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Warwick Schiller
Journey on magic lies within the trails we ride.
Podcast Announcer
You're listening to the Journey on podcast with Warwick Schiller. Warrick is a horseman, trainer, international clinician and author who helps empower horse people from all over the world with the skills, knowledge and mindsets needed to create trusting partnerships with their horses. Warrick offers a free seven day trial to his customers comprehensive online video library that includes hundreds of full length training videos and several home study courses at videos warwickshiller.com just because you see what is shown.
Warwick Schiller
G'day everybody. Welcome back to the Journey on podcast. I am your host, Warwick Schiller and today we are coming live from Ekwatana in Melbourne, Australia. Ekwatana is Australia's biggest and most lucrative horse expo. They have, not only is it horse expo, they have competitions and things here. And today my special guest is one of those people who competes in things and it's Tim Price from, I guess, New Zealand.
Tim Price
No, I guess I'm from New Zealand, but I live in the uk so. Yeah, but a Kiwi through and through.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah, Kiwi through and through. So we're going to start out with your. I don't know if they call them accolades, but Tim is an Olympic eventer and so if anybody's listening to the podcast and you are not sure what eventing is, you may have seen dressage at the Olympics where they do the like dancing horse thing and then you may have seen the crazy guys that do the jumping thing. Eventing is both of those events plus another one called cross country where you jump, you run across countryside and you jump very, very large jumps that do not move if you bump into them. And they're like the, you know, I grew up as a kid in the rodeo world, so aventers are the bull riders of the horse world or you know, they're like the UFC fighters of the horse world. They tend to be, tend to be brave individuals. Did you say that sums you up?
Tim Price
I guess so. You know, you start when you're young and I think every, every young kid, probably a few exceptions, but they, we love to gallop around on ponies and hoon about and have some fun. At that stage you're not really thinking you're being brave, you're just having a bit of fun on your pony and seeing if you can beat your brothers up and around something on the farm and back down and then that moves into eventing. And I think eventing in New Zealand is more common than the other disciplines. So that was the natural progression into that sport. And then things Got a bit more real, whether it was through getting a bit older myself and realizing that it's quite dangerous, but also the pressure that comes with it, with expectation of the people that are now involved with you. Plus the jumps got a bit bigger as things went on. So those things have all become very real now. Yeah. And the other thing is now I've fallen off quite a few times and hurt myself and I've actually felt it up close what it's like to, to make a mistake on cross country. And like you say, the fences don't fall down. There's a big ditch in the bottom underneath the log sometimes or on the, on the landing side into water. You can get under the water and. Yeah, but you know, it's fun and you know, you make a good plan. You believe in your. And you know, you got to have confidence, but believe in your plan on that horse on that given day and go and tackle it.
Warwick Schiller
Tim, we've got an hour. You don't have to give the whole game away yet. We're going to work up to all that technical stuff. Okay. We're still going through your credentials. So you are an Olympian in an event that from the country you come from, it's a big deal. So it's not like you're on the, you know, you're not like you're on the Antarctic eventing team where there's only three eventers in Antarctica. You're an Olympian eventer from a country of aventers. You know, New Zealand is very much known for the Aventus. The picture I'm trying to paint for the listeners at home here is Tim has risen to the elite level of a dangerous sport and he didn't get there by chance. It's a, you know, to be an Olympic event for New Zealand is if you were to rank, you know, they're in the top. What, you know, if you, if you. If in the eventing world, if you said, yeah, the New Zealanders are always in the top, what are they? Top three, top five. What are.
Tim Price
They would be. Top three would have Rugby, obviously, that's our national sport. Rowing is always punched pretty high. And then eventing would be behind that in terms of medal tally. Really. Even though we've been a bit lackluster the last couple of Olympics, but still they look at it over the spread of three or four Olympics and the eventings. Yeah, around about number three.
Warwick Schiller
You know, New Zealand's one of those amazing countries that if you, if you were to have the Olympic medal tally based on medals Per capita. Yeah, I think they probably win every time, wouldn't they?
Tim Price
Yeah, I think we. The last Olympics was actually a really good Olympics for us. But yeah, the per capita stat stands us, I think almost at the top or at the top, I'm not sure, but.
Warwick Schiller
So which Olympics have you competed at?
Tim Price
Rio, Tokyo, and then Paris the other day.
Warwick Schiller
Three Olympics. Paris just the other day. You know, just at the Olympics the other day. Wow, what a story. So you grew up in Christchurch, was at the top of the south island of New Zealand.
Tim Price
Middle of the South Island.
Warwick Schiller
Okay. If you fly to the south island, the first airport you come to is gross jets.
Tim Price
That's all right. Yeah, yeah. No, Christchurch, that was my. Well, just in land from Christchurch, little town called Oxford. And my folks had a. Had a farm there. One of three boys and we kicked about on there with horses coming out our ears. Really?
Warwick Schiller
So the horses were just something that was on the farm? Yeah, yeah. I grew up on a sheep and wheat farm. Same thing. You know, dad used a horse that muster the sheep and it was just. Yeah, it was, it wasn't. It wasn't separate from life. It was. Yeah, it was a part of life. It was like riding a bike. Riding a horse. Yeah.
Tim Price
Rode a horse to school, a pony to school a bit when I was younger. And yeah, horses were just horses and ponies were just.
Podcast Announcer
Yeah.
Tim Price
The backdrop of everything else, really.
Warwick Schiller
Right. So I want to unravel the path to, you know, the Olympic level. Did you have aspirations as, like, as I grew up in a rodeo family and as a kid, my dad was a bull rider. I wanted to be a bull rider. Yeah, I ride, you know, calves and junior steers and junior balls. I got on two real balls. Scared the out of it.
Tim Price
Yeah. That's scary, eh?
Warwick Schiller
And you know, so I. That's what I thought I wanted to be.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
When I was younger and I got led in different directions. When you were younger, did you have a, you know, tennis, whatever, or was it always the horses?
Tim Price
It was, it was always the horses in terms of my sporting outlet and then the rest of, you know, teenage hood and things was going on at the same time, but it was always the horses that was my direction for the sport.
Warwick Schiller
And was it. Was it like. Yeah, I just like doing this or did you actually somewhere in the back of your mind, or maybe in the front of your mind have that? I'd like to do this at the highest level someday.
