It’s time for anther round of Who Jumped It Best? This time, we look to the CCIJ2*-L from this weekend’s North American Youth Championships. These junior riders had their hands full with Ian Stark’s course! We caught a few of them at the final bayou water.
Put on your equitation hat and decide which horse and rider present the best overall picture by voting in the poll at the bottom of this post.
By now, you’ve surely heard the news of Sir Mark Todd’s retirement from eventing. If, on the off chance you haven’t, make sure you catch Tilly Berendt’s fantastic tribute and have yourself a good little cry.
Five Burghleys, four Badmintons, and back-to-back Olympic Gold medals. Those are just the wins; we don’t dare count the other accolades (we’ll let EquiRatings take care of that) of Mark Todd’s over forty year career at eventing’s upper levels. We couldn’t let this moment pass without re-sharing his absolutely legendary ride at Badminton 1995 where his entire stirrup leather fell off about a third of the way through the course. Did he pull up? Nah — he rode Bertie Blunt the rest of the way with just his right stirrup and finished the course.
Raise a glass to the one and only Sir Mark Todd and enjoy this memorable ninja-esque performance.
Two summers ago, EN readers followed the story of Andrea Glazer, an eventer among Grand Prix show jumpers at the 2017 Maccabiah Games. She catch rode an unfamiliar horse over 1.20-meter (3’9″) and above show jumping courses to help Team USA earn the silver medal, and is now preparing to represent the team once again at the 2019 European Maccabiah Games next week in Budapest, Hungary. Once again, Andrea has agreed take us along for the ride. In the second installation of her EN series, she shares a few cultural differences between the two sports. Read more at her blog, Dre the Zookeeper.
Photo by Hoof Print Images.
I have spent a total of nine weeks working for Neal and Licha Shapiro at Hay Fever Farm, and wow, let me tell you these show jumpers are relentless.
The training that I have undergone has nearly broken me, but I truly don’t know what I would have done had I not come and learned (still a work in progress) how to properly show jump over the past two months. Coming from a purely eventing background, I have a completely new understanding of what really goes on behind the scenes in the show jumping world.
Before I leave for Budapest to jump a strange horse over 1.20m+ courses in the hopes of winning a medal, I would like to enlighten you on how show jumpers prepare for the crucial 90 seconds in the show ring, and the primary differences between eventing and show jumping. If you’re looking to maybe dabble in the jumper world, you should definitely take notes, because I will save you from a ton of embarrassment that I was lucky enough to experience myself.
So welcome to a quick synopsis of Transitioning to Show Jumping for Dummies.
1. Dress regulations
If you’re trying to become a show jumper, you probably want to try and look the part. Don’t just waltz into the jumper ring thinking you won’t stick out in your eventing gear; trust me, you will stick out like a gaited horse in dressage warm-up.
Here’s what not to wear in the ring (this includes lessons and showing):
My work uniform that follows the show jumping dress regulations. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
Full seat jodhpurs – it’ll be OK, I promise.
Sorry Karen, you’re going to have to hang up your FITS; they are completely foreign to anyone in the jumper world. It may sound crazy, but it turns out, you actually will be able to stay on the horse without the grip of full seats. Also, an important difference to note, is that jumpers do not compete in white jods, unless they’re competing in a classic. Basically, if you’re doing a few jumper classes at HITS, don’t wear white jods. They are only worn on special occasions. Yes, I did wear white jods at HITS and someone did come up to my coach and asked if I was eventer.
Goodbye stock tie.
One of the biggest blessings of the jumper world – you don’t have to wear a stock tie! You heard it here first; no running around the stabling trying to find the one person in the aisle that is able to properly tie a stock tie because you still couldn’t figure out how to tie one on yourself.
Everyone here wears their white shirt that they button all the way up under their jacket. *VERY IMPORTANT: as soon as you jump the last jump, always unbutton your shirt and leave a popped collar. This is very, very important if you want to fit in. God forbid you walk around with your shirt buttoned all the way up after you’ve already competed – you’ll definitely look like a newbie.
The proper ‘show jumping attire’ featuring my favorite horse, Spicy. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
The beloved monoflap saddle.
