Biography

It will be the ninth visit to Badminton for British-based New Zealand Olympic rider Tim Price (45) who first competed here in 2004 and has nine completions of the event. With Xavier Faer Tim gained his best Badminton result in 2017 when 3^rd. Last year with Badminton entry Vitali – his entry this year also – he was 7^th and later in the year the pair was 4^th at Burghley 5*.

In 2022 he was the winner of the bronze medal at the World Championships (Falco) and with Coup de Coeur Dudevin won the Elkton 5* (the first 5* for the horse) and with Vitali was third in the 5*L at Burghley. Tim has also won the 5* events at Burghley (2018), Luhmuhlen (2019) and Pau (2021). He is currently #9 in the FEI World Rider ranking (05/04/2024).

Tim is based near Beaminster in Dorset where he runs a competition yard with his wife and fellow NZL team member Jonelle – the winner of Badminton 2018 and also entered this year.

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. In 2015 & ’14 at Badminton with Ringwod Sky Boy Tim 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), the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo (Vitali), the 2014 WEG in France, the 2018 WEG and was the bronze medallist at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni.

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. They have a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.

Tim’s brother Cam is CEO of Keyflow Horse Feeds and his brother Brad is a ‘genuine cowboy in Australia’. Tim trains with Spencer Wilton and Luis Alvarez Cevera. Outside of eventing, Tim enjoys camping, skiing, anything in the great outdoors and going home to New Zealand.

Vitali is a 14-year-old German-bred Holstein gelding. He is by the leading sire Contender out of Noble Lady 1 by the influential thoroughbred event sire Heraldik (similar bloodines to the 2022 Lexington 5* winner Fischer Chipmunk (Contendro-Heraldik). She comes from a respected Holstein damline and is the dam of 15 offspring – mostly showjumpers – including Camerino Blue showjumping with Swiss rider Felix Vogg. He was initally produced by New Zealander James Avery with who he was 6^th in the World 6-year-old championships. Tim took the ride in 2021. In 2022 the pair won the British Open and was 3^rd at Burghley. In 2023 they placed 9^th at Badminton and 4^th at Burghley.