35 year old Tim Price has just won his first CCI4*, adding his name to an impressive list of riders who have won one of eventing’s toughest competitions. It was particularly tough at this one but in a different way, with the tragedy of the death of young German rider Benjamin Winter and a British horse, Liberal on the cross country course on the Saturday.
”It’s hard to carry on with the performance aspect and the celebrations in light of what happened” said Tim at the press conference “But I’m really proud of my horse and I’m looking forward to the rest of his 4* career”
The Dutch bred horse by Karandasj, Wesko, started his career as a show jumper and Tim found him as a seven year old “by chance at the end of a long, cold day” in a jumping yard where he was being competed by British rider Siobhan Edmonds. The now 11 year old bay with the white face has come up quickly through the ranks, from 1* level in 2011 to his first CCI4*, and a win, at Luhmuhlen in only three years.
“Everything comes quite easily to him” says Tim “I wish I had ten more like him”
Tim and Vortex at Barbury
Tim too started his riding career as a show jumper, growing up on a farm on the South Island of New Zealand. He competed in show jumping to World Cup level before moving to eventing, a discipline more suited to the New Zealand thoroughbreds he was riding. One of these thoroughbreds, Vortex paid for Tim to move to the UK when sold to Paula Tonquist but later Vortex returned to him and together they competed at Badminton, Burghley and Pau 4* events. Vortex, who died in September 2013, was also well-known for back to back wins in the Retraining of Racehorses Championship at Barbury in 2012 and 2013.
More recently Tim's top horse has been Ringwood Sky Boy, a bay Irish Sport Horse who finished ninth at the recent gruelling Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. At the same event Tim took a bit of a ducking from Wesko but re-routed to Tattersall's where they won the CIC3* and then on to Luhmuhlen
Tim and Ringwood Sky Boy at Badminton
“I had a real need to right that ship. There was the added pressure of it being World Championship year too, and there is so much hinging on a big solid result.”
Since moving to the UK in 2004 Tim and his wife Jonelle (née Richards) , who he married in January 2013, have worked hard to build up their business and home at their ‘labour of love’, Mere Farm in Wiltshire. Jonelle was part of the New Zealand bronze medal winning team at the London 2012 Olympic Games but this CCI4* win may mean that it may be Tim’s turn to get the nod for the Kiwi team in Normandy this August
“This win is a celebration of an awful lot of hard work” said Tim “Both Jonelle and myself came from New Zealand with not a lot behind us so everything we’ve done we’ve created ourselves and this is the pinnacle of why we event. It’s great to realise that it is possible; it’s what you’re always working for and trying to make it possible”
Tim and Jonelle at Luhmuhlen
This echoes Jonelle’s thoughts when we spoke to her in Normandy last year about how she and Tim have worked hard to build their base in the UK after re-locating from New Zealand.
“When I came over I didn’t intend for it to take this long to get to this point where we have some decent horses and we’re finally getting some good results but you can’t always write the script of how you want it to go and it just takes time. In the last couple of years we’ve got some nice horses and some good owners and I think it just takes persistence, a bit of determination and hard graft”
These factors seemed to have certainly paid off for Tim and Jonelle and, although this was Tim’s first 4* win, we doubt it will be his last
Click here for our full interview with Jonelle at Le Pin in Normandy
In the video below Tim and Jonelle talk to Jonty Evans in 2013
