Helen Patricia "Tiny" White OBE (née Groome; 18 April 1924 – 10 January 2020) was a New Zealand horsewoman, best known as a dressage rider, and the first New Zealander to qualify as a FEI three-day event judge.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Helen Patricia Groome |
| Born | 18 April 1924 Hastings, New Zealand |
| Died | 10 January 2020 (aged 95) Havelock North, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Eric White
(m. 1951; died 1980) |
| Relative | Tinks Pottinger (daughter) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Equestrian |
| Event | Dressage |
Early life and family
editBorn Helen Patricia Groome in Hastings on 18 April 1924, White was the daughter of Ernest Groome.[1] She was educated at Woodford House from 1936 to 1942, and worked as a land girl on the family farm during World War II.[1][2] In 1951, she married Eric White, and the couple went on to have three children, including equestrian Tinks Pottinger.[1]
Equestrianism
editWhite won the New Zealand dressage championship on eight occasions.[1] In 1971, she won the Prix St Georges dressage at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, as well as the lady's hack and best lady rider titles, with her horse Rigoletto.[2] Subsequently, she and her husband, Eric, judged hacks and hunters at Sydney, as well as in England, at Hickstead.[2]
White became involved in the sport as an official and administrator, serving on the executive of the Dressage and Pony Club, including a period as chair.[1] She was the first FEI three-day event judge in New Zealand, and was also an FEI dressage judge.[2] In 2006, she became patron of Equestrian Sports New Zealand.[2]
In the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours, White was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to equestrian sport.[3]
Death
editWhite died in Havelock North on 10 January 2020.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 391. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
- ^ a b c d e Caro, Virginia (16 February 2018). "Like mother, like daughter: three generations of success". New Zealand Horse & Pony. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "No. 52953". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 13 June 1992. p. 30.
- ^ "Obituary – Tiny White (OBE)". Equestrian Sports New Zealand. January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Passing of two popular NZ equestrian figures". Horsetalk.co.nz. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.