Tim Price

Biography

It will be the sixth consecutive visit to Badminton for British-based New Zealand Olympic rider Tim Price (40). In 2017 Tim gained his best Badminton result when 3^rd (Xavier Faer) and last year was 12^th (Ringwood Sky Boy). In 2015 & ’14 with Ringwod Sky Boy at Badminton he was the winner of the William Miflin trophy for the ride closest to the optimum time. In September 2018 with Ringwood Sky Boy he won Burghley and at the WEG in Tryon was the highest placed member of the New Zealand team (8^th Cekatinka). He was a member of the fourth placed New Zealand team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games (Ringwood Sky Boy) and the team for the 2014 WEG in France. He is currently 3^rd in the FEI World Rider ranking and was 5^th in the 2018 BE top 100 rider ranking. Tim is based near Marlborough in Wiltshire where he runs a competition yard with his wife Jonelle – the winner of both Badminton and Luhmuhlen last year making a 2018 a memorable one for the Prices. Jonelle is also entered for Badminton.

Tim grew up on a farm in Oxford, North Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. Surrounded by horses from an early age, it seemed natural that Tim would follow a career into horses. He showjumped to World Cup level before deciding that as the majority of the horses he was working with were New Zealand Thoroughbreds they were naturally more suited to eventing. With the NZ thoroughbred Vortex, Tim won the CCI2* at the National Championships in New Zealand. The pair went on to compete at four-star level and also won back-to-back Retraining of Racehorses Championships at Barbury Castle (2012/13). In 2014 Tim achieved the biggest win of his career to date when heading the four-star at Luhmuhlen with Wesko with who he previously won at CCI one, and three-star level (Blair Castle) and was second at two-star CCI.

Tim and Jonelle (nee Richards) began dating in 2001and two years later with their advanced horses Desamoray and Mazetto came to the UK to prepare for Burghley, with the aim of competing at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In 2004 both horses went to Badminton and the pair relocated to their current base in the UK the following year. They married, in New Zealand, in 2013 and Jonelle gave birth to their first child – a boy (Otis) – in August 2017.

Tim’s brother Cam is CEO of Keyflow Horse feeds and his brother Brad is a ‘genuine cowboy in Australia’. Tim trains with British dressage rider and international judge Isobel Wessells and Luis Alvarez Cevera. Outside of eventing he loves travel, camping, skiing, golfing and dangerous sports.

Ringwood Sky Boy is a 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. He is by the Irish-based Holstein, Courage II – also the sire of Badminton entries Cooleys Rorke Drift and Duke of Cavan and is out of a mare by the influential Irish thoroughbred Sky Boy. He was bred by Myles Mahon of Enniscorthy in Ireland and wsa bought out of Goresbridge sales ‘many years ago, very cheaply with the a reputation as a bolter’. He has been produced through the levels by Tim. He is described as a ‘complicated and sensitive horse who trusts Tim more than anyone else on the planet’.

Bango owned by the Numero Uno Syndicate, is a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. He is by Garrison Royale (a son of Cavalier Royale) out of a mare by the thoroughbred Don Tristan. He was acquired through Donal Barnwell when Tim broke him in as a four-year-old.

Xavier Faer, owned by his breeder Trisha Rickards and Nigella Hall, is a British-bred 12-year-old gelding. He comes from a line of Trisha’s homebred horses. He is by Catherston Liberator out of the homebred, former advanced mare Faerie Dazzler who is by Catherston Dazzler (sire of former four-star horse Midnight Dazzler). Xavier Faer is a half-brother (out of the same dam) to the Olympic four-star mare Faerie Dianimo (by Dimaggio) ridden by Tim’s wife Jonelle as well as the six-year-old Faerie Magnifico (by Grafenstolz). He was originally ridden by Elizabeth Power, then Rebecca Howard and Tim took the ride at the end of 2014 at two-star level.