Jacky Green

Rain for the 4*S this morning in Kentucky but Jonelle said it was welcome for the track and predicted that I would stop for Falco’s dressage.

Unfortunately that prediction didn’t  come true and Tim and Falco did get rain for most of the trot work which was a shame as neither would be fans of it.  27.8 placed Falco at the head of Tim’s three horses which is no surprise although the fact that Jarillo ( Milo) and Happy Boy are so close says so much about the depth of Tim’s string out in the US.

Falco was so cool as always, he has this amazing ability to trot around like a cob in his daily work but turn on the flashy movement whenever he enters a big arena.  It’s probably his saving grace and possibly points to his longevity as he doesn’t waste any big steps when he doesn’t have to.  He was so cool, he and Tim looked like the ultimate team and it was so close to a clear round, just a slight error in the first pirouette dropping the score down.

And Falco was lucky…. just two horses later, last to go, old mate Boyd Martin went in an absolute torrential downpour. And just as he did the final halt the rain stopped.

So at the end of dressage Tim sits in 5th with Falco, equal 7th with Jarillo (Milo) and 9th with Happy Boy.  Jonelle sits in 12th with Hiarado (Jools) and it is never without drama and ups and downs at 5 star and especially in Kentucky.

All fingers crossed for tomorrow.

First horse on course will be Milo and Tim at 1.30 USA time, all the results are on https://realtime5.startboxscoring.com

and all the live action on ClipMYHorse TV.

No drama at the jog for Team Price as they all flew through the trot up on Wednesday afternoon in lovely sunshine.  Thursday morning saw the 4*Short dressage and it was pretty warm but by the time 1.30 local time came around the rain clouds were building in the background although the forecast was till uncertain.

Tim and Jarillo (Milo) headed down the centre line as pathfinders and Milo was super happy to have had quiet warm up arenas and a huge main arena all to himself.  He nailed a superb test to score 28.5 and Tim’s comment afterwards was class.  ” He is a lovely horse to ride and it’s a real treat to bring him here”.  Milo’s debut 5 star was in bottomless conditions in Pau last year but it looks like, and no surprise here, Kentucky is very much to his liking.

Next up Hiarado (Jools) and Jonelle.  There had been spots of rain in between horses but the weather Gods held fast forJools.  They laid down a solid 5 star  test for a score of 70% and there was so much to take from the overall performance.  Jonelle looked delighted as well she should be… she and Jools have come a long way in their time together and it was a polished 5 star performance that bodes well for the future.  Although she did add that she was a little disappointed not to break into the twenties and there was clearly more to do!

Tim and Happy Boy rode in blazing sunshine and Happy rose to the occasion with aplomb. They scored a 29.1 and, one would hope, nailed their colours to the mast.  The second flying change was not as good as the others but that was pretty much his only error and he also looked like he felt he belonged in that sensational main arena.

Tim sits in equal second alongside fellow Paris team member Clarke Johnstone (Menlo Park) on Milo, 4th on Happy and Jonelle is in 6th.  Michi Jung is way out in front on the legendary Chipmunk and it was a very impressive test.  Although I am not sure that all the riders agreed with the judge at C that it was quite worth 88%.

Tomorrow sees Falco get to strut his stuff as the atmosphere builds towards the weekend.

Interesting podcast that Tim recorded a couple of weeks ago about his Kentucky preparations:

https://www.kentuckythreedayevent.com/behind-the-barn-2025-tim-price

Photo credit Rosie Thomas. L to R:  Louella, Rosie and Beth and Alice Dorman, Team NZ equine physio.

Lexington, Kentucky…..Bluegrass country and the first five star event of 2025.  Five horses left from Chedington and four rocked up to the Kentucky Horse Park.  One can only imagine Happy Boy’s expression as he watched Copper Beach ( Sean), Cosby Green’s 19 year old 5 star stalwart, saunter out of quarantine and head for retirement at Cosby’s family farm in Lexington whilst he himself headed to the Kentucky Horse Park.  Happy has done everything in his power to be that person as opposed to fronting up at Kentucky this week but he is on site, in form and hopefully will rise to the occasion as he has so many times in the past.