Yes, it’s one I will never understand or agree with, but I have yet to see one other rider in a monoflap saddle, except Boyd Martin who does compete at the jumper shows I’m at (ya know, just Boyd and me representing the eventing world over here). Everyone and their mothers ride in regular jumping saddles, but I still stay true to my eventing community (and can’t afford a new one) so I’m riding in a monoflap and even if people stare, at least I can laugh back at them because it’s less tack to clean, right?
Don’t even think about wearing a skullcap.
Walking into the jumper ring with a Charles Owen skullcap is like walking into the ring with EVENTER tattooed on your forehead. I am allowing you the chance to not be shunned by your coaches – you are welcome.
Here’s a fun story of my first time in the jumper ring – still bitter that no one warned me – @my jumper friends thanks for nothing!!!!
At my first show with Hay Fever Farm, about three days after I arrived, I was lucky enough to ride the most handsome, Mexicano, to the ring and warm him up for his rider before his class started. Known around the barn as Mexi, the handsome 16.3 chestnut gelding, former 1.40m and equitation godsend, is probably the nicest horse I have ever sat on. I felt like $1,000,000 walking past my “fellow” show jumpers, strutting my stuff as if I were Beezie Madden walking into the Grand Prix ring.
Feeling confident as ever, I began trotting around the ring, showing off the fancy horse until I hear someone yell, “YOU LOOK LIKE A DOOFUS,” I turned to see who these words were directed at before my Beezie Madden aura diminished as I realized Licha was staring straight at me.
I trotted straight to her absolutely terrified as she walked up to me, grabbed the brim on my Charles Owen skullcap, and tried everything she could to make the upward-facing brim to point downwards. The brim fought a good fight, reverting straight back to its normal habitat facing up, but Licha doesn’t give up easily, if ever. The fight continued until the brim finally surrendered.
I looked around and realized that I was definitely the only one in a skullcap, and to this day, I still have not seen one jumper rider wear one, so I guess they’re not the current trend in today’s jumper world.
Lesson learned: brims aren’t adjustable and save the skullcaps for cross-country.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
2. You get a groom, she gets a groom, and yes, even the child that can’t even walk gets a groom!!!
Everyone thinks that a lot of the hunter/jumpers just walk up to the ring in their riding attire with their horse groomed immaculately, with their tack on, ready for them to mount. I can confirm that this myth is a proven fact for the majority of riders, including myself. It is the craziest thing to wrap your head around – this creates a completely different culture in this discipline. I even show up to the barn to ride with the horses tacked up ready for me – what is my life?? The grooms are at the barn from sunrise to sundown, ensuring the horses are taken care of to the highest level. You really realize how different it is when you go to a show and see all of the other stables operating in the same fashion.
Getting Mexi ready for the show ring. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
Legalos modeling while waiting for his rider. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
Let me give you an example of a normal day at a competition:
Night before the competition: the grooms and myself pack the tack that is cleaned so well, it could pass any formal Pony Club exam, fill hay nets and ensure the trailer is prepared so that not one shaving is out of place, and ready to go for an early departure the next day.
5:15 a.m.: The grooms and myself arrive at the barn to feed and groom the horses
6 a.m.: The groomed horses are loaded onto the trailer. Neal drives the truck with the grooms, horses and myself to the show.
6:15 a.m.: Vital pitstop to Dunkin’ Donuts
7 a.m.: Arrive to the show, get all the horses tacked up and ready whenever we are told to, walk the horses to the ring for their riders, wait for them to compete, take the horses from the riders, untack and bathe the horses, load them back onto the trailer and get the next horse ready.
2 – 7 p.m.: Leave the show grounds whenever we are finished and go back to the barn where we ice, wrap, bathe again, and take care of the horses, and I go ahead and ride whatever horses didn’t compete that day.
It’s a very different show experience when someone takes care of your horses for you. I definitely love the atmosphere at the three-day events where we have tack cleaning parties and all help each other tack up and braid, but you do feel like a celebrity when you come out of your course-walk and your horse is there waiting for you.
Another difference is that show jumpers compete way more frequently than eventers. Since each horse is only doing one or maybe two rounds per day, they can compete more. For instance, we have three weeks straight of showing from Wednesday until Sunday. Yes, we are in the second week right now, and yes, I have reached a new level of sleep deprivation.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
3. Hurry up and wait.
Yes, one of the things I miss most about eventing is that we knew exactly what time we did each phase (sometimes stadium was a toss-up, but still). At these shows, you can get on at the start of your division, and the stewards wait until everyone has gotten their turn until they close the division. This can take hours because of all the trainer/rider conflicts. Let me tell you, it is not fun.
4. Flatwork, and more flatwork.
If you think show jumpers don’t do dressage, think again. Most of my rides at Hay Fever Farm consist of leg yields, shoulder in, haunches in, counter-canter and lots of transitions. The foundation of dressage and the flatwork done in the jumper world are very similar, and both disciplines have the same goal. As Neal always says, you want the horse to be straight, forward and supple – I swear as soon as Neal looks at a horse, they automatically know they better maintain those three things.
I do feel the slightest boost of confidence when one of the jumper riders has a harder time with some of the technical movements we have in our dressage test. I’m able to get on most horses and do a nice 20-meter counter canter circle, leg yields and shoulder-ins for days, and throw in a half pass every now and again for fun. I still may be working on my McLain Ward turns, but at least I can do a nice counter canter serpentine in case I was ever tested on that.
Riding out to the field to do some flatwork. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
5. Unauthorized assistance is encouraged
Sometimes when we are in any of the three phases, it could have been really helpful if our coaches were allowed to yell at us for pulling, tell us where the next jump was, or give us an extra cluck off the ground. In show jumping, anyone on the sidelines can communicate with you, it’s wild.
Licha and Neal have this down to a science. If we are going too slow, they whistle and we know to go more forward. After almost every jump, Licha yells turn, because we probably aren’t turning tight enough even if we think we are barrel racing – turns are hard OK? I was just getting used to the 10-meter circles in the dressage ring, and now you want me to jump a 1.10 square oxer and turn in the air to cut inside a jump to cut a few seconds going into a double? Yeah, that’s still a work in progress as well. I am very thankful for the sideline coaching and if you see someone whistling or yelling “TURN” at the next three-day event, it wasn’t me.
The first time I jumped one of Hay Fever Farm’s awesome school horses. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
Another wild thing that’s allowed during competitions in the jumper world is that you can school in the show ring before you compete. You can literally take your horse up to every single jump and let them look at all the spooky stuff, on some of the days, you’re even allowed to jump the jumps.
HOW WILD IS THAT?
Imagine taking your horse out on cross country to school the ditch and wall just to make sure you don’t have any problems on course … so different. So crazy to me.
Accurate depiction of my face when I was told you could school the jumps before you compete. Photo courtesy of Andrea Glazer.
I could go on for hours and hours about the other little differences I’ve encountered between eventing and show jumping, but I had a show the past two days where I had to be at the barn at 5:15 a.m., and am competing everyday until I leave for Budapest – oh, don’t worry, I’m also competing the Sunday I actually leave for the Games! I’ll sleep well on the flight at least.
So there you have it. The show jumpers do some very foreign things – whether it’s the fact that they rarely use studs (because the rings are normally in sand, obviously), to every horse wearing a martingale, to not cutting their tails (my pet-peeve, but I’m learning to cope with it); I don’t think I’ll ever learn all of the different antics in this discipline. I may never completely fit that typical ‘show jumper look,’ but it’s honestly been very entertaining to try!
I am living proof that once you’re an eventer, you’re always an eventer.
But wait, there’s more! The entry list has since been updated to include another four Americans:
Woodge Fulton is entered with Captain Jack, a 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding (Numerous x Lady Malone) owned by the Full Moon Farm syndicate. Woodge and Captain have been racking up mileage abroad since early February, training with Dirk Schrade in Germany and tackling Europe’s toughest tracks. They turned in a gutsy clear-with-time cross country round at Badminton and will be looking to tick another five-star box at Burghley.
Lillian Heard is entered with LCC Barnaby, her own 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Guy Cavalier x Lady Tanjour, by Rafael). Burghley 2019 will mark this pair’s fifth five-star start and their third-time’s-a-charm crack at Burghley — the pair last picked up an unlucky 20 here last year.
