus caballus racing, in addition to was inducted into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame inward 2005.
As good every bit beingness the possessor in addition to owner-trainer of many top gallopers in addition to developing jockeys, he was also renowned inward equestrian sports every bit a trainer, breeder in addition to coach.
As a racehorse trainer his start out major success came alongside the 1952 New Zealand Cup winner Conclusion. Other large winners followed, including Roman Consul (New Zealand Derby), Routine (NZ Oaks), Baraboo (Railway Handicap), Baloo (two-time Canterbury Gold Cup winner) in addition to Judge (Grand National Hurdles).
Based inward Woodville, Ropiha went around winning the centenary Melbourne Cup alongside Caulfield Cup winner Ilumquh, in addition to he also trained Fans to house tertiary inward the bang-up race. Ilumquh placed 1 time to a greater extent than inward the race also.
His racing colours were soft bluish in addition to yellow.
He retired from grooming inward the 2001-02 season. In all, he trained 716 winners from 1948 on, in addition to won the New Zealand Trainers’ Premiership inward the 1959-60 racing flavor alongside 43 winners.
He had a long association alongside the Fell household unit of measurement of Fairdale Stud, grooming the start out winner of their stallion Islamic Republic of Pakistan in addition to going on to prepare to a greater extent than than 250 winners for them.
Ropiha was also 1 of the master copy shareholders inward Cambridge Stud’s belatedly stallion Sir Tristram.
In 1977 he was 1 of the driving forces behind the importation from Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany of the hanoverian stallion Winnebago (Winnetou / Mulf). Unfortunately Winnebago became sterile early on inward 1980 in addition to he was sold to the USA for a showjumping career every bit a gelding.
Ropiha was also after business office of the syndicate that brought Anamour to New Zealand.
Among the many horses bred past times Eric Ropiha was Felicitation, who was ridden inward international dressage past times Penny Castle.
A huge 80th birthday celebration was held for Ropiha at Himatangi over Queen’s Birthday weekend inward 2005, was attended past times most 400 household unit of measurement members in addition to friends. It was described past times 1 of the attendees every bit a “celebration gibe for Royalty”.
Eric in addition to his twin sis were born inward 1925 at Pirongahau inward the Hawke’s Bay. The household unit of measurement used horses for everything, in addition to immature Eric had an affinity alongside horses from an early on age. He learned to drive the family’s gig, in addition to to handgrip the squad of draught horses used on his father’s dairy farm. There was a wise one-time stockman named Mutu whose footsteps immature Eric dogged, absorbing knowledge.
The household unit of measurement moved to Foxton, only when Eric left schoolhouse at fourteen in addition to started working alongside horses , he went dorsum to Hawke’s Bay, finding operate on sheep stations in addition to using Mutu’s methods to interruption inward horses, every bit many every bit a hundred inward a year, many of them wild horses. He was insatiably passionate most horses in addition to riding. On 1 occasion, agency out the dorsum of a station, Eric’s Equus caballus vicious going over a fence. Eric knew he was injured, only also that his chances of beingness flora in addition to rescued were slim. He managed to grab the Equus caballus in addition to ride abode (a journeying of several hours), after which it took him a few weeks to like shooting fish in a barrel recover. Later inward his life, X-rays taken after some other incident showed that he had fractured his pelvis.
Too immature to enlist when state of war broke out, Eric went to operate schooling racehorses for trainer Harry Green at Greenmeadows.
At historic menses twenty-three, Eric was granted his trainer’s licence. The early on days were a struggle, starting alongside no coin in addition to exclusively moderate horses, only real shortly he had a winner, Regal Lady, at Bulls. Over time, Eric’s ain start out racehorse, Serenade, (whom he had chosen “in the rough” from ii unbroken youngsters turned out inward F.S. Easton’s swamp), was an instant success, winning sixteen races.
In 1949 Eric moved alongside an apprentice from Foxton to Woodville, where a local human being of affairs provided him alongside complimentary board in addition to stabling inward telephone substitution for grooming his horse. This worked good piece the Equus caballus was winning, only alongside the turn down of the horse’s success, Eric was evicted. In defiance of the racing rules of the day, which forbade trainers to operate out of racing lodge premises, the Otaki Maori Racing Club allow Eric motion into the club’s boxes at Otaki. He stayed at that spot for ii years, earning plenty to purchase a holding in addition to construct his ain stables at Woodville. During his 5 decades inward racing, Eric trained horses for many prominent people inward New Zealand, Australia, America in addition to Asia, including the Governors- full general Sir Arthur Ponitt in addition to Lord Norrie, in addition to the Prime Ministers of Nippon in addition to Malaysia.
He gained a reputation for turning previously unsuccessful horses into winners.
The gift of a skillful mare, Gypsy Dancer, launched Eric into breeding. Of the many winners Gipsy Dancer produced, a colt, Pasa Doble, won the Wanganui Guineas in addition to a grandson, Bold Diplomat, won the Epsom Handicap (Group one) inward Australia. From Gay Princess Eric bred Rajah Sahib (by Islamic Republic of Pakistan ll), who after success inward New Zealand was sold to Australia, fetching the highest toll until in addition to so for a Equus caballus sold out of NZ. By the terminate of his Australian racing career Rajah Sahib was the highest stakes winner inward that province at the time.
