Equestrian: Kiwi eventers bound for Rio

Jonelle Price in action. Photo/Getty.

New Zealand's eventers have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games this morning at the Military Boekelo Horse Trials in The Netherlands.

The team - Jonelle Price on Cloud Dancer II, Tim Price on Xavier Faer, Jesse Campbell on Kaapachino and Dan Jocelyn on Dassett Cool Touch - also finished third in the Nations Cup competition behind victors Ireland and the second-placed United States.

Following yesterday's cross country, Japan, New Zealand's only rivals for the Group F and G team spot at Rio, had fallen by the wayside, however the Kiwis still had to complete today's showjumping phase to secure their place.

The CCI3* showjumping proved challenging for many, with just eight of the 57 starters going clear and inside time.

One of those was two-time Boekelo winner and gold medal winning Olympian Blyth Tait aboard Xanthus III who finished in second place on 49.2 penalty points, just behind Nicola Wilson (GBR) and Bulana on 47.1. Until last year, Bulana was owned and ridden by Kiwi Lizzie Brown.

Dan Jocelyn and Beaucatcher were the next best of the Kiwi contingent, finishing 18th on 60.8, while Jonelle Price and Cloud Dancer II were 22nd on 62.9.

Jesse Campbell and Kaapachino, who were in second place going into the all-important showjumping, picked up 21 faults, which saw them slip to 26th.

Tim Price and Xavier Faer finished in 34th with 71.5, while Brown and Princeton were just behind them on 74.9.

Jocelyn and his team horse Dassett Cool Touch were 45th on 81.6.

Overnight leader Chris Burton and Monarchs Exclusive also struggled in the showjumping, picking up 17 faults to slip to 14th place.

Equestrian Sports New Zealand high performance eventing coach Erik Duvander was pleased to have their place secured.

"We came here with the team we believed would be good enough to qualify and we have, so now we can fully focus on our Olympic preparation," he said.

He was particularly happy to see Tait do so well, and also singled out Price's Cloud Dancer as a horse who had shown some "good potential at this next level".