Equestrian eventing is a unique Olympic sport. Its the only code where men and women compete on equal terms; and where performing to the very highest level isnt just reliant on the human competitor, but another living being.
Kiwi eventer and Olympic bronze medallist Jonelle Price knows only too well that the relationship between horse and rider is paramount to success. The duo need to be in sync to achieve the accuracy thats vital in three-day eventing.
Horses can change just like humans do from day-to-day, and thats part of the difficulty in getting that horse to perform at its very best at that given moment. Thats why it comes down to the relationship that the horse and rider have with each other, says Nelson-born Price.
Price and husband Tim who also represents New Zealand in eventing are renowned for the strong understanding they build with their stable of highly-competitive eventing horses at Mere Farm, at Marlborough, in the English county of Wiltshire. The South Islanders moved to the United Kingdom in 2005, setting up a base to compete in the Northern Hemisphere; last year they became the first New Zealand husband and wife to compete together at a World Equestrian Games.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Jonelle rode Flintstar a New Zealand thoroughbred gelding who had been her husbands horse. While Tim recovered from a broken leg, his wife took over the reins with Flintstar, and together they were part of the New Zealand eventing team who won the Olympic bronze medal.
Among her other horses are the tiny Faerie Dianamo (whose stable name is Maggie May), and Cloud Dancer II, a brave young Dutch warmblood (nicknamed Marley). Both horses have carried Price to victory at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials where the New Zealand rider this month became the first equestrian to notch up back-to-back wins at the prestigious three-star event. Price rode the feisty little black mare Classic Moet (or Molly) to fourth place at the 2014 World Games the best performance by a New Zealand horse and rider.
Accuracy is key in all three eventing disciplines dressage, cross country and show jumping. One miss-timed step, one refuse at a fence, one dropped rail can be the difference between agony and ecstasy.
I think you achieve a level of accuracy to compete at Olympic level through consistent training and performance. Experience counts a huge amount in this game and I think those three things combined produce the greatest accuracy, Price says.
Price gave up her studies in law at the University of Canterbury to chase her dream of riding at the highest level. She has no regrets.
Its a huge honour to compete for my country. It always amazes me how many people are following us. Its something Im very proud of and we hope to make New Zealand proud.