Falco is a seasoned world class traveler having Maryland under his belt and much prefers that to the three day slog down to Pratoni del Vivaro which he did for his double bronze medal at the Worlds in 2022.  Jarillo  (Milo) has never flown before but found it much to his liking as everyone faces the same way in the airplane which is his preferred way of life to be fair.  Hiarado (Jools) would be a novice at flying as well but she is no stranger to being a strong opinionated girl so the sort that would normally really annoy the cabin crew, although since this cabin crew are all pro flying grooms they just admired her confidence.  And Happy is another flying virgin but was bemused enough be pretty sure that this is how all holidays start according to the gossip on the yard.  And he’s the type to have packed his speedos for sure.

Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park (Jacko) also flew from the UK and Monica Spencer and Artist (Max) are already US based so its a strong Kiwi contingent ready for business.  Harry Meade has 2 runners and Michi Jung has the amazing Chipmunk in from Europe as well, making up the 40 strong field for Kentucky this year.

Weather looks pretty perfect for eventing for once:  nice today, some cloud and the odd shower but warmish for dressage, a cool and cloudy cross country day and 21 and sunny for showjumping.  Well, that’s the forecast but as we all know, we can send a bunch of girls up into space for 11 minutes these days but still cant guess what day it would be good for a BBQ with any accuracy.

Tim is the pathfinder with Milo, Happy sits in the middle, late on Thursday afternoon and Falco is late on Friday afternoon.

Times in USA local time are: Thursday: 1.30 Milo, 3.08 Jools, 3.56 Happy.  Friday:  3.18 Falco.

The only way to watch outside of the US is on https://www.clipmyhorse.tv which is not cheap.

The best website for info and interviews and ride times etc is https://eventingnation.com which has amazing coverage.

The horses jog at 2pm US time today and generally in the US the jogs at 4 and 5 star resemble guests either heading for a stag/hen do or the actual wedding itself.  It’s a whole lot different to the tweed set in the UK and well worth checking out the photos on Eventing Nation tomorrow for sure.

Owners outing to Gainesway Farm Stud with thanks to Clay Green.  Photo credit Rachel Good.

Photo credit: Ginny Rusher, Tim and Viktor

Five rides each at Kelsall Hill with a mix of intermediates and advanced horses running in the I and OI classes and both Tim and Jonelle had 8am dressage tests.  Due to the fact that Kelsall ran the 3*Short class first they did have the luxury of doing 5 tests then 5 showjumping and 5 cross country runs which is far preferable to numerous changes of clothes and the feeling of starting again when they are split.

The dressage is a bit of a hack away and the times were tight enough but as they commented at the end of the day, a 10 minute trot in a straight line as a pre warm up is actually no bad thing at all.  It was raining for the dressage but not like the horizontal stuff of Chard at all, just the typical April showery rain that inevitably gets you pretty wet as well.  Weather steadily improved throughout the day but it was windy and cool and much more like the usual April event apparel was required!

Tim and Jonelle both had a mix of green and experienced.  Tim had Garcon ( Tibo) who is midfield, The Highlander ( Ivar) , second intermediate start, Vitali, Badminton and Burghley extraordinaire, Viscount Viktor , 3  five stars under his belt already at 11, and Chio 20, 4 star Long established.

Jonelle had Senor Crocodillo ( Diego), heading for his first 5 star this summer, Capitaine de Hus Z ( Alvin), experienced 4 star, Chilli’s Midnight Star (Ollie), experienced 4 star campaigner, Faerie Usain ( Maude), first time intermediate and Faerie Good Golly also first time intermediate.

Tim very nearly had 5 double clears but Ivar copped the first fence in his intermediate showjumping so that spoilt that social media post he was planning.  All of his horses were exceptional in the dressage with Viktor on a 24, Ivar and Vitali on a 25, Chio on a 28 and Tibo on a 33 in a section that didn’t have many in the 20’s.

Jonelle was also on fire with all her 5 scoring 70% or less:  Alvin was on a credible 26, Ollie on a 29, Diego on a 29, Maude on a 26 and Golly on a 30.