Doug Payne is entered with Vandiver, a 15-year-old Trakehner gelding (Windfall 2 x Visions of Grandeur, by Mystic Replica XX) owned by Debi Crowley and Doug and Jessica Payne. This pair finished 22nd at Kentucky in 2016 and made their British eventing debut in 2017, finishing 14th at Blenheim. They broke into the top five at Kentucky this spring and are very capable of a competitive result.
Liz Halliday-Sharp is entered with Deniro Z, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zapatero VDL x Zonne-Trend, by French Buffet xx) owned by the Deniro Syndicate and Ocala Horse Properties. This pair was 8th in the horse’s five-star debut at Luhmühlen last year and they too are capable of hanging right up there with the best. [UPDATED 7/30]
That’s a proper U.S. contingent! Thirty-eight total entries have been received for the CCI5* ahead of the Friday Aug. 2 closing date, and we expect entries to continue rolling in this week. You can count on the EN crew (I’m looking at you, Maggie and Abby) to obsessively refresh the entry list page and keep us posted on new developments. Last year 98 combinations were entered at the closing date, and entries were capped at 85 pairs.
Here are the entries as of July 29. Exciting to see that the Prices plan to roll up to Burghley with their entire stable, and we’ve got some Chris Burton and Gemma Tattersall in the mix, too:
Burghley 2019 takes place Sept. 5-8 in Stamford, England. Go Eventing.
I think I see a resemblance. Photo via Boyd Martin.
“My dream is to one day make Windurra a cat sanctuary like this,” Boyd said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Picture it, a cross country paradise: there are jumps for all levels, hills and terrain galore, ditches, banks, and water; all the fun stuff. And cats. Cats everywhere.
The U.S. team had a little extra time on their hands for some sightseeing since their horses’ flight was delayed so they took a quick 30-minute trip east to Parque Kennedy, which has become somewhat of a city landmark thanks to it’s stray cat population and the anonymous citizens who care for them. We knew Boyd was a real cat person, so frankly we can’t really tell if he’s joking or not. I guess now we know what Boyd’s retirement job will be. Hopefully Mark Todd hasn’t given him any funny ideas.
If Boyd hasn’t made good on his cat sanctuary dream by then, Windurra USA (Cochranville, PA) will be hosting a three-day clinic with top Irish eventer Joseph Murphy on Aug. 27-29. This Olympian, who is fresh off a top placing at Aachen, is widely recognized as one of the best cross country riders in the world. Joseph is also an extremely effective teacher who specializes in building confidence in both horses and riders. [Event Clinics]
Oh yeah, there was a Nations Cup leg this weekend! With NAYC and The Event at Rebecca dominating our own coverage, it was easy to forget that the fourth leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup took place at Camphire International Horse Trials in Ireland this weekend. Sam Watson took home the individual win for his home nation while New Zealand clinched the team gold. [Irish Team Nations Cup runners-up at Camphire]
Speaking of New Zealand, Mark Todd shocked us all as his retirement was announced on the Nations Cup podium at Camphire, and this time it’s for real. New Zealand high performance eventing manager Graeme Thom made the announcement as Toddy stood alongside teammates Jonelle and Tim Price. [‘No comeback this time’ – Kiwi sporting legend Sir Mark Todd announces retirement]
Pony Club is celebrating it’s 90th birthday this year! As part of the celebration, the organization has created a global ‘Ride Around the World’ movement to take place in 27 countries beginning in Australia on Saturday, August 3rd. There will also be a special event at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park this weekend. [Global celebrations for Pony Club’s 90th birthday start at Gatcombe]
Monday Video: Less than one year to go until Tokyo now!
The countdown is on as the best in the world prepare to showdown of Tokyo 2020 Olympics! 🇯🇵🎉As the pinnacle of competition draws ever nearer, it's time to celebrate all the passion, perseverance and incredible determination it takes to get there.It's only 1 year to go… and we can't wait!
