Celia Pickens has died in a show jumping accident on Sunday at an event at the Papatoetoe Pony Club, leaving the local equestrian community mourning one of its most familiar and enduring figures.
Pickens was described as a long-standing presence in the local scene, and the reaction that followed her death made clear just how widely she was known and respected. She was still competing and remained active in the sport, which made the news all the more difficult for those who had followed her for years.
A familiar figure in the local equestrian world
Show Jumping Waitematā paid tribute by saying there was something “incredibly poignant” about knowing that Pickens’ final moments were spent doing “the very thing she loved so much - show jumping.” That sentiment captured the shock and sadness surrounding the accident, but also the sense that she remained closely connected to the sport right to the end.
The group also described her as one of those people who are “simply part of the furniture” in the equestrian world, someone who had been there through generations of horses, riders, competitions, good days and bad. It is a telling description, and it speaks to the kind of presence she had built over many years.
Tributes speak to her character and passion
More tributes followed from Show Jumping Waitematā, including a fond recollection of “Celia and her lovely Coco showing everyone how it was done in the Masters League!” That memory reflects not just her longevity, but the admiration she earned for still competing at a level that mattered to the people around her.
The same tribute said her horses were “her world” and that her passion for them “never dimmed.” She was also described as coming from a “wonderful generation of horsepeople who simply got on with it” — “tough as old boots, fiercely independent, and always ready for the next round.”
Shots Photography, which had photographed Pickens at local equestrian events over the years, described her as “a lovely and ‘very cheeky’ lady.” It was a simple phrase, but one that adds to the picture of a rider who was well known, well liked and deeply woven into the life of the sport.
What her death means for the community
Equestrian sports can be built on routine, familiarity and shared history, which is why the loss of someone like Pickens is felt so sharply. This was not just a competitor being remembered after stepping away from the arena. She was still there, still involved, still part of the rhythm of the sport.
That is what makes the tributes so powerful. They are not only about one rider’s career, but about the space she occupied in the lives of others across the local show jumping community. For those who knew her, and for those who saw her ring presence over the years, her death is a rare and painful loss.