Tim Price
You know what? No, I was just a guy breaking in a lot of horses and mucking around with Everything that mum and dad were doing on the farm with breeding and I was helping serve, you know, collect mares with the stallions three times a day. I'd come home from school at lunchtime and if dad was away for a couple of days doing his job and things, I would have to come home from school as like a 13, 14 year old and I'd go and get this, you know, Mum would bring the mare into the. Or the couple at that stage, it wasn't so much a session of teasing mares and things, that would just be the one that needed serving. So she'd have that mayor there. I'll go get the stouting from the field in my bare feet stallion, like coming in like a stallion does when he knows he's got a job to do and then, and then serve the mayor and then put him back and then jump on my bike and hoon back to school and then. So it wasn't like I. And I was. That's so far away from what I'm doing now. Like I didn't even know this world existed. Of disciplined, methodical training systems that gets you to a point where you can rival the best in the world. That was just not even a concept for me. Then all these horses started popping up each year as we bred more and more and then they needed breaking in. So that was really my life up through my teens. Doing a bit of pony club, bit of local show jumping, that sort of thing. And then as I got towards the end of my teens, I had a. I realized I could make more money out of not Mum and dad's horses because they didn't pay me, I just paid for my rent and everything else and that was, that was cool. I'm not complaining. But I started to get a few off the track courses in as well and I was able to have those at home and start to make a bit of money out of doing those for other people or selling, buying cheap and selling a little bit on down the track. And then I went on the road around New Zealand a bit. Eventing. That's where I started to go into eventing. Probably age 18, 19. And still then I didn't think this is something I'm. I need to take to the world or you know, be really honed in on. It's a bit of a slow start, really.
Warwick Schiller
A slow burn. Yeah. You know the thing about. Well, I want to back up a little bit for some of the listeners around the world who may not be horsey people. When he says serving mares that Means leading the stallion up to the mare and having the stallion breed the mare and he was doing it in bare feet. And it's one of those things, you know, it's a relatively simple process if you know what you're doing. But the margin for error is pretty slim. You know, think about, you know, 500 kilo stallion fully intent on having his way with this mayor. You, you kind of have to know what you're doing and, and to be doing that at that young age, that's. I think that's one of those things. Like, I don't know if you get to help many people who get into writing later in life, but when you have a, when you have a lifetime with livestock, whether it's cattle or horses or whatever, but large livestock, that you have to be aware of their body, you know, their body language and their intent before it actually happens. It's. It's like a sixth sense that you develop, isn't it?
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
Without it. And it's almost hard to translate that to tell somebody it is.
Tim Price
And, you know, I'm naturally a bit of a barefoot person and people are always saying, put some bloody shoes on. And I'm like, but I won't get stood on. They're like, well, you will get stood on. I'm like, I won't get stood on. And so there is a. Their space, your space kind of thing to it. And it was bit like a sixth sense, I guess. I'm very, you know, what I'm doing now is what I'm doing now, but my movement around a horse is really in sync with the horse. And that's something that if the horse is going to move towards me in a way that it might stand on me, I'm already moving that way with the horse, so it's not going to stand on me.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah, it's like, it's like a dance that you learn how to do and, and you know, the horse is actually leading the dance. There's times when you can lead the dance, but there's times where you have to, you know, I. In giving clinics and demos at horse expos and stuff, a lot of times I'll use a, like a ballroom dancing analogy and I'll say, you know, when a horse is pretty green, a lot of times they're leading the dancing. You kind of have to go with them. And as they get as this relationship.
Tim Price
As they let you in, you can.
Warwick Schiller
Start to take over the dance, you know, so initially they're wearing the pants and you've got the dress and Then it kind of switches over. But I had a lady at a horse expo one time come up to the booth after I made that analogy and she said, I'm a professional ballroom dancing teacher. And she said a good leader has to know how to lead, but they also have to be able to follow the follow. So you're the leader, there's a follower, but you've got to be able to follow the follow, which almost means you have to know how much leading you can do, how much you can ask for. And I think that is, with horses, that is a, that's kind of part of the art.
Tim Price
It is, it is very hard to describe, isn't it? And that, that goes right through to now where, you know, as you develop as a rider that can ride good flatwork, dressage and everything else, you know, show jumping and things. And it's quite hard because you don't want to be saying things like be disciplined with your seat and be strong in your seat and your position and things. But it's almost more, you need to lead, don't follow. So when the horse does a funny movement and if you follow that movement, that's the, that's the horse is learning that they've just got something over you. They've then done something and they've got a result from you that wasn't really in keeping with what you're trying to do. So I don't really want to say something as blocky as ignore that, but it is kind of explaining to the horse that, no, no, we're, we're here and this is going to stay like this. And could you, if, if you wouldn't mind just staying the same and then over the repetition of it all and everything else, they tend to stay and stay in the position that you want them to do or whatever it is you're asking them to do. And yeah, it starts right back at the point when you're on the ground and working with them and say it's a horse you're breaking in and you've got like I had for many years five or ten horses lined up, the two year olds, some of them colts. I was doing this in the UK when I first went over there because there was good money in it and it was. And I didn't have many inventors or owners, all that sort of thing happening. And so I broke in horses and I had them for the Billy Stud, which is a Pippa Funnel, William Funnel and another guy called Donald Barnwell. And they would literally drop off five or ten at a Time, fresh from their breeding block, matted mains and they would be all bunched up in the back of the cattle truck and then they would all gallop off into the field and then two weeks later they would take them home with their manes and tails all tidy and halters broken in. But they'd be dropping off another five or 10. And in my 20s, my body was so much worse than it is now, in my 40s for the flung around the place. But anyway, that was the thing. You've got to go into the area, into the environment with that new horse and in a very short time, because you haven't got much time, have a conversation with the horse where it's a bit ebb and flow, where like you say, you follow them, they follow you. But over time, over, over a short amount of time, they start to. You start to have an influence on their movement and they start to understand that you're part of what's going on. And then their minds start to open up and open up and open up. And I think that filters right through.
Warwick Schiller
To what I'm doing now, most certainly. So when you first. I want to talk a bit about when you said you first started eventing around New Zealand because think about any most other Olympic events, it's you, if you're a rower, it's you and your.
Tim Price
You and your canoe.
Warwick Schiller
I don't think rowers call them a canoe either. What do they call them? A walker. That might be New Zealand term, but with, you know, you can buy that and that's yours. Whereas with the horse thing, there's the horses, but you've got to have owners to pay for that. Is that how you got your start or were you eventing on your own horses and that got you some success?
Tim Price
And then other people came originally with no owners. It's definitely not a thing in New Zealand to have other people owning your horses. So I originally went over with one horse to the uk, which I owned, I fundraised and things back in New Zealand to get the horse over there and then spent a season there, went to badminton and burley and did a, you know, learned a lot, but didn't come anywhere near the top of the tally.
Warwick Schiller
Let's just interrupt there for a second. Badminton Burley, for you people at home who might not know anything, what those mean, that is the, that's the upper, upper, upper level of the eventing in the uk. Like that's. You win that, you've basically won the biggest thing you can win.