Posted by FEI Eventing on Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Jennie Brannigan put nearly two years of setbacks behind her today to win the Rebecca Farm CCI4*-L aboard the Stella Artois Syndicate’s Stella Artois. After a 12-month suspension and a broken jaw, this four-star win was especially sweet.
“I didn’t even know if I would event again,” she said. “Everything was going great until Carolina. I was keen to come out really strong (after my suspension). I had so many people support me when I couldn’t compete — all the sudden everything came back and I had 35 horses. It was busy and insane. Even if you feel like you trained in an off year there’s an underlying pressure to come out and succeed,” she said.
Like Jennie, this season year was also a rebound for “Toddy,” an 11-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred owned by the Stella Artois Syndicate.
“I gave her to Boyd Martin last year. I was going to have him ride her as a backup for WEG, but she got hurt. It was really odd timing because she had just been vetted by the team and had a long break. Not to be overly spiritual, but I think it was God saying, ‘keep your horse.’
So she did, and they both came back better than ever. Today they jumped double clear to win on a score of 32.9.
Lauren Billys and Castle Larchfield Purdy. Photo by Shelby Allen.
A miscommunication brought a rail down at the Swedish oxer for overnight leaders Lauren Billys and Castle Larchfield Purdy, a 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Karistos x Hallo Purdy, Hallo) owned by the Purdy Syndicate.
The four faults bumped them down to second place on a final score of 35. Though she missed out on the win, Lauren has still achieved a qualifying score toward representing Puerto Rico at the 2020 Olympic Games.
James Alliston and Pandora. Photo by Shelby Allen.
The spitfire Pandora was full of running for James Alliston. Laura Boyer’s 9-year-old Swedish Warmblood (Prostor x Camellia E, by Comefast) tapped one pole to finish the weekend in third place on a score of 43.8.
Clark Montgomery was fourth after two rails with the Caribbean Soul Syndicate’s Caribbean Soul on a score of 47.2. Andrea Baxter moved from seventh to fifth after a clear round with Indy 500.
Sigh … it’s the end of another Event at Rebecca Farm! Winners have been pinned and champions have been crowned. We already can’t wait to come back to the Flathead Valley next year. Safe travels to everyone traveling from afar. ‘Til next time, Rebecca Farm! Let’s take one more look at your photos from a weekend that was.
This year 13 three-star riders from around the country stepped forward for their chance at gold and glory at the 2019 North American Youth Championships at Rebecca Farm. Between them, three CCIY3*-S scramble teams were made.
The combination Area III/VII team could not have come from further apart–William Kidwell, Ivie Cullen-Dean and Grace Smith hail from Georgia and Sophie Click calls Washington state home. Despite the distance, they clicked and delivered. Not a single one of these four touched a pole, and for that effort they received team gold.
William Kidwell and Tremolo. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Anchor rider William Kidwell also picked up a second gold medal by winning the class individually with Tremolo.
William dominated the three-star championship from top to bottom with the 14-year-old Oldenburg/Thoroughbred’s (Sempatico x Avalo’s Rhapsody), keeping a narrow focus on his performance.
“He didn’t want to go in the ring. It’s a big atmosphere, so when he got in he really brightened up to everything and noticed a lot, but then when we jumped he quieted down and jumped around fantastically. He’s an incredibly phenomenal jumper, and really knows how to push off the ground and get over them,” said the 17-year-old rider.
They were the only pair to finish sub-30, and the complete their NAYC debut on a score of 28.
“I was trying to come here–since it was my first time–and try to be as competitive as possible. My horse was great for me, and I tried to be great for him. We showed each other off,” he said.
Katie Lichten and Sapphire Blue B. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Katie Lichten took silver with her own Sapphire Blue B, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Heritage Fortunus x Lucy Blue). This pair also jumped clear for their three-day result of 31.8.
“‘Steve’ is a fan of the show jumping and tried extremely hard. I knew going in I had to try to get him to the jumps and show him where he’s going, and he tried his heart out for me,” she said.
This is Katie’s fifth NAYC appearance, but the first time she’s captured an individual medal. “I’ve been here a couple times, so I really wanted to be as competitive as possible. There was a bit more pressure than other years,” she said.