Equestrian sport was ever Eric’s hobby, starting inward his childhood alongside the local ‘Sports meetings’, which mainly involved hack in addition to hunter classes, wire jumping in addition to circular the band jumping. Pressure of operate inward his early on years every bit a trainer forced him to abandon equestrian sport for a while, only inward the 1950s he was able to resume showjumping, which was his passion. There was never a shortage of promising horses, in addition to Eric ever had 4 or 5 jumpers inward his stable along alongside the racehorses. His showjumpers Copper Royal in addition to Miniature, both ex racehorses, were eventually sold to England. In the early on days of eventing inward New Zealand Eric rode a Equus caballus called Silver King, who was after sold to the Philippines where he competed successfully inward both eventing in addition to Grand Prix dressage.
Another skillful horse, Why Not, was competed at Pony Club Championships past times the Dalrymple girls, Sally in addition to Kathrin. Eric was also to last seen on the champaign alongside the Dannevirke Hunt, where, every bit inward all other aspects of his life, he in addition to his horses turned heads because of their immaculate grooming in addition to presentation.
In 1985 at the historic menses of 60, Eric competed inward showjumping at the World Masters’ Games (for competitors over 45) inward Toronto in addition to was placed fourth.
It was the belatedly Mrs Helen Holden, 1 of the start out people to convey dressage to New Zealand, who introduced Eric to the art. Eric was dull to have got an involvement inward it, in addition to struggled alongside learning it, only Mrs Holden persisted. The breakthrough came when a remark past times Eddie Goldman, who trained British horsewoman Sheila Wilcox for a tape number of wins at Badminton, made Eric realise that it was his ain natural mightiness that was holding him back. Eric pose aside all he idea he knew, in addition to gave himself upwards to the English linguistic communication way.
Eric start out became interested inward Hanoverians through his friendship alongside Kalman de Jurenak, who helped the Harrisons when they imported Winnebago. Among the start out few mares to last served past times Winnebago was Eric’s skillful mare Jane Blithe xx (Janus/Knight’s Romance). The number of this marriage ceremony was the dark-brown filly Felicitation, whom Eric trained inward dressage to Grand Prix level. Because Jane Blithe was such a skillful mare for thoroughbred breeding, Felicitation was her exclusively non-thoroughbred foal.
ln 1978 Eric was invited past times the High German authorities to become to Germany, where for 3 weeks he stayed at the grooming station at Adelheidsdorff and, riding mainly the older stallion Argentan, trained alongside the Bereiters nether Herr Mannfred Lopp. Among other stallions Eric rode piece he was at that spot was the three-year-old Gardeofficier, who was undergoing his 100 twenty-four sixty minutes menses test. Also during this fourth dimension Eric in addition to the belatedly Eric White received grooming inward mare classification in addition to were appointed the start out New Zealand classifiers.
When Winnebago became infertile after ii seasons he was replaced past times Witzbold (Winnetou/Lugano), who stood at Eric’s Woodville holding until his untimely decease inward 1986.
Eric was a founding fellow member of the New Zealand Hanoverian Society, has been on the commission from twenty-four sixty minutes menses one, in addition to was awarded Life membership. As good every bit Felicitation, Eric bred many other Hanoverians, amid them Warendorff, (by Winnebago), who was successfully evented past times Sandy in addition to Mick Fryatt, in addition to Warner, who on retirement went to a branch of Riding for the Disabled where he was 1 time observed doing flight changes, ridden past times a handicapped child. Many of today’s NZ Hanoverian broodmares have got their origins inward Eric’s breeding programme.
But no listing of horses bred past times Eric would last consummate without cite of what is possibly his greatest, non-racing, breeding success story which involves a mare non eligible for Hanoverian classification because she was non a thoroughbred.
This mare is Gay Duchess, dam of the total brothers Playskool, Mosaic, Zander in addition to Romanoff, all past times Witzbold, in addition to of Golden Glow past times Eric’s thoroughbred stallion Abridge Member. All 5 of Gay Duchess’s sons competed successfully inward dressage at Grand Prix level. Mosaic in addition to Playskool both competed at World Games in addition to Mosaic went to ii Olympic Games, ridden past times Australian Mary Hanna.
Moreover, Gay Duchess’s daughter, Gay Princess, past times Abridge Member in addition to hence a total sis to Golden Glow (and non to last confused alongside the thoroughbred Gay Princess mentioned before every bit the dam of Rajah Sahib), is the grand-dam, via her fille Gay Countess (by Witzbold), of the successful dressage horse, Jahan, competing at Grand Prix level, ridden past times Mandy Littlejohn.
Eric Ropiha, who was a twin in addition to 1 of sixteen siblings, was predeceased past times his wife, Nola, in addition to was manlike individual bring upwards in addition to father-in-law of Anne Bull (the belatedly Kevin Bull), Judy Thomson (John Gooding), Eric jnr (Sally) in addition to the belatedly Megan, grandfather of Carl, Bevan, Kylie, Amy in addition to Rebecca, in addition to great-grandfather of Heidi Bronson, Warren in addition to Carter. His boy Eric is a racehorse trainer based inward Toowoomba inward Queensland.
Friends in addition to household unit of measurement paid their respects to Eric Matahaere Ropiha at the Motuiti Marae, Foxton, before a funeral service on Tuesday, Nov 26, 2013, at 11am. Ropiha was set to residual at the Te Paranui household unit of measurement cemetery.
Horsetalk.co.nz acknowledges the assistance of the NZ Hanoverian Society inward this article.
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