| Nicknames |
King of Barbury (horsetalk.co.nz, 08 Jul 2019) |
| Hero / Idol |
US boxer Muhammad Ali. (horsemagazine.com, 01 Oct 2017) |
| Injuries |
He injured his neck after falling off his horse at the 2015 Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, England. The injury required an eight-hour operation and ruled him out for the rest of the season. He returned to the saddle in December 2015. (badminton-horse.co.uk, 01 May 2018; bbc.co.uk, 20 Aug 2015, 11 Aug 2015) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
"In the run-up to an event, I'll do some jump exercises with the horses two days before. The day before an event, I'll do some dressage schooling and run through the test. The cross-country course also needs to be walked several times." (horseandrideruk.com, 02 May 2013) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Don't think that you can turn every one of them into a champion because the hours you spend on it never really are worth it." (horsemagazine.com, 01 Oct 2017) |
| Awards and honours |
In 2019 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings, New Zealand. (grandprix-replay.com, 15 Mar 2019)
In 2018 he was inducted into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand [ESNZ] Hall of Fame. (eventingnation.com, 14 Mar 2019)
In June 2018 he was named Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contribution to equestrian sport. (newshub.co.nz, 04 Jun 2018) |
| Famous relatives |
His wife Wiggy Channer competed in eventing at the Burghley Horse Trials in England in 2001, 2002, and 2003. His brother has worked as a horse trainer. (countrylife.co.uk, 01 Sep 2017; horsemagazine.com, 01 Jul 2017) |
| Other information |
TOP-LEVEL RETIREMENT
In September 2021 he announced his retirement from elite eventing competitions. "I'm stepping back from these five-stars and four-star big events. I'm still riding and competing, I'm not planning to retire completely and will still have novice horses with the idea of getting them to two and three-star and selling them. But I have a lot of respect for the courses at the likes of Badminton [England] and Burghley [England] and you've got to be fully up to speed, and I don't feel quite like I used to, to be honest. I've been very lucky. I have ridden some amazing horses and competed with them all over the world. I will still be at Badminton and Burghley, I just might not be leaving the start box." (eventingnation.com, 19 Sep 2021)
LUCKY ESCAPE
He was fortunate not to become paralysed after a fall from his horse during the 2015 Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, England. He was initially taken to hospital in Swindon before being moved to a spinal unit at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. "My surgeon told me that the injury I sustained to my neck would have caused paralysis at the time of injury in 98% of cases. I was extremely fortunate this did not happen. I underwent an eight-hour operation, where they repaired the fractures and stabilised my cervical spine." (nzherald.co.nz, 28 Feb 2016; theguardian.com, 20 Aug 2015)
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
He has been based in England since 1985. "When I arrived first I didn't have riding lessons as I couldn't afford them. When I worked at a racing stables I would ride horses on my lunch break. I quickly learned how to adapt and understood the importance of self-motivation. I took whatever I was given when I competed to help me move up the ladder. I was determined to make it work." (horsemagazine.com, 01 Oct 2017)
COACHING
He was named coach of the Swiss national eventing team ahead of the 2019 season. (pratoni2022.it, 15 Sep 2022; eventingnation.com, 22 Jan 2019) |
| Milestones |
In May 2017, at age 55 years and 279 days, he became the oldest winner of the Badminton Horse Trials in England. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jul 2020; nzherald.co.nz, 02 May 2018, 27 Dec 2017; badminton-horse.co.uk, 01 May 2018)
At the 2014 Burghley Horse Trials in England, he became the first rider to have won a four-star event in three consecutive years with the same horse. Nicholson claimed victory at Burghley between 2012 and 2014 with his horse Avebury. (telegraph.co.uk, 07 Sep 2014) |
FEI Database
andrewnicholsoneventing.com 
www.facebook.com/AndrewNicholsonEventing 