A clear round catapulted Cosby Green from fifth to bronze medal position with her own Takine De La Barbais.
Four gray horses earned four gold medals today for Area VIII in the 2019 Adequan North American Youth Championships.
The dream team of Elizabeth Henry/Charlotte La Bouff, Cierra Daratony/Rio De Janerio, Gracie Elliott/Ballylanders Finn McCool, and Tate Northrop/Fine With Me finished with 13.6 points to spare on a cumulative result of 90.6.
Photo by Shelby Allen.
“Must be the gray horses–they’re kind of our good luck charm,” Gracie said at the press conference, but these girls deserve much more credit. They each truly rose to the pressure, delivering three clear rounds to make their gold medal dream a reality.
Looking polished as professionals, the all gray glam squad also cleaned up well individually with Elizabeth finishing 2nd, Cierra 6th, Gracie 10th and Tate 19th.
Here’s more of their thoughts from the press conference:
Team results:
Area VIII (90.6)
Area II (104.2)
Area IV (109.2)
Charlotte Babbit and 2 A.M. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Individually, Charlotte Babbitt secured gold, winning from pillar to post with her own 2 A.M., 7-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Sheraton x Regina K, by Ahorn) on a score of 24.
Elizabeth Henry and Charlotte La Bouff. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Elizabeth Henry said show jumping was her and Charlotte La Bouff’s most difficult phase, but they delivered a double clear round for individual silver today on a finishing score of 24.9.
Ben Noon and Keep Kitty. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Ben Noon rode tactfully around Marc Donovan’s track with his own Keep Kitty, 8-year-old Hanoverian mare (King Julio x Emelie, by Escudo I), for individual bronze. He’s also finishing on his dressage score of 27.
Mark Todd at Burghley. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
Sir Mark Todd has announced his retirement from eventing in an emotional prize-giving ceremony at Ireland’s Camphire International Horse Trials. The announcement came as the crack Kiwi team of Mark, Tim Price, and Jonelle Price took top honours in the event’s leg of the FEI Nations Cup series. Mark rode his long-time five-star partner, Pete and Di Brunsden’s Leonidas II, with whom he finished fifth individually in the class.
“Victories always seem to come with bittersweet moment at the same time, so while it’s a good day for us, for team New Zealand, and for our athletes – who rose to the occasion and carried what’s going to be the new format at the Games to victory today – I do want to single out Sir Mark Todd,” said team New Zealand chef d’equipe Graeme Thom during the presentation. “Four Badmintons, five Burghleys, two Olympic golds, and countless other victories that are too many to mention today. He’s been an inspiration, he’s been a true competitor, an above all of that, he’s been a fantastic gentleman within the sport – someone today who is definitely leaving the room better than when he arrived.”
“I know that everyone will miss him,” he continued, “and we certainly won’t let him disappear from us – we’ll find something for him!”
Where do you even begin when trying to catalogue all the accomplishments that make Toddy one of the greats, not just in eventing, but in all of sporting history? It’s not just all those five-star wins – though they certainly play their part – nor is it the many team appearances and medals that he’s notched up through the years. Perhaps it’s the slight intangibles: the fact that he casually competed in showjumping at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the unforgettable moment that his stirrup leather broke on course at Badminton in 1995, but he completed nonetheless. Maybe it’s that he remains one of the only riders ever to take back-to-back Olympic golds riding the same horse – the ineffable Charisma – or maybe it’s something to do with the fact that no matter how many medals he wins or trophies he lifts, one thing never changes: he remains enormously generous with his knowledge, his time, and his incomparable wry humour.
Even the royals have recognised his excellence: in 1995, Mark’s 1985 MBE was upgraded to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s birthday honours, and in 2013, he was formally made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. His many titles and accolades don’t stop there: in 1999, he was named the FEI’s Eventing Rider of the Century and the same year, the UK’s Horse & Hound magazine crowned him their Equestrian Personality of the Century after a decisive public vote.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Mark retire from the sport: in 2000, following his bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics, he stepped back from competition to move back to his native New Zealand and focus on his interests in racing. In 2004, he acted as coach for the Kiwi eventing team at the Athens Olympics, and in 2008, he announced that he was making a long-awaited return to international competition with an aim to compete at that summer’s Games.
