Price on Price

New Zealand's Tim and Jonelle Price are husband and wife and the best of enemies on the Eventing circuit!

Marital rivalry has been at the heart of Jonelle and Tim Price’s rise to the top of the eventing world, according to the sport’s golden couple themselves.

The two inspired each other again at FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 as they each finished in the top 20, with Tim coming eighth overall and Jonelle 19th. With so much talent and competitive spirit, FEI.org was keen to find out whether one household is big enough for two champions.

“I have joked a few times that he could have let me enjoy the glory for a bit longer,” Jonelle said of husband Tim’s triumph earlier this month at the Burghley Horse Trials, which came hot on the heels of her spectacular victory at Britain’s other four-star event in 2018, the Badminton Horse Trials.

“It definitely spurred me,” Tim laughed. “It’s an individual game.”

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While Tim and Jonelle, currently ranked number two and five in the world respectively, do espouse all the benefits of living and working together – not least being able to feed off each other on a daily basis – they are ruthless competitors at heart.

“Look, if we are not going to win then we certainly want each other to win,” said Jonelle who competed at WEG on her Badminton 2018 winning mount, Classic Moet. “We are definitely each other’s biggest supporter but I would much prefer Tim finishes second to me than the other way round.”

From completing a simple set of poles in their home arena in less strides than the other to coming out on top at a pre-novice event, the competition is always on in the Price family.

It is a dynamic that is clearly working although it certainly helps the harmony back home that they are both on such fine form at the same time.

“We are lucky to be in this position, it is probably the first time actually, it often goes in swings and roundabouts – one of you is a bit up and the other one isn’t,” Jonelle agreed. “It’s the first time we have genuinely been riding the crest of the wave together and that’s a great feeling.”

Each professes to head straight to the other for particular pieces of advice. While Jonelle relies on her husband when assessing Cross Country courses or dealing with a tricky mount, Tim heads to her for some straight talking.

“Jonelle will give me a very honest appraisal,” Tim said, with a smile. “Sometimes you might be working with a trainer and things go down quite a soft path and you actually just want the hard fact of it and that’s where I go to Jonelle.”

Not that it is all horses, horses, horses in the Price household.

The couple make a point of leaving work at the threshold and attempting to enjoy a “normal life” away from the stables. Baby Otis, born in August 2017, undoubtedly helps them maintain perspective.

“He’s certainly been a major addition to our lives and enhanced it in many, many ways,” said mum Jonelle. “We try and emphasise remaining balanced – yes this is our job but there’s a lot more in the world.”

It would be no surprise if Otis soon has several more shiny medals to hang above his bed.