Jonelle did say that all credit to Maude, she won the gold star for the day as for the first time ever she rocked up to the dressage and went to work as opposed to being generally uncooperative and not on side.  The score spoke volumes, to be on 74% at your first intermediate is impressive.

The rest of the crew all show jumped clear apart from Maude who picked up 8 faults at fences 4 and 5.  Jonelle blamed herself as she said it was a short 4, Maude is a big horse and she thought she probably rode in a bit soft to make the distance easier and Maude ended up with  both rails  but came home super careful.

Its a fabulous track at Kelsall Hill and both Tim  and Jonelle were quick to praise the footing, the course and the chance to ride a proper rolling and undulating course that really sets up horses for their next big event.  The one odd thing was the first water which was a silver birch upright rail before a drop down into the water followed by a skinny brush on the way out.  Bizarrely the green horses jumped in brilliantly, often nearly overdoing it for some spectacular leaps, whilst the really experienced horses ( Diego, Ollie, Viktor etc) sort of paddled through it in a messy way.  Viktor and Tim very nearly parted ways as Viktor negotiated it like a trotter (but kindly popped Tim back in the saddle by dint of his keeping straight and bopping TP on the nose).  It seemed like the true advanced horses were suspicious of such an innocuous drop into water whilst the green babies launched into space with the gusto of youth.

10 horses, all in the top 12 in their sections.  Maude and Golly picked up their first intermediate points with a 3rd and a 5th and Jonelle was delighted with both of them.  They were both pure class for their first starts at the level for sure.  Tim was happy that Ivar has abandoned the need for a parachute at fences in his second intermediate run and has learnt so much in a week.  Chio came to play with his game face on which is good, Tibo is proving his pretty boy looks are substantiated with real talent, Vitali was pure class as always and Viktor was mostly losing concentration around an OI when he has done 3 five stars already.  That’s no surprise!

Jonelle was happy with Ollie, Diego and particularly Alvin who just keeps delivering.

So that’s a wrap on the spring one days and we head into 5 star season now.  The 4 horses in quarantine  ( Happy, Milo, Jools, Falco) are now safely at the Kentucky Horse Park and Tim and Jonelle fly out of Heathrow tomorrow afternoon.

The best links to all of the Kentucky action are via Eventing Nation. They have ride times, live stream, jog info, anything you would need to know.

https://eventingnation.com

An early start at Burnham with just two rides for Tim in the 3 star but that at least meant an early finish for the 6 hour trek back south to Dorset.  Garcon (Tibo) jumped a smart clear round whilst Gloire de Marchenval (Louis) rolled a single pole in his first stab at the level.

Tibo went first cross country and it soon became apparent that he was fit, strong, bright and very under bitted! Tibo has a lovely enthusiasm for life and he was up for going a whole lot faster than Tim was which was most evident as Tibo hunted on down to the Keyflow table and Tim had to resort to standing tall in the pedals and swinging off his head as he had no intention of steeplechasing it!  It was a lovely clear round though and Tibo now has his qualifications in place for Bicton 3L.

Louis would be allot shorter on experience with just the one intermediate run under his belt at Barbury a few weeks ago but he is a class act and he tackled the track with his usual professional attitude.  The influential angled ditch with the skinny to the open corner from the intermediate yesterday was in the 3 short but not numbered separately so when Tim and Louis jumped the ditch with a big green jump Tim looked at the line to the corner and said every instinct told him not to ride for the three but to circle.  He never presented at it and Louis had no idea he had been given a 20 but it was a technical stop so it added onto his score.  Louis dealt with the rest of the track beautifully but annoyingly, not with his qualification for the 3L at Bicton.

Tim summed it up beautifully though. He said he trusts his instinct and that is what gives horses a good experience, confidence and it’s the correct way to produce them.  How better way to sum up:  Tim, the ultimate horseman. Louis is a lucky chap to have landed on his feet and be a TP pony for sure.

And the crew and Tim then went hacking on the other horses that finished yesterday in the Norfolk sunshine to give them a good leg stretch before they trucked home.  That really is good horsemanship!

