Mark Todd (equestrian)
Template:Short description Template:BLP sources Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox equestrian
Sir Mark James Todd Template:Post-nominals (born 1 March 1956) is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the discipline of eventing. He was voted Rider of the 20th century by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.<ref name=catwalk>Template:Cite web</ref>
He won gold medals at the Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988) Olympics, the Badminton Horse Trials on four occasions,<ref name=badminton>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Burghley Horse Trials five times.<ref name=burleigh>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=halberg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the same year, he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=halloffame>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 25 April 2011, Todd completed a fourth Badminton victory riding NZB Land Vision, becoming the oldest winner of the event.<ref name=badminton />
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<ref name=3DayBronze2012>Template:Cite web</ref> — and shares the record for second-most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander with canoeists Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.<ref name="6OlympicMedalsProspect">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=H&H>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life
Born in Cambridge, New Zealand,<ref name="chchlibrary">Template:Cite web</ref> Todd developed a deep and abiding passion for horses.<ref name="Todd">(Todd, 1998 p. 1)</ref> He rode at pony club as a youngster and competed at local shows.<ref name="catwalk" />
Todd considered becoming a jockey but grew to Template:Cvt so he moved 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!”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name="Todd" />
Equestrian career
Template:Tone In 1978, Todd 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.<ref name="Todd" /> 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.<ref name=badminton /> Todd was a virtual unknown when he arrived, with fellow New Zealander Andrew Nicholson as his groom.<ref name="Todd" />
Todd is recognized as a pioneer of three-day eventing in New Zealand.Template: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".<ref name=nzoc>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Template:Hands Thoroughbred (with 1/16 Percheron) Todd rode when winning successive Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988.<ref name=equisearch>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Todd 1998 p. 56</ref>
In 1984 Todd borrowed a yard at Kington St Michael, Wiltshire, from his friend Charles Cottenham, so that he could base himself in England.<ref>Mark Todd, Second Chance: The Autobiography (2012), pp. 30–31</ref>
In the 1985 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and he was elevated to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The controversy was a matter of national debate,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Stuff.co.nz_309261">Template:Cite news</ref> and almost cost Todd his team selection.<ref>Romanos (2008)</ref>
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<ref name="cambridge.co.nz">Template:Cite web</ref> 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<ref name="loveracing.nz">Template:Cite web</ref> and New Zealand Oaks.<ref name="wellingtonracing.co.nz">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Mark Todd's First Gr.1 Winner">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed
Comeback
On 25 January 2008, Horse & Hound announced online that Todd would make a return to eventing eight years after he retired in Sydney. Template:Citation neededHe purchased a 10-year-old grey called Gandalf to campaign for selection to ride at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the New Zealand team finished fifth, and Todd placed 17th individually.<ref name="horsetalk.co.nz">Template:Cite web</ref>
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 eight horses including Gandalf.<ref name="horsetalk.co.nz"/>
Competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Todd became the second oldest New Zealand Olympian in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2013 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to equestrian sport.<ref>"New Year Honours 2013" (29 January 2013) 8 The New Zealand Gazette 293.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His investiture at Buckingham Palace in May 2013 took place only days after the death of his father, Norm.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Todd was 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2019, Todd was an inaugural inductee into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref name=H&H/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=RP1>Template:Cite web</ref> Todd stepped down as a patron of the charity World Horse Welfare.<ref name=RP1/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Partial CCI 5* Results
Template:BLP unsourced sectionTemplate:Trivia section
| Results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Kentucky | Badminton | Luhmühlen | Burghley | Pau | Adelaide | ||||||
| 1980 | Template:Gold01 (Southern Comfort III) | |||||||||||
| 1987 | Template:Gold01 (Wilton Fair) | |||||||||||
| 1990 | Template:Gold01 (Face The Music) | |||||||||||
| 1991 | Template:Gold01 (Welton Greylag) | |||||||||||
| 1994 | Template:Gold01 (Horton Point) | |||||||||||
| 1996 | Template:Gold01 (Bertie Blunt) | |||||||||||
| 1997 | Template:Gold01 (Broadcast News) | |||||||||||
| 1999 | Template:Gold01 (Diamond Hall Red) | |||||||||||
| 2010 | 18th (Grass Valley) | 11th (Major Milestone) | ||||||||||
| 2011 | WD (Grass Valley) | Template:Gold01 (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
Template:BLP unsourced section
| Results | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | Horse | Placing | Notes | ||||||
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Charisma | 6th | Team | ||||||
| Template:Gold01 | Individual | |||||||||
| 1986 | World Eventing Championships | Charisma | 4th | Team | ||||||
| 10th | Individual | |||||||||
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Charisma | Template:Bronze03 | Team | ||||||
| Template:Gold01 | Individual | |||||||||
| 1990 | World Equestrian Games | Bahlua | Template:Gold01 | Team | ||||||
| 5th | Individual | |||||||||
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Welton Greylag | Template:Silver02 | Team | ||||||
| RET | Individual | |||||||||
| 1994 | World Equestrian Games | Just An Ace | 6th | Team | ||||||
| 47th | Individual | |||||||||
| 1998 | World Equestrian Games | Broadcast News | Template:Gold01 | Team | ||||||
| Template:Silver02 | Individual | |||||||||
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Eyespy II | 8th | Team | ||||||
| Template:Bronze03 | Individual | |||||||||
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Gandalf | 5th | Team | ||||||
| 17th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2009 | World Cup Final | Gandalf | EL | |||||||
| 2010 | World Equestrian Games | Grass Valley | Template:Bronze03 | Team | ||||||
| 11th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2012 | Olympic Games | NZB Campino | Template:Bronze03 | 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.<ref name="Todd" /> They separated in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple remarried in 2014, with only their children present as witnesses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Todd's autobiography, So Far, So Good,<ref name="Todd" /> 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.Template:Citation needed
References
Further reading
- Todd, M., So Far, So Good: The Autobiography, 1998, Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Limited, Auckland, New Zealand.
- Romanos, J., Our Olympic Century. 2008, Trio Books Limited, Wellington New Zealand.
External links
- Template:Official website
- Template:NZOC profile
- Biography at FEI.com
- Eventing Radio (2009 interview)
Template:S-start Template:S-ach Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft |- Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end
Template:Authority control Template:Olympic champions – Equestrian individual eventing Template:1984 New Zealand Olympic team Template:1988 New Zealand Olympic team Template:1992 New Zealand Olympic team Template:2000 New Zealand Olympic team Template:2008 New Zealand Olympic team Template:2012 New Zealand Olympic team Template:2016 New Zealand Olympic team Template:Summer Olympics multiple gold medallists from New Zealand
- Pages with broken file links
- 1956 births
- Living people
- New Zealand event riders
- Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand
- Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand
- Olympic equestrians for New Zealand
- New Zealand male equestrians
- Equestrians at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic medalists in equestrian
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Sportspeople from Cambridge, New Zealand
- New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- New Zealand sportsmen
- Sportspeople awarded knighthoods
- Animal cruelty incidents
- 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen