New Zealand’s Tim Price, seen here with Falco en route to second place at Badminton, has returned to the world number one slot for the first time since 1 September 2023. © Badminton Horse Trials

New Zealand’s Tim Price has returned to the head of the FEI Eventing world athlete rankings following his second-place finish with Falco at last month’s British 5* at Badminton, despite a serious shoulder injury that required two surgeries within 16 days, the second of which was on the Monday just 48 hours before the start of the British classic. 

The three-time Olympian (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), who made his debut appearance as world number at the end of May 2019 and held his advantage for a total of four months, now sits on a tally of 525, to give him a 39-point advantage over Laura Collett (GBR), up one place from the previous month. Collett’s compatriot and former rankings leader Harry Meade, who slotted into third behind Price at Badminton with Annaghmore Valoner, is a single point adrift on 485, with Ros Canter (GBR) holding onto fourth on 448 after her history-making third Badminton win with Lordships Graffalo. Rounding out the top-five is the USA’s Boyd Martin on 426.

“This feels very cool, it’s a very nice feeling”, Price says. “It is something to be proud of, to be top of the rankings, and hopefully it lasts for longer than a month! Of course, the key to maintaining such a high level of performance is consistency, having good horses that are well prepared and can go and do a good job at the highest level.

“It all comes down to having a great team behind me. Louella, Jess and Miles are my guys and I am very proud of their efforts. And obviously the owners, with all the horses right through, the understanding, the trust that they give to support me with competition selections and the overall plans for these horses to hopefully come to fruition. It is just all those things. And lots of years of hard graft and learning the little keys to the various horses to get the best out of them. I am very, very happy, and long may it continue.”

Despite breaking a collarbone in a fall off his bike while competing four horses at the Dutch 4* at Oudkarspel in mid-April and having to undergo surgery that night, literally days before the start of the US spring 5* in Lexington, Kentucky, Price still managed to finish fourth with Vitali and 16th on Global Quest. But the fixation plate holding his collarbone together had come adrift midway round the Lexington cross on his first ride, meaning a second surgery was necessary, and the only option was the Monday before Badminton, but the 47-year-old still managed to ride Falco to an incredible second place. 

“It wasn’t ideal”, he says. “I don’t consider myself a tough guy, but needs must and when you hit the ground and break your collarbone about the same time as your horses land in America, I think my options were limited. I think I owed it to the owners and the situation to at least get myself there and see what I could achieve. It was little steps, step by step. And really just a process like that and then to do it again at Badminton after a further surgery. I was very lucky to have an old friend in Falco who I know very well. I think if it had been a first timer at Badminton it might have been a different story and not achievable. I think just the way things were with that horse and I know him so well. I was able to get those (Kentucky and Badminton) done and have a little break afterwards and now I am getting back to business with all the other lovely horses I have.”

Price has the German 5* at Luhmühlen with Happy Boy in his immediate sights, and has other goals too. “I would like to top that off with a good World Championships or a good 5* victory this year just to really cement it and do all these lovely horses justice.”

Price is one of only two New Zealanders to have headed the FEI Eventing World Rankings, the other being Andrew Nicholson, who held onto the number one slot for 22 consecutive months from August 2012 to April 2014. Including this latest spell out in front, together with an 11-month run that finished in July 2023, brings Price to 16 months overall to put him fifth in the list of athletes with the highest number of times as world number one, just behind Nicholson on 22. The leader of this elite group, and by some margin, is Oliver Townend (GBR), who has spent an incredible 57 months overall in pole position.

Quick links:

FEI Eventing World Athlete Ranking