Our incredible run of weather continues with wall to wall sunshine at Burnham Market.  There were people walking round in shorts and T shirts today which is quite the move from the normal five layers topped with full on waterproofs as the Baltic wind hits the first landmass since leaving Sweden and Denmark.

There is though, sadly, a downside to this.  The driest March on record since 1961 ( and no rain in April yet either) may have made us smile but trying to run an event in Norfolk with the wind whipping away must have been quite the headache for Alec Lachore and his team.  They have been working on the footing all weekend but an event that normally runs in monsoon conditions is never going to be anything but firm in this spring.  The positive is that it is consistent, but constantly firm,  is what is is as Tim politely put it.

A long old three days in Norfolk for Tim and the team as the 3*S is spread out over Friday to Sunday and Tim has both Garcon ( Tibo) and Gloire de Marchenval (Louis) in that section.  They both did their tests on Friday, scoring 34.5 and 33.4 respectively in a huge class of 86 starters.  Both Louis and Tibo had a day off today as Tim ran the National classes with Jarillo (Milo), The Highlander ( Ivar) and Happy Boy.

An early start with Tim in the dressage arena at 8.06 am with Milo in the OI which is never Tim’s favourite thing but although a score of 32.7 seems a bit ordinary for Milo the section lead in the dressage was a 31.6.    It was almost like it had been judged by AI as the scores were all so similar or maybe the judge had had a late night and wasn’t a fan of the early start either so just barked “7” and “6.5”  at his writer consistently.  Ivar was in the other OI section and he did brilliantly considering he is a first time intermediate and should, as such, be in the ordinary Intermediate section but he pinched his slot from Kentucky bound Falco who is way above an OI start these days before getting on his plane.   Ivar more than held his own for a 26 which was just 2 points behind the winner.

Milo jumped a superb clear round in the showjumping which was not entirely unexpected and his connections breathed a sigh of relief as Tim withdrew him from the XC and he heads to Kentucky on Wednesday.

Ivar rolled a pole for 4 faults over a decent intermediate track with aplomb for his first crack at the level and as he set out cross country he decided that as the fences were bigger he needed to jump allot higher.  He was ballooning fences which showcased how green he is but at the water at fence 9 he did get a shock.  It’s under the trees in a dip and a big old log drop into a spooky pond.  Ivar came in, went to go, baulked at the drop, stopped and he and Tim then fought gravity to stay on the take off side of the fence.  It was a bit of a heart stopping moment but they survived and Tim walked away and I was convinced he was walking home with Kentucky in mind.  Suddenly Ivar re appeared, at pace and launched into the water like a helicopter ( A British one, not like the USA ones which keep plunging into the Potomac) with an enormous leap which Tim sat effortlessly and cantered on out over the exit jump.

A few more huge leaps and then the problem combination.  A skinny bush on an angled ditch with three forward strides to an open corner.  Some of those who had hung in the air or were short striding had done 4 but that wasn’t the ideal option and Tim came in strong.  Ivar opted for helicopter mode again and jumped the fence like a 1m 40 showjump, landed flat footed and Tim pulled off the corner as he is not a rookie anymore and knew that would not end well.  He circled, jumped the corner beautifully and headed home with Ivar over jumping everything but learning all the way.  Tim was delighted that Ivar had got to jump the whole track for the experience and I think sometimes we watch Tim on the advanced horses and think he is pretty cool but my, the ride he gave Ivar today was brave, classy, committed and a pure masterclass.  There is a reason why he will be World No. 1 again very shortly.

If Ivar is at the green end of the scale then multiple winner Happy Boy is absolutely the opposite.  I am not going to list his wins for fear of dropping into the “22 million pound black hole” game and my father wasn’t actually a tool maker.  Happy purred through the morning of his advanced run with a solid 30 in the dressage, a lovely clear round and headed out cross country for his make or break Kentucky run.

Falco stayed at home.  Milo didn’t run.  Happy was well aware one feels of the chat at the stables and had time to plan his moves.  Falco has probably been insufferable since Paris Olympics, Milo is clearly on the spectrum and has various issues to counter his brilliance  and Happy had allot to think about.  He wants to fly….but on his terms.  How to effect that….

