Tim Stockdale

Tim Stockdale (born 12 August 1964) is an English equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.^[1]

Stockdale competes in international competitions and rides a number of horses, owned by both himself and others. He has written a number of books and produced a three-part training video titled Successful Showjumping With Tim Stockdale.^[2][3][4]

Tim has had a very successful show jumping career on a number of different horses. In 2000, he and Traxdata Winston Bridget placed 6th in the London Olympia CSIW Grand Prix.^[5] In 2002, he represented Great Britain at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez with Fresh Direct Parcival.^[6] 2006 saw Tim narrowly miss out on the Olympia Grand Prix title to Eugenie Angot, coming 2nd on Fresh Direct Corlato, a mare with whom greater things were to come.^[7] Stockdale had a banner year in 2007 winning the Nantes Grand Prix and Bordeaux Grand Prix with Corlato on consecutive weekends,^[8] as well as placing fifth in the CN International "Million Dollar" Grand Prix.^[9]

Tim's eyes were firmly set on getting to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, shown most poignantly by his decision not to take his qualified place at the FEI World Cup Finals in Gothenburg.^[10] His performances at the Samsung Super League Nations' Cup competitions at Rome and St Gallen were enough to cement him a place on the 2008 squad, all the more impressive due to the fact that he had produced his horse from a four-year-old.^[11][12] Despite the British team finishing 6th, Tim qualified for the individual final, producing a clear in the first round, one of just nine riders to do so. Unfortunately, he was unable to repeat his performance in the second round; finishing best of the British nonetheless in 16th place.^[13]

Tim completed his championship appearance hattrick by representing Great Britain at the 2009 European Championships at Windsor Park with Fresh Direct Corlato after helping the British team to 2nd place in the Dublin CSIO***** Nations' Cup.^[14] The loss of his top horse, Corlato, due to an injury sustained at Spruce Meadows in 2009 coincided with the rise of the ISH gelding Fresh Direct Kalico Bay (owned by Tim's long-time owners, Colin and Ann Garrett) to form. Tim and Kalico Bay won three international grands prix the following year including the King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead, which served as retribution after the last fence in the jump off denied Tim the title with Corlato in 2009.^[15] This form continued on British soil with Kalico Bay placing in both the Horse of the Year Show and Olympia grands prix.

While 2011 brought Nations' Cup appearances at St Gallen and Falsterbo, as well as a near-defence of his King George V title,^[16] it was overshadowed by events that occurred far from the spotlight and glamour of the sporting arena. On 17 October, while trying a young horse at a small farm in rural Wales, Tim sustained fractures to three vertebrae in his neck in a fall.^[17] He was kept in the Oswestry Spinal Unit for 6 weeks, four of them strapped to a bed to limit movement. Fortunately, no damage was done to his spinal chord, and Tim was allowed to leave hospital to complete his gruelling therapy programme at home. In just four months after his accident, sooner than any doctor predicted at the time of his fall, Tim was back riding, something that at one point was considered impossible.^[18] Once back in the saddle, Tim embarked upon a course to make a claim for the 2012 Olympics in London, a feat touted as "one of the most remarkable comebacks by a British athlete in Olympics history".^[19] At the CSIO***** Nations' Cup of St Gallen, he and Fresh Direct Kalico Bay were unstoppable, producing one of only three double clears to lead Great Britain to second place, as well as taking second place in the Longines Grand Prix of St Gallen.^[20] The dream recovery did not have the fairy-tale ending it deserved, however; at the Nations' Cup of Rotterdam the pair could not reproduce their form and, though they were short-listed for the British squad, they did not make the final team.^[21]

Tim is also a well-respected trainer in the world of show jumping, having taught celebreties to show jump in the Sport Relief series Only Fools on Horses which aired in 2006.^[22] He has also trained a number of young show jumpers who have gone on to represent Great Britain.

Stockdale was banned from Olympic competition in July 2002 when his horse's urine tested positive for a prohibited sedative. However, he was reinstated in 2004 when the British Olympic Association deemed his offence minor, also taking into account that it did not meet the chief intent of the lifetime ban to cover offences involving drugs "of a performance enhancing nature". This made him eligible to compete at the 2004 Athens Olympics,^[23] although he did not actually make the team.^[24]

References

External links

• Official website