Biography

It is 20-years since British-based New Zealand Olympic rider Jonelle Price (43) first competed at Badminton. She last competed here in 2022 with the mare Classic Moet (11^th) with who she won the event in 2018. The combination completed on four occasions. It will be a first Badminton for Grappa Nera with who Jonelle won Pau 5* 2022 and in 2021 the combination completed the 5*L at Lexington (28^th). The combination also competes in showjumping up to 4*.

Jonelle is based near Beaminster in Dorset where with husband Tim – also entered for Badminton – the pair runs a yard together. She was a member of the New Zealand team for the 2012 (team bronze), 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games (where she was the highest placed member of the NZ team 11^{th –} Grovine de Reve) and in 2022 she won team bronze at the World Championships (10^th).

Jonelle hails from Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand and is the youngest of four from a non-horsey family – her father was a butcher. Her ‘bizarre passion for horses’ is something of a mystery and was fired when she made a friend who had horses. After school Jonelle went to study law at Canterbury University, and completed the first year before giving up to pursue her dream of eventing at the highest level. In 2004 Jonelle was a reserve for the Athens Olympics and in 2006 the Aachen World Championships with Mazetto with whom she first completed Badminton in 2004. With Flintstar she was a member of the New Zealand team that won bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games. With Classic Moet she rode as an individual at the 2014 WEG finishing in fourth place while Classic Moet was the highest placed mare with the fastest time of the day. In 2015 the pair was fifth at Burghley and Classic Moet was again the fastest and highest placed mare and in 2016 the pair was 3^rd at Burghley and in 2018 members of the team for WEG. That year as well as winning Badminton she won the 4* at Luhmuhlen while husband Tim crowned an exceptional year when winning Burghley.

Jonelle trains with dressage rider Spencer Wilton and jumping trainer Luis Alvarez. Each year the couple spends at least three weeks of the year jumping their horses at the sunshine tour in Spain.

Jonelle enjoys cooking, hiking trails beach holidays and going home to New Zealand. She and husband Tim began dating in 2001 and came to the UK together to prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games. They relocated to the UK in 2005 and married in NZ in 2013. The couple has 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.

Grappa Nera is a 13-year-old KWPN registered mare. She is by the well known jumping sire Karandasj (who later in life stood in the UK) out of a mare by Babalouba a son of the jumping sire Baloubet De Rouet. She was formerly ridden by Alex Postolowsky and has been ridden by Jonelle since a 7-year-old. She contested and completed her first 5* at Lexington in 2021 and was the winner of the 5* at Pau in 2022.