Well, what Happy did is a bit like that old tale of ” What Katy did next” although since that was written in 1886 it has lost some relevance.  Although ability to shock is still the same.  Happy has walked home from Burnham Market quarry before, it was a tricky old course which didn’t flow particularly well with coffins and sunk roads and the quarry plus the tricky combinations and had all the elements that Happy could have baulked at.  And the ground wasn’t the best.

Happy was amazing.  He fought for Tim all the way and jumped a superb round.  Right up until he stopped at the last!

I think Happy is the cheekiest brat ever but Tim defends him to the last.  He says he was delighted with him but the run down to the last fence was on an odd camber, the ground was firm, he was trying to wait to the last adding down the hill and he said he ended up with no distance.  Tim described it as a “miss ride” which is possibly in the sack cloth variety of excuses but that is great thing about Tim, if he is at fault he is the first to put his hand up.

I reiterate what I said at Thoresby , if anything Happy is on even longer odds for a win now but, as Jonelle says, what a story!

Last year at Larkhill it was so wet that the big trucks had to be parked up near the dressage area and the showjumping arena was a challenging sticky bog.  This year we drove in through clouds of Salisbury Plain dust and parked on the side of the hill overlooking the showjumping and cross country as per usual.  It is a unique event with the odd tank thundering by ( as they do), probably training with a crack at some cavalry to inject some change in routine.  Salisbury Plain is very much an army playground and since it is generally around minus three at any given time apart from mid August the sight of blue skies and sunshine was yet again very much welcome.

Jonelle had diligently worked her two Faerie 7 year olds all week and having been pleasantly surprised by how well behaved they had been at Barbury got quite the shock when both Faerie Good Golly and Faerie Usain (Maude) came off the truck firmly in “wild” mode.  Neither of them impressed their respective judges this time with Golly sitting on a 33 in the open novice and Maude a 34 in her novice section.  The fact that Jonelle’s times were pretty tight, its a bit of a hack to the dressage and there was still a stiff breeze all contributed and as Jonelle reflected, the 6 minutes she had to warm up Maude was not enough to get her back down (both metaphorically and physically as she is quite the snarly one first thing in the morning!) and then attempt a medium canter!

I like it de Rohan (Kiki) was better behaved for a 28 which was impressive and she did lose a bit of steering in the showjumping but is equally determined to jump extremely well over every fence and its the first time I have seen Jonelle genuinely warm to a chestnut with such striking white markings!

Golly continued with wild mode for the showjumping which isn’t helpful in a sloping arena with the course designer determined to put all vertical combinations downhill towards the cross country which definitely improves the entertainment factor for the viewers.  We also now have definitive proof that horses are confused by camouflage as fence three was painted as such and caused many a violent spook.  Golly ran through the distance to have the last down which gave Maude enough incentive to jump clear when it was her turn.

Both Golly and Maude had lovely spins on the cross country which Jonelle was pleasantly surprised to see had been softened since last year’s mini Badminton.  It is just Kiki’s second run with Jonelle but they bowled around quite happily for just 3 time and another BE point to add to their tally.  The footing was perfect with the springy plains grass still retaining its bounce after a month with little or no rain and this event is run at the perfect time of year as by May it is like concrete as the chalk dries out.

The afternoon saw Jonelle with her sole 100 horse, LSF The Boss strut his stuff and he really is a dude.  They posted a 27 on the flat and a smart double clear and when Jonelle describes him as a “weapon” you know he is doing everything alright!  Jonelle wouldn’t be the biggest fan of riding young horses but Boss has some jump experience under his belt and he really, really wants to be an eventer!

A rare weekend at home for Jonelle whilst Tim was at Larkhill on Saturday having had commitments on the Friday.  In true Tim form he decided on Saturday morning that he would quite like to move Indy du Loir from the 100 he was entered in to the novice class instead.  Whether that was because he didn’t have to dressage until 2pm, didn’t want to walk two courses or he had a rush of blood to the head we will never know but a huge thank you to Larkhill for enabling it to happen!

