Jonelle Price takes fourth place in season’s last four-star eventing competition

Written by Tony Millett.

 

Jonelle Price & Faerie Dianimo at Barbury 2013Jonelle Price & Faerie Dianimo at Barbury 2013Les Etoiles de Pau, the season’s final four-star eventing competition (October 23-26), was won by the German rider Ingrid Klimke on Horseware Hale Bob.  They took joint first place in the dressage and first place in the cross country, and despite four faults, held on in the show jumping to win by a clear 6.2 points.

Mildenhall-based Jonelle Price kept the New Zealand flag flying – and local hopes very much alive - to finish fourth in the overall placings.  With her nine-year-old grey mare Faerie Dianimo, she was in eleventh place after the dressage, in sixth place after the cross country – and went on to take the season-topping fourth place.

Jonelle Price (copyright Libby law Photography)Jonelle Price (copyright Libby law Photography)Mrs Price was one of only three riders with a clear round and no time penalties in the final show jumping stage.

After her fourth place at the World Equestrian Games this summer in France, she must be keener still to get into the top three placings.

“It was about giving her a good trip, and if we were competitive, then that was a bonus,” said Price of the feisty little grey who is owned by Trisha Rickards and Jacky Green. “To be able to do both was super.”

She’s confident it is just the start of an exciting future for Faerie Dianimo.

“The cross country was quite strong,” said Price. “It was tough from start to finish, and at 12 minutes was the longest one we have had all year. The questions came thick and fast, with problems right throughout. It was a true four star out there.”


“We had one moment in the showjumping. If ever she is in doubt, she goes sky high – which is what she did. She always gives it everything..”
Price says while the nine-year-old horse is dainty, unique and beautiful to look at, she is “a little fighter”.

“She keeps me on my toes and is relentless. She loves what she does and is bloody good at it! She is incredibly talented – give her another 12 or 24 months and she could be really special.”

For Price and her husband Tim, the result at Pau caps off their best-ever year:  “It’s been a combination of everything coming together . . . horsepower, training, belief and a bit of luck to carry you across the line.”

It was a bleak day for the British contenders.  William Fox-Pitt on Parklane Hawk was in joint first place with Klimke in the dressage.   And on his second entry Seacookie TSF (last year’s winning pair) was in fifth place.

However, Fox-Pitt retired Seacookie TSF during the cross-country and withdrew Parklane Hawk before he started the course.  He blamed the hard ground.

The highest placed British pair was Nicola Wilson with One Two Many - finishing in eighth place.

The final results saw Germany's Abdreas Dibowski in second place and France's Arnaud Boitteau third. In fifth place was Ireland's Joseph Murphy on Sportsfield Othello who had been in fourth place after the cross-country, but had twelve faults in the show jumping. Murphy had worse luck still on Electric Cruise - they were in second position after the cross-country, but were eliminated at the horse inspection before the show jumping.

 

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