“I never thought I’d come back full time,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph. “It was just a bit of a dare to see if I could make it back to the Olympics in six months.”
He did just that, riding NZB Gandalf to a top twenty finish. Two more Olympics followed, making him the second-oldest Kiwi to ever compete at a Games, and the most-medalled New Zealand athlete – an honour he shares with canoeists Ian Ferguson and Paul McDonald. He was also the first Kiwi to compete at seven Olympics, and the 28-year margin between his first and last Olympic medals equals the record for the longest gap recorded.
Mark Todd wins Badminton 2011 with NZB Land Vision, over thirty years after winning the event on his debut in 1980. Photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton.
In 2011, Mark lifted the Badminton trophy for the fourth time, making him the oldest-ever winner of the event. You might think us rather rude for continually referencing his age, but it’s an essential point to make – at 63, the evergreen eventer just keeps giving. Even now, when most normal people are opting to cash in their pensions and getting really into early-evening radio dramas, he’s diving head-first back into the busy world of flat racing.
“I’m not so much retiring as changing careers,” says Mark. “We decided about two weeks ago that we were going to do it. But it’s all still very surreal – it’s been very emotional. I’m just lucky that I got to go out riding one of my old favourites in Leonidas, and on the podium with my old friends Tim and Jonelle, who I’ve ridden with many times.”
Mark Todd and his biggest fan (or is Toddy Chinch’s biggest fan?)
Fortunately for us, Mark isn’t planning an exodus back to New Zealand – instead, he’s working on converting Badgerstown, his Wiltshire base, back into a training facility. And he won’t be entirely separate from the eventing world, either – his involvement with the Bridging the Gap Scholarship, a training and bursary scheme designed to help talented riders transition from the young rider rankings to senior competition, will continue, and he hasn’t ruled out further opportunities as a coach, either. But will we see a second comeback to international sport?
“I can bet you any odds that you won’t,” he laughs. Despite that, he counts his 2011 Badminton victory as one of his fondest memories across an almost ludicrously storied career: “to win there after an eight-year break – a long time by anyone’s standards! – was really special,” he says.
Sir Mark Todd and McClaren at the World Equestrian Games in 2018. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.
And what of his horses? Well, that’s a work in progress, as he tells us – but the small string of top-notch talent will be rerouted to other riders or, alternately, sold. Among them is Kiltubrid Rhapsody, the gorgeous grey with whom he came infuriatingly close to winning Burghley last year – “he’ll make a great team horse for someone next year,” says Mark.
So what has been the secret to a career spanning over forty years at the top?
“I’ve been so lucky to have great horses, and great owners, and a great team working with me,” he explains. “I’m naturally very competitive, and I’ve been lucky not to have had any major injuries, and I’ve had the drive to keep going. But I think a mid-career break certainly helped!”
Mark Todd and Kiltubrid Rhapsody at Badminton. Photo by Kit Houghton/Mitsubishi Motors.
Our dreaming hearts won’t rule out another charge to the top in a few years, but for now, ten racehorses – “and probably more to come!” – will be enough to keep Sir Mark busy enough in his next wave of youth. In the meantime, join us in raising a glass to Sir Mark Todd, the harbinger of pony-mad daydreams, the poster-boy for generations, and the Kiwi who, as Vaughn Jefferis once said, “…was the first, and he paved the way for us.” He has paved the way for all of us in some way – as the indefatigable face of New Zealand’s formidable eventing front, as the person who made us all realise what we can do if we set our minds to it, and as the endlessly generous bastion of knowledge that has kept us media louts’ trains forever pulling into Inspiration Station. Here’s to Toddy, and here’s to eventing – a funny little world, the terrain of which has forever been shaped by his contribution.
The floor is all yours, dear readers – we’d love to read your favourite memories of the great Sir Mark and his whopper of a career. Have you met him, known him, competed against him, or been inspired by him? Do you remember where you where when he won that second Olympic gold? Was he your first celebrity crush? Leave your memories in the comments, and let’s celebrate one of the coolest career trajectories we’re ever likely to witness.