It was a bold move as Indy’s first start this year ended rather ignominiously with a faceplant in the showjumping at Moreton 100.  But, Tim being the horseman that he is it was no surprise that it all went to plan with a 29 dressage, one of only 3 clear rounds jumping in his section in the showjumping and a lovely confident clear cross country.  Indy did pick up 5 time in the showjumping but that was explained away with allot of trotting as changes are definitely not on Indy’s radar at this point in time as he has only just learnt organise his long legs in true canter.  Tim said that he felt the bigger jumps suit Indy’s scope better and helps him focus so he was glad that he had made the step up.

The Highlander (Ivar) was Tim’s other ride for the day and he was running HC as there was no open novice on the Saturday.  Ivar is about to step up to intermediate next weekend so it was the perfect way to set him up and Tim had a lovely time on him with a 28 dressage and a cruisey double clear.  Indy and Ivar are about as far apart as one can get with two novices but they are both lovely, talented horses and that makes Tim’s job so very much easier.

Although he did add that he broke in the medium trot on both Indy and Ivar but he saw that as a mark of true consistency!

With Tim having 5 horses in the 4*Short at Thoresby a couple of rides due on the Thursday dressage were inevitable so the team drove up to Nottingham from Dorset on Wednesday afternoon with 7 horses to stable on site and the first international event of 2025.

Thoresby replaced the much loved Belton in the spring calendar so it is relatively new which also means that it has never run in anything  less than bottomless mud as we haven’t had a dry March since Covid.  Which was also notable for the fact that all the events were canceled in mid March and April in 2020!  Not only did Thoresby have its first ever great footing it also had sunshine and Stuart Buntine had reversed the track which seemed to make the flow better according to a fair few of the riders.

It was a big few days for Tim who has no less than 5 horses heading for Kentucky and Badminton five stars in his biggest show of depth in his career.  This was their baseline run after a couple of nice OI starts and quite a bit of pressure for Tim over three days as he tried to do justice to all 5.  Today was particularly busy with around 25 mins between each horse showjumping and then cross country with 2 sections of 4 star running concurrently and despite the better weather Tim commented at the end of today ” it was quite warm on Thursday and, yes, it didn’t rain but it was pretty cold and windy the last couple of days” which is Tim speak for being tired at the end of a big few days!  It’s a huge deal mentally to tune in to 5 different horses on 10 phases in one day at that top  level and they are very different characters!

Jonelle just had her 2 hot mares up at Thoresby, both in the Grantham Cup section, and she had time to do some office work in between riding them. Hiarado (Jools) posted a 34 in her section which Jonelle thought was a bit harshly marked and Grappa Nera ((Grape) a 35.9 which is seriously impressive for pretty wild Grape in March.

Tim was No.1  to go in the hot as hell Grantham Cup 4*S section with Vitali.  Thoresby run two sections of 4 star which they divide by points earned to date so it was the experienced duo of Vitali and Falco who fronted up in this section.  Jarillo (Milo), Viscount Viktor and Happy Boy were in the BEDE section of up and coming horses. Vitali put in a superb performance to score a 27 to kick the class off and he was only headed by superstars London 52, Lordships Graffalo and JL Dublin.  Who all happen to be Brits and Paris Olympians.

Falco was uber relaxed and Tim was delighted with him in his test.  He had a bit of a stumble before a flying change but recovered his balance to execute it perfectly but since it was just past the centre line perhaps the judges penalised him for it.  He sat on a 30 which is not really reflective of the performance he put in.

In the BEDE section both Viktor and Happy were on brilliant form to score 28.5 for equal second place and they did put a smile on Tim’s face.  Happy has always been able to wow the judges but Viktor can suffer from imposters syndrome so it was good to see him strut his stuff in the ring with the aplomb he always has at home.

Milo is super fit as he heads for his first 5 star in Kentucky and that is a bad balance with his horse shy issues!  He has so much energy he doesn’t really know where to channel it as well as the anxiety he has about warm ups.  He scored a 34 which wasn’t particularly undeserved but does show how much easier the long format is for him with its structured ‘final arena’ warm ups which are so much quieter than the relative chaos of a short format.

