An Emotional Send Off For Sir Mark Todd – An Eventing Legend
Images Courtesy of Mike Bain- all rights reserved and are subject to copyright
Sir Mark Todd officially retired from eventing in an emotional ceremony at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Sunday (8 September).
It was a a very sad emotional farewell to the man who has captured many hearts and inspired many riders yet remained very humble throughout.
The eventing legend rode into the main arena on his London 2012 team bronze medal-winning ride, NZB Campino, ahead of the final jumping session. NZB Campino who appears to be loving his retirement still enjoyed being centre of attention in the main arena.
He told the packed stands, before he was overcome with emotion.
“Kinky, as he is known at home, is the last horse I finished a three-day event on and that was here at this event last year,”
Sir Mark Todd has won Burghley 5 times amongst his many other achievements ..
| 1999 | Mr Mark Todd (N.Z.) on DIAMOND HALL RED |
| 1998 | Mr Blyth Tait (N.Z.) on CHESTERFIELD |
| 1997 | Mr Mark Todd (N.Z.) on BROADCAST NEWS (European Open Winner) |
| 1996 | Mrs Mary King (nee Thomson) on STAR APPEAL |
| 1995 | Mr Andrew Nicholson (N.Z.) on BUCKLEY PROVINCE |
| 1994 | Mr William Fox-Pitt on CHAKA |
| 1993 | Mr. Stephen Bradley (U.S.A.) on SASSY REASON |
| 1992 | Miss Charlotte Hollingsworth on THE COOL CUSTOMER |
| 1991 | Mr. Mark Todd (N.Z.) on WELTON GREYLAG |
| 1990 | Mr. Mark Todd (N.Z.) on FACE THE MUSIC |
| 1989 | Mrs. Virginia Leng (nee Holgate) on MASTER CRAFTSMAN (European Champion) |
| 1988 | Mrs. Jane Thelwall on KING’S JESTER |
| 1987 | Mr. Mark Todd (N.Z.) on WILTON FAIR |
Mark Todd KNZM CBE is synonymous with the sport of Eventing. Since he started competing at the top in 1978 when he was part of New Zealand’s first 3-day eventing team to contest a world championship, he has gone on to record numerous successes at the very highest level.His unsurpassable triumphs have been rewarded with the MBE (1984), the CBE (1995), in 2000 he was voted the ‘Event Rider of the 20th Century’ by the FEI and he received a Knighthood in 2013.
“I started enjoying it again and after Beijing we thought let’s go to London and do it properly and with the backing of New Zealand Bloodstock and Sir Peter Vela we bought Land Vision who went on to win Badminton in 2011. But 11 years on from that comeback I’ve well and truly done it. I won’t stop riding horses or jumping horses but I won’t compete again.”
In February 2009, Mark announced he was making a full return to the sport and has subsequently made appearances at Badminton and Burghley with numerous other outing at 2* and 3* (winning at Somerley, Houghton and Hartpury). In 2012, Mark followed up his Olympic return in Beijing with selection for Team New Zealand at the London Olympics where New Zealand claimed a team Bronze, Mark finishing 12th individually. In 2013, Mark completed both Badminton and Burghley, finishing 7th on Oloa, and had several other excellent results including a 3rd at Blenhiem and a 3rd at Boekelo.
In 2014 Mark was yet again on the NZ World Equestrian Games team which was an ill fated WEG from its hastliy organised outset! Mark had climbed right back into the top 5 of the FEI rider rankings with his consistent placings througout the year. In 2015 his current top 2 horses, Leonidas and NZB Campino really started to impact on the 4 star scene and by 2016 Leonidas had finished individual 7th at the Rio Olympic Games and NZB Campino top 10 at Burghley.2017 started brilliantly with both horses inside the top 6 at Badminton and sees Mark building his string towards the Tyron World Games in the USA in 2018.
He moved into his present yard, Badgerstown, near Swindon, a week after London 2012. It had been turned into an eventing centre but it is now a racing yard again and Sir Mark, who has already had three runners, has 11 horses in training with room for 40.When he was eventing, much of his early success came on thoroughbreds – Bertie Blunt and Face The Music were while Charisma, the 15.3 hand horse on which he won two Olympic golds, was “near as damn it a thoroughbred and galloped like one”.The shortening of the eventing format and the dropping of the long- distance roads and tracks phase, which used to precede the cross-country, means that warm bloods have taken over from the thoroughbred.
“The long format suited thoroughbreds,” he said. “People still love them but it is harder to compete in the dressage and show-jumping formats against warm bloods. I loved the thoroughbred brain, though. Generally they would work with you much more than a warm blood.”
Because of his equestrian background all his racehorses do basic Flat work while even the two-year-olds pop over logs and ditches.Though many jump trainers employ eventers to help teach their horses to jump and training chasers would seem the perfect fit, popping two-year-olds over the odd log is as close as Sir Mark intends to come to training jumpers.
“I’ve always preferred the Flat,” said the man who once rode round Aintree in cold blood. “It’s partly commercial and I also understand the breeding better though I’m rapidly having to get back up to speed on that.”
Vela, the only man who has won a Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup and Badminton, sent him Eminent, the first flag-bearing son of Frankel, at the end of last year, initially to look after before shipping to New Zealand, then he suggested Sir Mark train him.First time out he was second in a Group One at Rosehill in Australia and might have won but for a wet track. Second time out he ran into Winx.
“Having a horse fit is having a horse fit,” he said. “But I’ve got to do things slightly different. I know how fit I need a horse for Burghley or Badminton. In New Zealand I was doing way too much with them in the early days. That is probably the biggest challenge.”
Sir Mark may be eventing’s loss but he is undoubtedly racing’s gain.
You can read more about Mark in his autobiography, So Far So Good (1998) and all about his return to the sport in his second autobiography, Second Chance (2012). He has also 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). Plus he has also produced a series of training videos.
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