Tim Price
Yeah, they're the Ones we want to win. And then I decided that this was for me to come to the UK permanently. So I went back home and I had a bunch of horses back home which I sold a good bunch of them and took another two or three. Three, I think back to the UK with me. So I had four horses all owned by myself, which is crazy expensive. That's when I was doing all the breaking in straight away just to get some money coming in. And it just takes years and years to get to the point. I think I got a couple of dodgy horses that were tricky to event owned by other people. So that was a real opportunity. I grabbed that with both hands and took those horses out along with mine to sell one of mine or two of mine along the way to keep everything working, riding those horses. And I just over the next few years got a bit of a name for being good with tricky horses. Not being potentially a top rider, but just being good with these sorts of horses. And a couple more opportunities came along on the same vein. So yeah, and I keep going like that.
Warwick Schiller
I can, you know, that's interesting because that is a space that some people get stuck in. You know, when you're good with the tricky horses that other guys can't get along with, you end up spending your life with tricky horses. So you coming out of that? I want to get back to that in a minute, but I kind of want to back up because I want to kind of have you share your mindset because we met at dinner the other night and I got a little bit of insight into you, what your mindset was like back then. But so you have you self funded to get your, your own horse to the uk. So you obviously at that stage had at least some self confidence like you. Where, where is your mindset at that stage? Like I can go, you know, were you at the. I'm gonna go to England and I'm gonna go to the Olympics or you like. I think I can go a level higher than I am. What was your mindset there?
Tim Price
I think, I think without really admitting it to myself, I was very competitive. I am very competitive, but it's not my sole focus or it's not even my main focus, but yeah, and New Zealand I was competing well and I was, I, I won a couple of good events in New Zealand. I won PUI Horse trials which was amazing to win. That was like up in Auckland and it was the, the big deal of New Zealand eventing.
Warwick Schiller
And this is on one of your horses?
Tim Price
Yeah, one of mine. All my Horses and I, and that was the horse I took then actually took him to Adelaide and did the Adelaide five Star. I had a runoff in a corner in the water, but it was still a good effort and I had to fundraise for that. Then I came back and then made the. Then I guess the mindset was that I just wanted to keep going to competitions and keep pushing the level, but I wasn't really thinking, whoa, I'm going to the UK to really give the rest of the world a go and to maybe do something with my life and all these sorts of things. I just was more, oh yeah, I'll go. And I think that's a good plan. Go over there, see what's over there. It's kind of like traveling. I love traveling, but I was traveling with a reason and with a horse. And yeah, I went to these competitions pretty, you know, full foolishly with my, probably with my, my view of how it might go and what I might look like and all those things and just went and got some good old fashioned experience at those. But yeah, then the next few years, like I say, so then I was there. Janelle, my wife, we were doing the same thing. She was, she was a whole different ker. She's focused, determined, she's learned out of a book. She had no horses in her background. She just begged for a horse and she got a My Little Pony for three Christmases and then eventually got a shared lease on a pony when, you know, but she kept, you know, so her, her assault on the, on her career was much more targeted and I was a bit more just following my ambition a little bit, but just, just what was, what was happening. I thought it was a good idea to go to the uk.
Warwick Schiller
She's from New Zealand.
Tim Price
Yeah, okay. Yeah. And so we were both over there, but I was, I was doing all these breakers and it got to a point and then I was doing okay with these other horses, but nothing too exceptional. But it was about six or seven years of just trying to survive because it was just really was expensive. And like you've alluded to, there was never a lot of owners managed to get the number of horses we owned down ourself to a much lower number. And just to give you a context, here I am 20 years later, you know, successful and both Janelle and I are successful, doing really well, but we still, out of the 35 horses that we have between us, we own one. So that's. And if we own three ourselves, we start to feel the pinch. We start to make it it starts to cut too much into what, what we can make in our job. So it really costs a lot to have a horse over in the uk.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah, there's no, no, it's also not just the cost, but it's. If you're going to be riding them, you're putting the time into them. That means you're not putting time into the ones that are actually paying you.
Tim Price
Yes. Yeah, that's. That's right. So, so no, so that was, that was very much a plan. But yeah, it got to the point where I was, I was doing okay with these horses and then, but because I'd worked then that's when things got a bit more real and I wasn't just a floating youngster anymore. You know, like I said, my, my body was quite sore. I was working really hard on these horses. You're half a world away from home and that's when it dawns on you, what am I doing this for? And that was a bit of a self realization. There was no one really pushing me with that way of, you know, considering things. And there was a couple of people saying, you are, you are really, really good. There was that. There was people encouraging me to, to be, to, you know, that I could be as good as some other people, but I still didn't really believe it.
Warwick Schiller
Well, that's what I was going to say was how did, how does that land? Because, you know, that can land a couple of ways. There's probably going to land three ways. It lands where it's supposed to land or it can land where you're like, I don't really believe them. Or it lands to where you think you're King Kong and you turn into a bit of an idiot. So later that land, which one of.
Tim Price
Those spaces it lands completely ignored, completely disagreed. Yeah, I just thought I was, I thought I was pretty handy and I was quite good with horses, like. And that's what my background was. I'm really good with horses. They get them doing things that I want them to do and I was competitive. But it was the. I just still, I would go to badminton and. Because I went at the very beginning, like I say, to badminton and Burley with that one horse and did okay. Not very good. Made some mistakes and learned a lot. But then I didn't get back to badminton for eight years. So those eight years I would go to badminton and Burley and run around the course watching Fox, Pitt and Andrew Nicholson and these guys at various jumps. And I just. That jump, I'd just watch their hands and the next one, I would just watch their leg, and the next one, I'd watch them come in and where they were looking, and I would just watch these guys, and I. And so I was mesmerized by how amazing these guys were at their job. But it also maybe put them on a bit of a pedestal that I don't think I could have achieved because they were just a whole other level of brilliance.
Warwick Schiller
That's. That's them. And this is. Yeah, this is me. Something I want to point out there is. You know, this is one. I think one of the reasons that Tim got to where he got to that. That breaking things down and like, not looking at the whole picture, you know, not looking. Oh, he jumped the jump. Like, what ex. What specifics was he doing? Jumping the jumping and jumping the jump. I know for me, you know, early on in my reigning career in America, there was one particular rider that I was like. I wanted to ride like him because in the. You know, in the English world, people, it's very. Learning to ride is quite structured, and you all tend to have a similar seat. The running can be. Some people look quite classical and some people look a bit sloppy. And I really like the people who rode really well. They really stay out of their horse's way and things like that. And there's one guy in particular that I wanted to ride like. So when I watched a video of me, yeah, I would look at it and go, which part of me does not look like. Yeah, his name is Todd Bergen, but yeah, which part of me does not look like Todd Bergen? But I'd also watch my runs, and instead of watching the whole run and watching, you know, you watch the run. Okay, but then I'd watch my hand. Yeah, all the way through the round, nothing. But what was my hand doing? What could it have done differently? What was my legs doing that I could. Was my seat doing that it could have done differently?
Tim Price
And I think components.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. And I do. And I'm. Hopefully this helps some people listening if they're struggling with some stuff is that might not be apparent to a lot of people. You know, you can just watch the whole thing a million times and not get any more out of it, because you're just looking at everything instead of looking at the detail.
Tim Price
The detail. It's so true. And yeah, whilst I was in awe of these guys, I think I was taking a lot on board with. With just what they were doing in those different areas of their. Of their ride and their. Their approach to fences and their. Their bodies And I was actually. And it's. It's funny because I didn't realize at the time, but I was actually quite disciplined with myself and my body. And I. To this day, when I hop on, I check, I do. I go through a check with everything constantly, and I make sure that it's where I want it to be. And then also the other thing I think I was naturally good at was that I. If I. If I knew that something was a better way of doing something, I would just do it. Like, if my hands are moving. And I. But I wanted hands like Toddy Mark Todd, and he had a lovely soft elbow. And actually, you almost need for, like, trotting, you must need to lift your hands a bit to keep in order for your hands to finish still. And so many people don't have independent, nice, still hands. And it's not always about being still, but it's an independent hand. They could be here, they could be here. But if I want them still, they're still. So when I go into the dressage arena, for example, they. They become still. But I just made them still. I'm not used to these flies of this.
Warwick Schiller
You guys at home, you can't see it. We're in front of a live audience. They're all laughing right now. Australia has lots of flies and they're very sticky.
Tim Price
Can you put some corks on my head?
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. You've ever seen old swagman with the corks on his hat? There's a reason for that. They're very sticky. And there's this whole interview, there's been one fly that is annoying the hell out of Tim and it will not lead.
Tim Price
I went over to you just before.
Warwick Schiller
It went over to me while I chased it back to you. But Tim is like fighting off this fly. And this. This fly is very.
Tim Price
Between me and the fly now.
Warwick Schiller
Persistent. And New Zealand and what? England. New Zealand have flies like that?
Tim Price
No. New Zealand, definitely not England. It's way too cold. They only last 24 hours.
Warwick Schiller
Don't have flies like this. But the Australian fly, they will go up your nose, in your ear, in your eyeball, juice up your nose, corner of your mouth. Oh, it's in my mouth. I've got to spit it out. And so if you guys at home are kind of feeling like Tim's voice is stopping and starting, he's just chasing his fly around.
Tim Price
Do you think that they Not. Not fear, but do they smell the.
Warwick Schiller
Yes.
Tim Price
Anxiety in your fly? And he's like, I've got one here.
Warwick Schiller
Look out here. In the crowd here, all these Australians, no flying. None of them have a fly on you guys?
Tim Price
No, no flies.
Warwick Schiller
They can sense fear.
Tim Price
Okay, I'm gonna deal with it now. I'm not going to put my hands up.
Warwick Schiller
You're gonna bring me on the fly.
Tim Price
Come on, fly. Come back.
Warwick Schiller
So you're talking about watching these guys and. And, you know, really thinking about the mechanics and the details and how do I isolate this one thing. Thing. Instead of trying to solve every damn thing. Like.
Tim Price
Yeah. But also go and go and execute. Like, just go and do that thing instead of just carrying on. Because a new thing to do, it requires breaking a habit or a pattern and then working at it long enough until that becomes a new habit. And it's as simple as that. But so many people, I find, are so stuck in their style or their way that they cannot put themselves into the new thing. But the new thing's just a new thing. It's a new muscle memory. It's a new habit. And after time, it will become the new good feeling, the new normal feeling. So I worked on that day in, day out, as I was going along, I think.
Warwick Schiller
But I think the thing that enables someone to create a new habit is self awareness, like being aware of what's going on in your body. Because, you know, you can't change a habit if you. If you. If you're not aware of it. If you just, you know. So it's really about the focus of your mind, what your mind is focused on.
Tim Price
Yep. And, you know, people say that I'm a very naturally talented writer and things, but a lot of work goes into that becoming something that looks naturally talented.
Warwick Schiller
You know, that's one of the points I want to make with. With your success, because we had a chat the other night at dinner, and, you know, you didn't necessarily always have this, yes, I want to be Olympian or whatever, but if you. Tim said something here a minute ago, and I want you guys at home to think about here in the audience to think about it. I went to badminton. I didn't get back there for eight years, but I spent eight years watching the people I wanted to emulate and figuring out what they were doing that I wasn't doing. And that's not a writing skill. So the point I'm trying to get here is people think I'm not a good enough writer. You weren't writing eight years at badminton. You were sitting there analyzing things at badminton and then going home and incorporating them into your.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
Work at home. And so that was that's a mental skill that's not. I think everything is mental. All the physical things are mental things. And a lot of people think that, oh, you're the, you're lucky because of whatever the luck things are. But I think there's a lot of whole work, hard work goes into luck.
Tim Price
Yeah, yeah, it's true. And I was, I was observing and learning and then, and yeah, and then the rest. Then there was a. So after, after all that I got back to a couple of. I had a. We all need a horse that really gives us a springboard to, to the next level. And I was very lucky to have a horse called Wesco who was a super little horse. The first proper good horse I ever had and that he came my way in2011. So 2000. So he was still young, 2012 actually. And I was the water boy at the London Olympics. Then I was throwing the water on the horses after cross country, which I was lucky to be able to do.
Warwick Schiller
So let's, let's, let's talk about that. You were the water boy at the London Olympics. So how did you get to be a water boy at the London Olympics?
Tim Price
Well, Janelle was riding there, so that was useful. And I mean I just, I just wanted, I just wanted a job so I could be involved there. But I want to say I was going from just being the, you know, the guy around the, the, the wash off area of the horses, just trying to be useful where I could be. Anyway, this back to the horse he came along after I went. I was there in 2003, 2004, so it wasn't until 201112 I got this horse called Wesco and he was good, he was a really phenomenal horse through the three phases.
Warwick Schiller
Was he good when you got him or you developed him?
Tim Price
I developed, I mean seven year old show jumper and anyway, so I got going with him.
Warwick Schiller
Did I ask you before you get too far away there when you first got him, did you kind of go, oh, he's got everything or did he just reveal these things to you as you went along? When did you get a sense for what?
Tim Price
Probably after only a couple of weeks. I thought he's, he's got a lot going on. He's. Because his brain as well, he's super sharp. Smart. Was sharp as well, but he was smart and he was a great performer. And so I started out with him at novice level. He had some good ownership. Owner. It was owned by someone else which was amazing. And he just, he won events at novice. He won events at Intermediate went to advance, he won a few, then made it. We made a few mistakes as he then finally realized the fences were quite big and skinny. Ran off a couple of times, learned that that wasn't really an option. And then he went on to be an amazing horse. And I think I said to you at dinner about winning this five star in Lemoulin in 2014, and that was. Yeah, that was very special. I was in second place after dressage behind Michael Young and I stayed in second place after cross country, had a fantastic cross country round. And then I. I came into the show jumping as reverse order. So the, the horse in the lead, show jumps last and the. And so on and so forth. So I was second to last. The show jump, jumped a beautiful clear round and then Mickey came in and had a rail and I won, knocked around and so I didn't. It was a quite a nice introduction to winning because I didn't have to lead from the front. I never really thought I was going to win it, but I was really nervous about winning and there was. That was a big deal for me. I was not. I was. I really genuinely was scared of winning a big competition. I didn't know what I'd do in a prize giving. I didn't know what I'd do with the attention. And I thought maybe I'll just quietly just be quite good at these events, but hopefully I don't have to win one of them at any point.