Jonelle had a fun morning showjumping Jools, who posted her usual enthusiastic round for zero points added with her ears flat back in concentration and Grape, who was just as enthusiastic for 4 faults.

Tim and Vitali showed the rest of the field the ropes with a lovely clear, adding just a couple of seconds of time for 0.8.  Milo is a great show jumper but he just shut down behind for 4 faults over a single fence which, as Tim said, was better here than Kentucky.  Viktor has struggled with this phase in the journey to becoming a 5 star horse at times but today he was exemplary apart from a major mistake on take off at one fence which resulted in him totally trashing it before recovering his composure to jump the rest of the round perfectly.   Viktor is a complicated chap who undoubtably is on the spectrum with some form of ADHD but he is also an unbelievable talent.  Not many 11 year olds head for Badminton with Pau, Luhmuhlen and Burghley already under their belt.  He’s a bit like one of those child prodigy’s….super clever, weird and destined never to have a normal relationship with his parents.

Tim was first out on Vitali and gave his usual masterclass on how to jump around a big track.  They were foot perfect everywhere and virtually schooled around the track showing all of their 5 star experience and unique partnership.  Tim never had any intention of winning prizes at Thoresby, it was always about the prep for Badminton or Kentucky and it was a super run.

Jonelle was next with Jools who bounded around the track like a labrador puppy.  They do have a somewhat unusual “portable” bank at Thoresby which last year was nearly Grape’s undoing as she mis read it, tried to jump it in one and ended up on her face in the  dirt which made the arrowhead three strides later unjumpable and necessitated a trip to Burnham Market for Badminton box ticking!  This year it was in a different position with no arrowhead but it was Jools who decided she was superwoman and gave Jonelle a heart stopping moment as she also contemplated jumping it in one before a last moment touch down which was pretty hairy to watch!

Grape was fabulous everywhere including the bank which she respected with the air of someone who will not be fooled twice.  They might have moved the fence but Grape is one smart chic and never forgets a thing and if anything her expression as she jumped it was one more of distain than acceptance.  Badminton beckons with good vibes.

Tim was now on phase 8 of 10 and the sun is starting to flag a bit and the wind is pretty cold.  But it’s Falco and he and Tim canter around the track like it’s a pony club exhibition.  Falco is 16 now and it is simply a privilege every time he runs to watch him and Tim and their incredible partnership together.  His footwork is something else and they are uniquely attuned to each other in the way that all the great partnerships are.

Milo was in his happy place when he headed out of the start gates and had some space for himself and his energy.  He jumped a great round which  only cemented his status as ready for 5 star to all and sundry.  It was a windy few days which Milo hates, he has been on edge for a few days but he finished up with a solid performance in the most important phase of all.  The ‘perfect prefect’ child is on track for Kentucky.

And Happy….. well,  Happy continues to ensure that despite winning Le Lion d’Angers, Blenheim and Boekelo he is never going to be on the transfer list.  He backed up his great test with a superb clear  showjumping where Tim said he really used his body to its best advantage. He got as far as fence 6 cross country,( a brush arrowhead as part B of a combination in a dip with the arrowhead on the rise) before running off it at attempt one.  He then also ran off it on attempt 2 and 3, and Happy is well aware that means the leisurely walk home on a long rein.   He also made sure the camera stayed on him with some fancy trot work in between attempts where he showcased some passage and piaffe just to keep the audience entertained.  He really is the equine equivalent of Robbie Williams… superb talent with an ability for self destruction that can only be marvelled at.    Happy knows the drill the way that Robbie knows when he is heading for rehab…..Cross country schooling at Rosamund Farm beckons before he gets on his first plane trip and leaves the horsebox behind on the tarmac.

Me thinks he will like that.  Very much. Falco is about doing the job with the most aplomb.  Vitali wants to win a 5 star.  Milo wants some space to call his own and Viktor lives in Viktor World.   Happy is all about the look and the Insta likes.  He’s not unalike the Orange President….very, very unpredictable but despite all the odds a winner when it matters.  Let’s make Happy Great Again could make him the longest backed winner of Kentucky ever.

