Taupō rider joins NZ FEI team
Spencer off to Italy for world champs with top riders
World-ranked Tim and Jonelle Price spearhead New Zealand’s team for the FEI World Eventing Championships in Italy next month, but they are joined by two debutantes, including Taupō’s Monica Spencer.
The Prices, the number 2 and 5 ranked eventers, are also joined by Olympian and former world champs representative Clarke Johnstone and debutant Amanda Pottinger.
Equestrian Sports New Zealand general manager of high performance Jock Paget says it is an exciting team to name as the nation also looks towards the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“It’s encouraging to have the combination of championship debutantes and experienced campaigners such as Tim, Jonelle and Clarke in the team,” he said.
“This is our qualifying opportunity for Paris and we are hopeful of contesting the medals. We’ve had a good build-up in terms of training and have invested into more team competition this year — hopefully this pays dividends on the day.”
Two-time Olympian Tim will compete aboard 13-year-old Falco, a German-bred gelding who in 2021 won the 5* at Pau. Forty-three-yearold Tim has twice ridden at world championships with an eighth in 2018 at Tryon his best effort.
Jonelle is in on McClaren, a 15-yearold gelding who last year was third in the 5* at Pau, and in 2018 contested the world champs with Sir Mark Todd.
The 41-year-old rider was New Zealand’s best at the 2014 Caen World Champs when she earned the moniker as the world’s fastest women with her fourth placing. She has previously competed at three Olympic Games and two world championships.
Clarke Johnstone was New Zealand’s best at the Rio Olympic Games with his sixth-placed effort. The 35-year-old, who rode at the 2010 world champs, has been named on Menlo Park, a Brit-bred 12-year-old who joined his stable late last year.
Monica Spencer and Artist are just about to board a plane to wing their way to Europe in preparation for the world champs. The 35-year-old from Taupō was third in the CCI4*-L at Werribee this year and has previously won at Puhinui.
Monica said she knew Artist was special when she bought him as a 4-year-old, but to be named on a championship team was surreal.
“I am very excited and proud to have the opportunity to represent New Zealand alongside such an incredibly talented group of riders,” she said. “I am very grateful to the people who have believed in us and been part of our journey.”
Rounding out the team is Amanda Pottinger and her 16-year-old New Zealand-bred thoroughbred Just Kidding. She is following in the footsteps of her mother Tinks who rode at top level for New Zealand and was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the Seoul Olympic Games.
The reserves for the 2022 world champs are Jesse Campbell aboard Diachello, Samantha Lissington with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, Matthew Grayling on Trudeau, and Dan Jocelyn with Cooley One To Many.
New Zealand has twice won team gold at world champs — at Stockholm in 1990 and Rome in 1998. The last time the team was on the podium was 2010 in Kentucky when Andrew Nicholson, Sir Mark Todd, Caroline Powell and Clarke Johnstone won bronze. Andrew and Nereo also won an individual bronze that year.
Individually, golds have been won by Blyth Tait and Messiah in 1998, Vaughn Jefferis and Bounce in 1994, and Blyth and Ready Teddy in 1998, the same year that Sir Mark and Broadcast News won silver. The Kiwi eventers were seventh at the last worlds in Tryon in 2018.
The championships are being held at Pratoni, near Rome, in Italy. The first horse inspection is on Wednesday, September 14, with the dressage running the next two days, followed by the Giuseppe Della Chiesa-designed cross country and the Uliano Vezzani-designed showjumping.
The venue has previously hosted the cross country for the 1960 Olympic Games along with the world champs in 1998 and European championships.
The best three scores from the team will count towards the final score. Great Britain head into the event as the reigning champs.