Warwick Schiller
You know, hopefully I don't win. You know, a lot of people, I think, and this is human nature, is when you win something like that, you win it because you kind of don't think you're going to win it and then you win it. Did you find right there, the next time the pressure's on. Like now I'm supposed to win. And so this is. The dressage test is the same. The jumps on the show jumping are the same. The cross country course is the same. But there's a totally different pressure. Perceived pressure.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
Than there was before. You found that.
Tim Price
Yeah, I did. But the winning thing actually turned out that it wasn't so bad as well.
Warwick Schiller
It's not so bad.
Tim Price
It wasn't so bad. And I learned that at that first win at five star level, I learned that I can, I can do this. It was actually okay. I had to speak and I spoke okay. And. And it was all right. So I got away from a little bit the fear of it. But going on to what you're saying, yes, there was then it's more expectation. There was more of a spotlight on me to do well. But I didn't have a lot of good horses still. I just had this one good horse, so you could lower the level of expectation on the other horses a little bit. And then I just went back to work for another few years. Well, a couple of years before I had a bit of a proper junction. And that was helped a little bit by a person called Eric Devander, who was our New Zealand team coach at the time. And he really grabbed me and shook me and said I was still doing the other crappy horses. And I don't mean anything by, you know, every horse has its job and it's almost our job to find the path for each horse. Yeah. So I just mean for our job, they weren't ever going to be top horses. And I was still riding a lot like that. And I was breaking in a few. And he said, there's so long as you keep doing that, you're not going to be the top 3% of riders in the world. You need to do that and that. Only you can't even sell. You can't buy and sell. Can't. You know, don't worry about the guys that are making lots of money. They're never going to get anywhere. They're going to have lots of money or, you know, make a good income because they're going to produce horses and sell them. Produce horses and sell them. You want to be the guy riding them and you've. You have a choice to make. So that happened a couple of years after that win in 2014, and I decided to go wholeheartedly down that route.
Warwick Schiller
After that conversation, you decided to go wholeheartedly down that road. But how did that. How did that land, like, in the moment when he's telling you that, is there a part of you that's like.
Tim Price
No, yeah, I'm a boy and I'm slow. And so it took a while for that to sink in. I had to think about it for a while and it's quite easy just to carry on, carrying on, isn't it? And that would have been quite a nice thing to do, but it was actually a fun new project. I sort of put it in my mind as a fun new project. And I was a bit sick of writing some of these horses because it's not just an average horse, but some of them are quite dangerous. And I'd had a lot of big fools cross country where I'd tripped over because. And I knew the horse's front end wasn't very good. And and so you're doing everything you can to manage that at speed, trying to get a good result, Please, everyone. And, you know, there's been times where I get too close to a log, down into water, and the horse has left his front end and he's flipped over and I'm hitting the ground and the horses flipping beside me, landing right beside me as we both slide into the water. And it's like this. Fractions of. And it's. That's, you know, it's a dangerous sport. But let's.
Warwick Schiller
Let's talk about that.
Tim Price
I can't stress it out, but there is. There's. When you're. When you're at that stage of your career. And I know people that are like that now, but we'll try to help them out a bit. But they are riding what comes their way. And some of those horses are quite dangerous or they might find themselves in a bit of a dodgy situation. And, yeah, you know, a lot of people struggle with.
Warwick Schiller
Struggle with fear. And, you know, when things like that start happening, like those near misses to where you think, whoa, this could have been completely differently. Did that. Did that affect you mentally? Or you could really just block that out and, like, you're focused on what.
Tim Price
It takes a little bit of recovering from. But, yeah, I could tell so many stories of falling and getting back on, and I'm really good at falling as well. And that goes back to breaking in and things like, I've had times where I've fallen off. You pick your spot on the ground, you roll your shoulder and turn around, put your feet on the horse as it's sliding along behind you just so you can slide along in front of it.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. And the crowd is. The crowd here's laughing. But you think about, like, think about growing up as a kid. We talked earlier on about. I started out this conversation about, you know, doing an event that requires you to be brave. And you said, well, when you learn to ride that young, you're doing things that you don't have to be brave because you're not even considering the consequences. And I remember years ago, my son Tyler was doing these kung fu classes, and then I started going to the adult classes, and it was taught by a. She was an intermediate belt, this woman that was teaching it. But the black belt, he would come. He had different dojos, and he'd come once a month to go through the. Through the. You know, see how everybody's doing. And I was just beginning, like, I was. I knew nothing, but he happened to come along. And he said, so we're gonna, we're gonna work on the kung fu role. Anyway, he goes, you come here. And I walk towards me, he grabs me and he flings me across the mat and I. Oh, no, he wasn't even working on the kung fu roll. He said he was talking about throwing. Anyway, he just grabs me and flings me and I just rolled over and stood up. And he looked at me like, you're supposed to go splat on the ground. And he looked at the instructor, she said, have you taught them the kung fu roll? She goes, no, no. And he goes, where'd you learn that? And I go, growing up riding horses. He said, can you do it on both sides? And I'm like, what do you mean? He goes, well, you just rolled over your right shoulder. Can you do it the same on your left shoulder? I don't know. Throw me. So he grabs me and flings me across the room and apparently I can do it on both sides. And by this point in time, you know, I've been training horses and given lessons and I can communicate ideas quite well to people. And so he actually, I'm the most beginning person there. He had me teaching, even the instructor how to do a kung fu roll. Basically teaching these people how to fall off a horse when you're not on a horse.
Tim Price
Yeah, yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? I think there's something that young riders and things need to work on. And it's a funny old sport now with all the, you know, the young kids over in the UK especially where they've got fancy horses and all the gear and no idea and all the push from the parents and things, but they just need a few ropey ponies and things. And then. And then the other thing is when they fall off, everyone comes running in. And I know we need to check that you not knocked your head and all those things, but sometimes the most important thing in that moment is for you just to be on your own with your horse for a minute and then go right, get back on, or just self assess and then get back on. And everyone comes running in and checks she's okay or he's okay and they're on a nice horse and then they've got to build. I think it's a really important part of event riding because it is dangerous and it's a necessary evil, is to know how to deal with yourself when you're going in a direction you don't. You didn't really plan to go in.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. And the thing the thing that people, you know, that hurt themselves falling off horses is usually what they're actually doing is denying reality. Like, I'm going to hit the ground. Like, no, I don't want to hit the ground. That's when they break things. And it's, you know, you've, you've, you've got to be able to. In that split second, you've given up control. You can't, you're not getting back on the horse. You're in mid air. So you have to just go, okay, I'm going to make the best of this. And it's a, it's, it's one of, it's like that, you know, that sixth sense thing we talked about before. It's not something you can think about in the time, but you, if you think about when you fall off, well, you're not denying the fact that you're falling off. You're not wishing it was different. You're not trying to change the situation.
