Mark Todd (equestrian)

Sir Mark James Todd KNZM CBE (born 1 March 1956) is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the discipline of eventing, voted Rider of the 20th century by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.^[1]

Sir Mark Todd KNZM CBE
Todd on Gandalf at the 2008 Barbury International Horse Trials
Personal information
Full name	Mark James Todd
Discipline	Eventing
Born	(1956-03-01) 1 March 1956 (age 69) Cambridge, New Zealand
Medal record Equestrian Representing  New Zealand Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 – 3 World Championships 2 1 1 Total 4 1 4 Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Individual eventing 1988 Seoul Individual eventing 1988 Seoul Team eventing 2000 Sydney Individual eventing 2012 London Team eventing World Championships 1990 Stockholm Team eventing 1998 Rome Team eventing 1998 Rome Individual eventing 2010 Lexington Team eventing

Todd and Major Milestone at the Dairy Farm during the cross-country phase of Burghley Horse Trials 2010

Todd and NZB Land Vision during the cross-country phase of the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials

He won gold medals at Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988) Olympics, the Badminton Horse Trials on four occasions,^[2] the Burghley Horse Trials five times,^[3] and as a member of New Zealand's Eventing team, he won gold medals at the World Championships in 1990 and 1998 (Rome), plus 20 or more other international events, and numerous other international individual and team titles.

In 1988, he was announced as the New Zealand Sportsperson of the year and winner of the Supreme Halberg Award.^[4] In the same year, he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.^[5]

On 25 April 2011, Todd completed a fourth Badminton victory riding NZB Land Vision, becoming the oldest winner of the event.^[2]

By winning his fifth Olympic medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Todd equalled the Olympic record established by Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich for the longest gap between first and last Olympic medals — 28 years^[6] — and shares the record for second-most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander with canoeists Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.^[7] The 2016 Games were Todd's seventh, having previously competed in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2012. Todd is the first New Zealander to have competed at seven Olympic Games.

In February 2022, a video emerged of Todd repeatedly hitting a horse with a branch for refusing to enter a water obstacle at a training clinic.^[8]

Early life

Born in Cambridge, New Zealand,^[9] he developed a deep and abiding passion for horses.^[10] He rode at pony club as a youngster and competed at local shows.^[1]

Todd considered becoming a jockey but quickly grew to 6 ft 2 in which forced him into show jumping instead. In reference to his riding skills, fellow New Zealand team member, Andrew Nicholson, is quoted as saying "Mark can ride anything – he could go cross-country on a dairy cow!”^[11]

On leaving school Todd pursued a career as a farmer, gaining a Diploma of Agriculture at the Waikato Technical Institute, and working on farms while fitting in riding, competing and selling horses.^[10]

Equestrian career

In 1978, he was part of New Zealand's first three-day eventing team to contest a world championship, at Lexington, Kentucky, United States. He was 10th after the dressage and second in the steeplechase, but then his horse, Tophunter, broke down during the cross-country stage.^[10] Thereafter, Todd moved to England, where he mucked out stables and obtained use of horses for event rides. At his first attempt, in 1980, he won the Badminton Horse Trials riding Southern Comfort.^[2] Todd was a virtual unknown when he arrived, with fellow New Zealander Andrew Nicholson as his groom.^[10]

Todd is recognized as a pioneer of three-day eventing in New Zealand.^{[attribution needed]} His success was followed by fellow New Zealand Olympic medallists and world champions Tinks Pottinger, Blyth Tait, Vaughn Jefferis, Vicky Latta, Sally Clark and Nicholson. Jefferis once said: "We all owe a huge debt to Mark Todd. He was the first, and he paved the way for us".^[12]

Career

Todd became a popular sportsman in his home country and some of the horses he rode also became well known. Most notable was Charisma, the 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) Thoroughbred (with 1/16 Percheron) Todd rode when winning successive Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988.^[13] Charisma was retired to a Waikato farm after the Seoul Olympics but appeared with Todd for later public appearances including flag bearing at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland New Zealand. Charisma died aged 30 from a broken shoulder.^[14]

In 1984 Todd borrowed a yard at Kington St Michael, Wiltshire, from his friend Charles Cottenham, so that he could base himself in England.^[15]

In the 1985 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire,^[16] and he was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours.^[17]

Todd also competed at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, where he won an individual bronze medal. His win was somewhat clouded by allegations in the Sunday Mirror that Todd had used cocaine with a homosexual partner prior to final team selection.^[18] The controversy was a matter of national debate,^[19][20] and almost cost Todd his team selection.^[21]

Retirement

Todd retired from international competition following the Olympics and returned to live in New Zealand. Todd and his family moved to Rivermonte Farm near his home town of Cambridge^[22] in Waikato to breed horses and concentrate on several business ventures, including the manufacture/retail of harness and other tack. His Thoroughbreds enjoyed racing success, including wins in the Wellington Cup^[23] and New Zealand Oaks.^[24][25] He remained closely involved with the administration of the eventing, acting as coach for the NZ Olympic Eventing team at Athens in 2004. He continued to compete in eventing at a local level and to support the sport in general.^{[citation needed]}

Comeback

On 25 January 2008, Horse & Hound announced online that Mark Todd was to make a return to Eventing eight years after he retired in Sydney. ^{[citation needed]}He purchased a 10-year-old grey called Gandalf to campaign for selection to ride at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His comeback was sponsored by New Zealand Bloodstock. ^[promotion?]

