WILTSHIRE riders Tim Price and Sir Mark Todd helped their country make New Zealand eventing history at the Nations Cup in Aachen at the weekend.

The Kiwis secured their first-ever Nations Cup title, only the second time Germany have been beaten in the competition on home soil, as all four of their riders finished the event.

Mildenhall-based Price worked his way steadily up the leaderboard through the three phases to finish in third place individually on Cekatinka, while Todd and Kiltubrid Rhapsody, based at Badgerstown near Swindon, finished 13th.

Countrymen Clarke Johnstone, on Balmoral Sensation and Blyth Tait, on Havanna, were fifth and 25th respectively in the individual competition, while Dan Jocelyn and Grovine de Reve, who were competing as individuals, were 27th.

The team had been second after the dressage, slipping to third at the end of the showjumping, but took the victory thanks to superb cross country riding to finish on 112.9 penalty points.

France were second on 130.5 and Sweden in third on 146.3, while hosts Germany had to settle for fifth on 206.6 after Julia Krajewski was eliminated aboard Samourai du Thot, who had been sitting in second coming into the crucial final phase.

Krajewski continued to win the individual crown aboard her second mount Chipmunk FRH.

Price, whose wife Jonelle - this year's Badminton victor - helped with the Kiwis' cross country strategy, said: “We executed a team-driven plan.

“We just wanted to be consistent through all three phases. All of us Kiwis worked cohesively very, very well.

"I am super happy for this and excited going forward. It is a great Nations’ Cup victory for us Kiwis, especially here in Aachen.”