Tim Price
You're just in the moment.
Warwick Schiller
You're, you're, you're, you're surrendering to the situation.
Tim Price
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then trying to deal with the energy, whatever the energies is, whichever direction. You're just trying to be in that energy to be able to, you know, and, and get yourself in a better situation. So that was, we digressed, but that was all that was going on in those years. And so it felt like a great new project to go in the direction of let's try and be as good as we possibly can be. So I spoke to the owners, that was the first thing. Speak to the people that had horses and those horses that were not so great, I had to be brave and say, look, this is what I want to do. I want to try and get to the top of eventing and make that my sole focus. And I would love it if you guys stayed with me. But I think your horse is not the perfect horse for that. I'm not dropping you at the altar. I just want you to know that that's where I'm going. And I'd love it if you came with me and I'd continue with your horse, but with a exit strategy of selling your horse, whatever. And I'd love you to come and, you know, maybe sell yours for 15 grand and then we go and buy a nice youngster. You can buy a quarter of the youngster with some other people or something. But come with me, please, if you, if you will. But that's where I'm going. And 100% of the people Came on. They love the ambition they got behind. I think ambition excites people. They're obviously in a sport that they can't do themselves. That's why they're owners, not riders. But they're getting a lot of enjoyment by participating in that, in that context. And so they. It was really interesting. I thought I'd lose a couple of people, but I lost no one. And everyone got on board with the plans, with their horses, and on we went from there.
Warwick Schiller
You know, as they say, fortune favors, favors the brave. And that's a. That's a brave move that, you know, you didn't know if you're going to have any horses at when you made that decision. But they all came on board, and that's not a guarantee. Like, you didn't make that decision thinking, yeah, they were going to do it, but. And I'm a big, kind of a spiritual universe, whatever. And I think if you can. You basically gave up control. It's like falling off.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
You know, he said, like, okay, give me if. If I'm meant to do this, give it to me.
Tim Price
Yeah, that's true. And. And it was. It was great because it was a proper shift in direction. And even though I carried on with those horses for some time further and everything, but it was different, you know, it was different.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. You had a different energy and intention about you. So at what point in time did you go, I think I can make the Olympics?
Tim Price
Well, I don't know. It's funny when the Olympics, because these are. There's so many other things that we're trying to achieve at top level as well. And then the Olympics come around and it's a whole different beast because it's team and it's your country behind you and things. The first. The first Olympics I went to, I was reserved, the Rio Olympics. And so I was not really expecting to get into those ones. And I. I made it as a reserve, traveling reserve to Rio. So that was quite exciting. There I am at Rio with my horse. It was a different format to what it is now. So I was on the. I was on the bench waiting for something to happen. And lo and behold, Jock Paget's horse got an injury in his stable the night before dressage. And, yeah, that was. So that was my first gold Olympics, but I wasn't really sort of mentally preparing for months and months to go and contribute to a New Zealand result at the Olympics. I was just. That was a different horse to Esco. It was a horse that probably isn't that suitable to the Olympic Games. But anyway, so I had him.
Warwick Schiller
So tell me, tell me what that's like. Like one day, the day before the dressage or the two days before the dressage. I'm just here to make, you know, I'm here the reserve.
Tim Price
And the day before, support the team.
Warwick Schiller
And support the team, yeah. And then the day before the dressage, like the horse cuts his chin and.
Tim Price
He was Pathfinder, so he was the first of the four riders to go dressage the next day. And so they said to me in the two things, they took me and had a. We chatted to me and said, right, jocks, horse has had an injury, he can't compete. And so you're coming in. I'm like, okay, that's cool, that's amazing. And then he said, and he's Pathfinder. Tomorrow, as I knew already, do we need to move you to give you, you know, the more comfortable spot is number two, maybe? Or do you want to go? Will you take a spot? It would really suit the dynamic of the team and I. Oh, so like.
Warwick Schiller
Organizing which member of the team goes where.
Tim Price
Yeah, so literally from. Yeah, from 6:00pm you're competing at the Olympics. Tomorrow morning doing dressage at 9am yeah.
Warwick Schiller
Most people have, like five years to think about competing at the Olympics. You had, I'm not competing at the Olympics to, oh, tomorrow I'm competing at the Olympics. That's got to play with your mind a little bit, doesn't it?
Tim Price
Yeah, I didn't think it did, but looking back at that, I just got on with it and did a. Did my job the next day, did an obad dressage and then cross country. I fell over on a turn. My horse slipped on some grass. That was. I was first one. I was going really good up to around nine minutes of a ten and a half minute track. And there was a long route on this jump that I was instructed to go long, but I was whipping around the long route and because it wasn't a permanent grass on the track, had been put in, like ready lawn, like two years before and been watered, but the water hadn't quite caught the edges of the. Of the ready lawn. And so the root structure hadn't gone down. So I was galloping around there to do the option and it went like carpet. It just slid like that and it all just wrinkled up and my horse just went down on his belly and I just hopped off him. So then I was eliminated. So that really was. That was not fun and that was. That was a big bit damaging to Let down your nation and put the pressure on the other guys and then anyway it was. But one of those things but.
Warwick Schiller
And what about your second Olympics? How was, how did you feel like that you felt differently about that one than the first one?
Tim Price
Yep, I felt better prepared.
Warwick Schiller
Did you know you were going to do it and like you want to reserve for this?
Tim Price
So this is four years later. A lot changed in those four years. I'd been world number one. I'd had a lot of results and, and yeah, I was really ready to go at one Burley and one Lemoulin again and one po five star one Maryland. So I was quite a different in a different place.
Warwick Schiller
It sounds like you had your confidence level was, was pretty high.
Tim Price
Yep. But my horse got sick when I got there to Tokyo and he had a, had a bit of a virus and he tied up a little bit at the very beginning of the competition. It was extremely hot. We're in these way hotter than here with the humidity as well. We're in these air conditioned stables going from almost refrigerator cold to extreme heat. And he just didn't come right in time and he just, he, he did a good dressage. We were in the top eight after dressage individually, cross country. He was really good. Got tired at the end though and then he had nothing left in him for the show. Jump in. And we had three rails down in the, in the teams round. So that was really disappointing. But yeah, that was close, but not close enough.
Warwick Schiller
And then. And what about the most recent one? How was that?
