Paget and Clifton Promise competing at the 2012 Olympics. |
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Medal record | ||
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Representing New Zealand | ||
Equestrian | ||
Olympic Games | ||
2012 London | Team eventing |
Jonathan "Jock" Paget (born 17 November 1983) is a New Zealand equestrian who won a bronze medal in Team eventing at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2013 he became only the second rider to win the Badminton Horse Trials on debut after fellow New Zealander Mark Todd.
Paget was born in Wellsford before moving to Sydney, Australia in 1986. After completing his education he undertook an apprenticeship as a bricklayer and began riding at age 18. He went to rodeo school and applied for a working pupil role with Australian event rider Kevin McNab in Tamborine, Queensland. Under McNab's tutelage Paget progressed from never having jumped a fence, to competing at three-star level eventing in less than two years. After working for McNab for three years, he went to Sydney in 2006 to set up a business producing and competing horses. However, the 2007 Australian equine influenza outbreak near Sydney in August resulted in all horse movements being halted on much of the east coast of Australia.
With no ability to ride in Australia, Paget was invited by Frances Stead, a former Auckland businesswoman and strong supporter of New Zealand eventing riders and horses, to return to New Zealand in September 2007 to become the principal rider at her Clifton Eventers base at Muriwai, north-west of Auckland.
He competed on Clifton Promise, a 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) bay Thoroughbred gelding, born 2 November 1998) in April 2010 in their first CCI****, the Rolex Kentucky Three Day, where he finished in 27th place. In June 2010, Paget and Clifton Promise went to the United Kingdom to prepare for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), which was held in Kentucky in October of that year, the pair finished seventh.