Showjumping: 'Telegraph' sending all the right signals

John Cottle

Veteran New Zealand showjumper John Cottle may have struck the jackpot with an 11-year-old gray stallion by the name of Telegraph.

Telegraph and Cottle have a 16-point lead over their nearest rivals heading into the final round of the New Zealand World Cup series, which starts at Brookby's Ti Papa Equestrian Centre today.

The winner of the series will represent New Zealand at the World Cup final, which this year is being staged in Las Vegas.

The New Zealand series comprises five events. Cottle and Telegraph have won three and finished second in the other.

But Cottle says the results count for little as far as this weekend is concerned.

"There is never any certainty with horses, unforeseen things can happen," Cottle says.

"On the positive side, if he jumps up to his current form he'll be a hard horse to beat."

Teaching a horse to leap over fences is no easy thing and, like many other countries, New Zealand lacks quality showjumping horses.

"But our breeding programme is starting to kick in, where we are actually breeding horses for the purposes of showjumping and dressage.

"Now we can get frozen semen from all around the world and we have imported some really nice stallions. We are starting to produce some nice young horses."

Cottle bred Telegraph, sold him as a two-year-old then bought him back 18 months ago - a gamble which appears to be paying off.

Their return to the competitive arena last year wasn't exactly a roaring success.

"The first part of the season was not a great success because he was still learning my ways," Cottle said.

"Then, at the end of last season, he won the national championships and won a few classes after that and really started to get going."

Get going he did. This season the Clevedon combination have won 10 of their 11 starts in grand prix events.

"He is a very intelligent horse. I kept him on a training programme through the winter and got him really fit and focused and he has come out and been really consistent."

If Telegraph is successful this weekend, then Cottle will consider taking him to the final in Las Vegas.

"After that we'll assess how he is looking and probably the long-term plan would be the world championships the following year in Germany."

Cottle, 55, is one of New Zealand's most experienced jumpers, having represented New Zealand at world championships, World Cup finals and in two Olympics.

"I didn't have much luck at the Olympics," he concedes. "I never got to a final because my horses got injured. In Los Angeles my horse was one of the only ones to score a clear round on the first day. The next day he got hurt."

Cottle also has the world's best ratio of wins to starts in World Cups.

So what is the key to clearing fences?

"Like most sports, you have to work on technique. I have been lucky enough to work with some good people and have competed against the best who I have learnt from.

"You have to have a will to win and the horses are the same, they want to be competitive."

John Cottle

Age: 55
Born: Wellington
Lives: Clevedon
Status: Married to Jackie with children Andrew, James and William.

Career highlights:

Represented New Zealand at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.
Won five Horse of the Year titles, 10 Grand Prix Rider of the Year titles and is an eight-time winner of the New Zealand World Cup league.