Tim Price
That was good. So finally I got it together as I came sixth but I was just behind the podium. I really wanted a podium but just little margins played in. Those guys were so good doing, you know, 17s and the dressage which is like the, you know, world record stuff. There was Laura Collett and Michael Young doing 17 point something and then oh yeah, really annoying guy who I should never have encouraged, should never have encouraged to go back to eventing and to help him get this bloody horse coming in silver.
Warwick Schiller
Chris Burton.
Tim Price
Who I'm based at the same place with. No, I'm just joking. He was, he did fantastic. But I told him straight from the outset this is going to cost me a place at the Olympics by helping you into this horse.
Warwick Schiller
Does, does Chris have the Olympic rings tatted on his shoulder?
Tim Price
I don't think he does, no.
Warwick Schiller
I can't remember who.
Tim Price
Maybe he does. I don't even. I don't try not to look at him. Be a body too much now at.
Warwick Schiller
The, at the The. I've. I've been. I've done two World Equestrian Games, and at the first one in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2010, I'd never had a tattoo.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
And I thought, when I get one, it's going to be meaningful. And the logo for the world of question game to 2010 was this horse and with this flame kind of mane and stuff like, yeah, I want to get that. So anyway, off we go to. The few of us went off to the tattoo and got this tattoo. We come back to the team hotel and someone asked to see it and we're kind of showing it and someone said, like, someone was kind of, you're.
Tim Price
Going to show it to us now.
Warwick Schiller
Where I need to. Someone was kind of putting on us. And then I kind of started feeling like, kind of stupid, you know, and in the middle of this conversation, I thought it was Chris, but I forget who it was.
Tim Price
Maybe it was Boyd Martin.
Warwick Schiller
No, it wasn't Boyd. No. It might have. Might not have been a vent. It might have been. Maybe it was Matt around. I can't remember who.
Tim Price
Scotty Keach.
Warwick Schiller
Nope, wasn't here. But anyway, this. In the middle of this conversation where people are kind of hanging on me for having this, getting this tattoo, whoever it was walked up, unbuttoned his shirt, showed him the Olympic rings, and walked off.
Tim Price
And I was like, okay, okay. It's all right. I'm not the only one that does.
Warwick Schiller
Don't feel so stupid.
Tim Price
I think that's cool. I'd like. When I get on the podium, I'm going to get some rings. That's my plan. But no, the last Olympics was great. And it was. And there's been quite a few teams events now where. And I feel. I feel okay now because I've contributed the heaviest of the whole team on numerous occasions now. I've been last to go, which is the high pressure spot, and I've delivered at the world championships at the last Olympics, and so I'm okay. But it was a bit damaging back in. There's nothing, you know, but it's. It's such a major part of it is the disappointment of, of not doing what you want to do, that you, You. That's what you're dealing with most of the time. Not the feeling of success. It's the feeling of failure and how you find a place for that. You know, I, I tend to deal with it really badly, but I allow myself to deal with it really badly for about 24 hours. And that's a little bit like Tiger Wood said. You can be as mad as you want after, after a bad shot, you can be as angry as you want for 10 steps.
Warwick Schiller
Do you, do you draw inspiration from people that. Because I know the other night at dinner I had asked you, I said so, you know, because you're talking at dinner about how you went from not thinking you could do it to, to, you know, realizing you do it. And I said so, you know, did you have a mental coach, what books do you read and whatever. And you basically told me it was kind of really the horses that. That really helped you see that, that you could do this on that level.
Tim Price
Yeah, it was. And then now, so it's all just very different. You know, talking about the early days of watching those other guys and things and then now I've. For the last maybe four or five years, I really feel like I'm at the end stage of, of development. Of course we can always keep learning and that sort of thing. But I feel like I'm at the end stage where I'm now not trying to emulate anyone else on my own style of writer. I'm now me.
Warwick Schiller
Yep.
Tim Price
And so when someone, you know, because they spend all those, like I say there's trying to copy and do that, take that piece from that person, that piece from that person, that piece from that person. Well, now this is my style and this is my style and that's quite a cool stage to get to.
Warwick Schiller
And so now you can really concentrate on execution rather than trying to gather more information.
Tim Price
Yeah, exactly, that's. And have fun.
Warwick Schiller
Do you find that that have fun is a big part of a big fad. Part of being successful is getting to the place to where you trust your process, you trust your preparation and there's no self doubt and you can just deliver.
Tim Price
I just want to be totally prepared, very disciplined in my approach to it with my training and my preparation of these amazing horses. And I'm lucky to a ride and do everything right by their bodies and their soundness and what's right in that respect. Don't ask too much too soon. Don't go trying to rob little events, just be building them up for their two big events in the year. Get all that right so that when I arrive at those events I can be relaxed and look forward to it in a happy way. Deal with all the pressure and everything that comes with it in an easy way so it doesn't get under my skin. Be quietly, mentally prepared to be in the lead after the first two days, which is something that you need to be a Little bit prepared for. Otherwise it hits you a bit hard and you get a bit tight and it's. And it's not enjoyable and it's not conducive to a good result. And then the result is a result. And that whole process is not with me thinking, this is what I do to win. This is what I do to get the best out of my horse and have a good time and the wins a bonus. But all those things need to be in place in order for that good result to happen. But it's not about winning. But it is about winning, but it's not right.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah, it's process oriented rather than outcome oriented. I like to, I like to quote one of the most. This sounds like it's totally nothing to do with what you're talking about, but it is everything you're talking about. One of the most spiritual of the ancient Hindu practices is something called Karma Yoga. And Karma Yoga is focusing on a task with no thought as to the outcome of that task.
Tim Price
Yeah.
Warwick Schiller
And so, yeah, it's a. You know, people find their spirituality in different ways and you don't even have to think about it that way, but you think about your preparation for the Olympics. A Hindu would go, yeah, you're. You're practicing Karma Yoga. Yeah.
Tim Price
Oh, that's cool. That sounds like my kind of thing.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah, well, you know, and listening to this whole conversation, you know, like I said, we have people that listen to the podcast have nothing to do with horses. And doesn't matter what you do at a high level, you know, you could apply all this, the teachings and the stories you shared with us today to almost anything. That's the thing I really love doing, is drawing out the stories. Not to have someone hear another story, but more, oh, another story. And that's the same as Tiger woods. And that's the same as. And it doesn't matter what endeavor you're trying in life, there is a path to success that. It's almost like there's a blueprint. And if you can, some people study it and it works. And some people, sometimes it just happens. And looking back, you kind of go, oh, yeah, well, I did that and I did that and I did that even though at the time you didn't have that print handed to you. So, yeah, appreciate it. Thank you so much for sharing your story today. Is there. Do you have like a social media, you know, you.
Tim Price
No, not really. No. I do my talking on the horses, except when I'm at Ekatana, I do on the ground. And yeah, it's been quite fun. But. But yeah, no, I just, just like to do well at some big competitions and then retire happy and healthy.