Not quite so baltic at Barbury today as the wind had dropped which made a huge difference and although we didn’t see much sun today it was still so nice to be dry.  There had been some overnight rain which merely made the footing even more perfect and at the end of today, when some near 600 horses had jumped in the main arena, the ground was still as good as at the start.

Tim just had the one novice today, The Highlander ( Ivar), having his first start of 2025 in the ON section.  Ivar did his usual lovely test for a 27, rolled an unusual pole behind in the showjumping and had a lovely school around the cross country to add 14 time and a great first outing.

Jonelle had three novice rides with Faerie Good Golly being in the ON section as having upgraded to intermediate at Le Lion d’Angers.  Golly failed to wow the dressage judges for a 32 but jumped her customary double clear with her enthusiasm on view for all to see.  Jonelle’s comment after cross country, “you should have to pay to have that much fun” kind of sums up Golly, she is simply so much to enjoy!  Golly is so like her mother Molly…a proper working class attitude to life.

Faerie Usain (Maude) did wow the dressage judges in her novice section for a 22.5.  Maude is so different to Golly in size, shape and attitude and she is like a moody teenager at times who just wants to sulk in their room.  Jonelle works through this in the warm up and by the time Maude goes in the rings she is then the teenager who has been given a late pass and she is the true professional!  Maude jumped a beautiful clear round over the poles and then cruised cross country adding nothing to her score to finish in 2nd spot which is a very nice way to start her season and her best placing at novice to date.

I like it de Rohan (Kiki) is a new addition to Jonelle’s string, acquired on the way home from Pau last October.  Kiki is a chestnut mare with three white socks and a big white blaze and is a most unusual choice for Jonelle!  Having said that, once you see Kiki move and jump she is actually pretty special and she also has a really happy go lucky attitude which isn’t so chestnut mare at all.  Kiki didn’t seem to have much in the way of steering in the warm up, more of a drag racing attitude whereby straight lines are no problem but corners are….but, in true Jonelle form, she trotted down the centre line and the judge smiled and she produced a 21.5 on her debut on British soil. A double clear with just 2.8 time left her also in 2nd spot and another rosette and smiling owners.  For Jonelle, a definite Girl Power sort of day for sure.

Tim had swopped onto his intermediate rides and Chio 20 was his first although he was running HC as there was no OI today.  Chio  is the original brat pack lad and none of us envied Tim hopping on but he and Chio looked very much on the same page in the warm up and Tim kept him as far away from the cross country end of the riding in and Chio found no excuses to drop him.  To be fair to Chio it doesn’t come out of nowhere, he does wait for an excuse but he doesn’t try too hard to ignore one when he finds it!  All that power produced a lovely test though and a 30.7 was impressive for his first start of 2025.  Garcon ( Tibo) is such a dude with his “pretty” head and he is much more polite under saddle than he is on the ground and he flicked his toes for a 29 in his section.

Gloire de Marchenval (Louis), AKA ‘Perfect Pete’ continued his trend of winning the dressage even at his first intermediate, leading his class on a 29.  The showjumping track was similar to yesterday’s intermediate with a few different fence placings and Tibo ran a bit deep for 4 faults, Chio jumped a lovely clear and Louis stepped up with ease with another clear round.

All three horses relished the going and climbed the terrain with the ease of being based on the side of a hill at Chedington.  Chio looked impressive as always with an easy 16 time, Tibo put his short lived start at 4*Short at Lignieres firmly behind him with a lovely confident clear round and 14 time and Louis scampered around his first intermediate with consummate ease for 19 time as Tim helped him with he step up.

It was a Boys Power day for Tim.

Shout out to Cosby Green as well who rode Illico de l’Esques (Nico) for the first time and finished 10th in his novice section.  Cosby came back from cross country with the biggest smile and pronounced herself in love with Nico which is pretty damn cool and fun to watch as well.

That’s a wrap for Team Price at Barbury with some 22 horses from Chedington competed over the weekend.  Huge praise for the Barbury OC, the best going ever in March at any event and a great blast for horses and riders.