MARLBOROUGH-based eventer Tim Price is keen to see a change in his luck after failing to complete the cross country stage at Badminton Horse Trials.

The 37-year-old finished last season sitting third in the world but has had a 2016 to forget so far with Olympic hopeful Wesko ruled out for the season with injury.

That was followed by a fall at Kentucky on Bango two fences from home, followed by a 72 hour journey back from America due two flight delays and was capped off with Ringwood Sky Boy falling at the Vicarage Vee jump last Saturday.

That run of luck has seen Price slip outside the top 10 in the world but the New Zealand rider is keeping a positive outlook.

“The last couple of years have been a lot of fun and everything has gone right and then this last couple of weeks that has turned,” he said.

“Wesko, my good horse, is injured and out for the rest of the season which more importantly means out for the Olympics which is very untimely.

“Then with Bango at Kentucky last week I fell at the second to last and had that not happened I would have been second going into show jumping and then this with this guy is my three I think.

“You have just got to carry on and it is sport and in order to win you have got to take risks and keep that in perspective.”

Price saw his Badminton weekend brought to an abrupt end when Sky Boy lost his footing on landing at fence 21, known as the Vicarage Vee, and the Kiwi was unable to stay on his mount.

However, Price was feeling confident about his steed’s chances and says that bodes well for the remainder of the season.

“That was the best Sky Boy has felt,” he added.

“The Vicarage Vee is such a gnarly jump and you needed to get a really good shot and your horse really needs to give 110 per cent and then you need a little bit of luck.

“I got two of those three things and he jumped it very well but just picked on landing and hit the curb of the ditch on the other side.

“If any horse was going to jump it well it was going to be my guy because he is very scopey and very honest so I had no reason to consider the option.

“I went and took it on and almost got away with it and I am sure we would have come away very clean and it would have been a good round.”

Price headed into the second stage lying in 31st place, a place behind wife Jonelle, after a dressage score of 47.4, something the Kiwi is intent at improving.

“I was a bit disappointed,” he said. “He can do better and he will do better but there is something about Badminton and he always lights up in there.

“At the end of the year I think he is a better horse than at the start because he has been out a lot more and he is a bit more settled.

“The quality was still there and I see him going into the thirties more often than not and his future is at this level and from that perspective it is disappointing.”