On 19 May 2008, Todd placed sixth at a three-day equestrian event in Saumur, France.^{[citation needed]} Subsequently, achieving qualification and selection for the Olympics, he put up one of the best performances of the NZ team, in what was only his eighth competition in eight years. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the New Zealand team finished fifth, and Todd placed 17th individually.^[26]

Following Beijing, Todd competed for the inaugural Express Eventing International Cup on Gandalf.^[27] However, three refusals in the show jumping portion resulted in a poor placing.^{[according to whom?]} In February 2009, Todd announced that he was making a full return to elite level eventing, basing himself in England with a team of up to 8 horses including Gandalf.^[26]

Competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Todd became the second oldest New Zealand Olympian in history.^[28]

In the 2013 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to equestrian sport.^[29][30] His investiture at Buckingham Palace in May 2013 took place only days after the death of his father, Norm.^[31]

Todd got selected to represent New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Once again he became the second oldest New Zealand Olympian in history, as the fellow equestrian Julie Brougham made her Olympic debut at the age of 62.^[32] At the Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Todd finished 4th in the team competition and 7th individually. Todd was the last team member to compete in the jumping phase, however, he dropped four rails. As a result, New Zealand team missed out on a possible gold medal. Todd later described this outcome as one of the biggest lows of his career.^[33]

In 2019, Todd was an inaugural inductee into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame.^[34]

Viral video

In February 2022, a two-year old video emerged of Todd hitting a horse with a tree branch at a training clinic. The horse had refused to enter a water obstacle, and Todd hit it ten times. Todd issued an apology after the video was published.^[8][35] The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced it was carrying out an investigation. In the interim, Todd was issued with a temporary suspension of his licence.^[36] Todd stepped down as a patron of the charity World Horse Welfare.^[36] Todd's training licence was returned to him on 14 April 2022 after an independent disciplinary panel issued him with a four month suspension with two months deferred, which meant that he had already served the eight-week suspension.^[37]

Partial CCI 5* Results

Results
Event	Kentucky	Badminton	Luhmühlen	Burghley	Pau	Adelaide
1980		(Southern Comfort III)
1987				(Wilton Fair)
1990				(Face The Music)
1991				(Welton Greylag)
1994		(Horton Point)
1996		(Bertie Blunt)
1997				(Broadcast News)
1999				(Diamond Hall Red)
2010		18th (Grass Valley)		11th (Major Milestone)
2011	WD (Grass Valley)	(NZB Landvision) 35th (Major Milestone)		14th (Major Milestone)
2012			WD (Major Milestone)	12th (Major Milestone)	EL (Major Milestone)
2013		48th (Major Milestone)WD (Ravenstar)		6th (Oloa) WD (Ravenstar)
2014	WD (Oloa)	14th (Leonidas II)EL (NZB Campino)	21st (Oloa)
2015		4th (Leonidas II) 41st (Oloa)	5th (NZB Campino)	6th (Leonidas II)	10th (NZB Campino)
2016	7th (NZB Campino)	4th (Leonidas II)		9th (NZB Campino)
2017		4th (NZB Campino)6th (Leonidas II)		EL (Leonidas II)	25th (Kiltubrid Rhapsody)RET (NZB Campino)
2018		6th (Kiltubrid Rhapsody)14th (Kiltubrid Rhapsody)		18th (NZB Campino) EL (Kiltubrid Rhapsody)
2019		RET (NZB Campino)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Partial International Championship results

Results
Year	Event	Horse	Placing	Notes
1984	Olympic Games	Charisma	6th	Team
				Individual
1986	World Eventing Championships	Charisma	4th	Team
			10th	Individual
1988	Olympic Games	Charisma		Team
				Individual
1990	World Equestrian Games	Bahlua		Team
			5th	Individual
1992	Olympic Games	Welton Greylag		Team
			RET	Individual
1994	World Equestrian Games	Just An Ace	6th	Team
			47th	Individual
1998	World Equestrian Games	Broadcast News		Team
				Individual
2000	Olympic Games	Eyespy II	8th	Team
				Individual
2008	Olympic Games	Gandalf	5th	Team
			17th	Individual
2009	World Cup Final	Gandalf	EL
2010	World Equestrian Games	Grass Valley		Team
			11th	Individual
2012	Olympic Games	NZB Campino		Team
			12th	Individual
2014	World Equestrian Games	Leonidas II	14th	Team
			EL	Individual
2016	Olympic Games	Leonidas II	4th	Team
			7th	Individual
2018	World Equestrian Games	McClaren	7th	Team
			57th	Individual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Personal life

Todd married Carolyn Berry in 1986 and had two children, Lauren and James.^[10] They separated in 2009.^[38] The couple remarried in 2014, with only their children present as witnesses.^[39]

Todd's autobiography, So Far, So Good,^[10] was published in 1998. He has had several other books published including Charisma (1989), One Day Eventing, Mark Todd’s Cross-Country Handbook (1995) and Novice Eventing with Mark Todd (1996). He has also produced a series of training videos.^{[citation needed]}