Warwick Schiller
Yeah. Love you. I love your vibe. I love your outlook on life. I think it's so cool. Thanks so much for joining me.
Tim Price
Thank you. Great to great to be here and.
Warwick Schiller
You guys at home. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll catch you on the next episode of the Journeyon Podcast.
Podcast Announcer
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Host: Warwick Schiller
Guest: Tim Price
Release Date: November 29, 2024
In this compelling episode of The Journey On Podcast, host Warwick Schiller engages in an in-depth conversation with Tim Price, a renowned Olympic eventer from New Zealand. Recorded live at Ekwatana in Melbourne, Australia—the nation's largest and most prestigious horse expo—the episode delves into Tim's journey from his early days on a New Zealand farm to competing at the highest levels of eventing, including three Olympic Games.
Tim Price's affinity for horses began on his family's farm in Oxford, near Christchurch, New Zealand. Growing up as one of three boys, Tim spent his childhood immersed in the farm's daily activities, which were inseparable from horse-related tasks.
Farm Life Integration:
Tim Price [06:11]: "I grew up on a sheep and wheat farm. It was just riding a horse and a pony was just like riding a bike."
Early Responsibilities:
Tim took on significant responsibilities from a young age, including serving mares and breaking in horses, fostering a deep understanding and respect for these animals.
Key Insight: Tim's early experiences cultivated a natural rapport with horses, laying the foundation for his future career in eventing.
Tim's transition into eventing was a natural progression from his childhood horse riding. Initially, his focus was more on horse management and breaking in horses rather than competitive aspirations.
Starting in Eventing:
Tim Price [08:20]: "I was just a guy breaking in a lot of horses and mucking around with everything that mum and dad were doing on the farm."
Initial Competitions:
Participating in local show jumping and pony club activities allowed Tim to gain experience, albeit without a clear vision of reaching the elite levels.
Key Insight: Tim's grassroots involvement provided him with practical skills, though his competitive ambitions were not immediately defined.
At around 18-19 years old, Tim took a pivotal step by self-funding his move to the UK to pursue eventing more seriously. This period was marked by financial strain, physical exhaustion, and incremental progress.
Moving to the UK:
Tim Price [16:04]: "I originally went over with one horse to the UK, which I owned, I fundraised and things back in New Zealand to get the horse over there."
Breaking into Eventing:
Tim spent years honing his skills by breaking in tough horses, gradually earning a reputation for handling challenging equine athletes.
Mentorship and Influences:
Observing elite riders like Fox, Pitt, and Andrew Nicholson became instrumental. Tim meticulously analyzed their techniques, focusing on specific aspects such as hand movements and leg positions.
Warwick Schiller [25:20]: "One of the most spiritual... focus on the detail... it's so true."
Notable Quote:
Tim Price [25:42]: "It's so true. And yeah, whilst I was in awe of these guys, I think I was taking a lot on board with just what they were doing in those different areas."
Key Insight: Persistent dedication, coupled with strategic observation and self-improvement, enabled Tim to elevate his performance despite numerous obstacles.
Tim Price competed in three Olympic Games: Rio (2016), Tokyo (2020), and Paris (2024). Each Olympics presented unique challenges and lessons.
Rio 2016:
As a traveling reserve, Tim was thrust into competition unexpectedly due to an injury of a fellow rider's horse. Despite performing well in dressage, a mishap during cross-country led to his elimination.
Unexpected Participation:
Warwick Schiller [46:16]: "Most people have five years to think about competing at the Olympics. You had, I'm not competing at the Olympics to, oh, tomorrow I'm competing at the Olympics."
Elimination Experience:
Tim Price [47:07]: "I fell over on a turn... And I just hopped off him. So then I was eliminated."
Tokyo 2020:
Returning with increased confidence and better preparation, Tim faced his second Olympic challenge. However, his horse fell ill with a virus, affecting their performance and resulting in three rails down during the team round.
Paris 2024:
Tim's latest Olympic outing saw him nearing the podium, finishing sixth amidst fierce competition and exceptionally high performances from his peers.
Key Insight: Each Olympic appearance taught Tim resilience and adaptability, reinforcing the unpredictable nature of elite-level competition.
A significant theme throughout the conversation is the mental fortitude required in eventing. Tim discusses his strategies for handling fear, disappointment, and the psychological demands of high-stakes competitions.
Dealing with Fear and Failure:
Tim emphasizes the importance of accepting failure and not denying reality during falls. He learned to manage his reactions post-incident, allowing himself to process emotions briefly before moving forward.
Warwick Schiller [42:19]: "You can't change a habit if you're not aware of it."
Process Over Outcome:
Aligning with principles akin to Karma Yoga, Tim focuses on disciplined preparation and execution without fixating on the results.
Warwick Schiller [55:56]: "Karma Yoga is focusing on a task with no thought as to the outcome of that task."
Tim Price [55:34]: "It's process oriented rather than outcome oriented."
Self-Awareness and Habit Formation:
Tim highlights the role of self-awareness in developing new habits and improving performance. By isolating specific components of his riding, he was able to make incremental changes that led to significant improvements.
Notable Quote:
Tim Price [54:08]: "I just want to be totally prepared, very disciplined in my approach to it with my training and my preparation of these amazing horses."
Key Insight: Mental resilience and a focus on the process are crucial for sustained success and personal growth in high-pressure environments.
Over time, Tim cultivated his unique riding style, moving away from emulating others to developing an authentic approach that reflects his strengths and experiences.
Developing Personal Style:
Tim Price [53:19]: "I was observing and learning and then... I'm now me."
Embracing Individuality:
This evolution allowed Tim to concentrate on execution and enjoy the sport more fully, rather than being encumbered by external expectations.
Key Insight: Authenticity and personal alignment in one's approach foster greater satisfaction and effectiveness in one's endeavors.
The episode concludes with Tim reflecting on his journey, emphasizing the importance of discipline, preparation, and maintaining a positive relationship with one's horses. He aspires to continue competing until retirement while ensuring both he and his horses remain happy and healthy.
Future Aspirations:
Tim Price [57:17]: "I just, just like to do well at some big competitions and then retire happy and healthy."
Host's Appreciation:
Warwick commends Tim's outlook and shares how the conversation can resonate beyond the equestrian community, offering universal lessons on persistence, mental strength, and personal growth.
Key Insight: Tim's story serves as an inspiring blueprint for achieving excellence through dedication, mental resilience, and authentic personal development.
Warwick Schiller wraps up the episode by thanking Tim for his insightful and inspiring story. Listeners are encouraged to apply the lessons learned from Tim's experiences to various aspects of their own lives, regardless of their involvement in the equestrian world.
Connect with Tim Price:
While Tim mentioned he doesn't have active social media profiles, listeners can follow his journey through his performances at major competitions and future episodes of The Journey On Podcast.
Join the Journey:
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