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| Sir Mark Todd KNZM CBE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 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
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Sir Mark James ToddKNZM CBE (born 1 March 1956) is a New Zealand horseman noted for his accomplishments in the discipline ofeventing. He was voted Rider of the 20th century by theInternational Federation for Equestrian Sports.[1]
He won gold medals at the Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988)Olympics, theBadminton Horse Trials on four occasions,[2] and theBurghley Horse Trials five times.[3] As a member of New Zealand'sEventing team, he won gold medals at theWorld 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 theSupreme Halberg Award.[4] In the same year, he was inducted into theNew 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 the2012 Summer Olympics, Todd equalled the Olympic record established by Hungarian fencerAladár Gerevich for the longest gap between first and last Olympic medals — 28 years[6] — and shares the record forsecond-most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander with canoeistsIan Ferguson andPaul MacDonald.[7] The2016 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 atseven 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]
Born inCambridge, New Zealand,[9] Todd developed a deep and abiding passion for horses.[10] He rode atpony club as a youngster and competed at local shows.[1]
Todd considered becoming ajockey but grew to 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) so he moved intoshow 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 theWaikato Technical Institute, and working on farms while fitting in riding, competing and selling horses.[10]
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In 1978, Todd was part of New Zealand's first three-day eventing team to contest a world championship, atLexington,Kentucky, United States. He was 10th after thedressage and second in thesteeplechase, 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 theBadminton 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 championsTinks 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]
Todd became a popular sportsman in his home country and some of the horses he rode also became well known. Most notable wasCharisma, the 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm)Thoroughbred (with 1/16Percheron) 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 1990Commonwealth Games inAuckland New Zealand. Charisma died aged 30 from a broken shoulder.[14]
In 1984 Todd borrowed a yard atKington St Michael,Wiltshire, from his friendCharles Cottenham, so that he could base himself in England.[15]
In the1985 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire,[16] and he was elevated toCommander of the Order of the British Empire in the1995 Queen's Birthday Honours.[17]
Todd also competed at the Sydney2000 Summer Olympics, where he won an individual bronze medal. His win was somewhat clouded by allegations in theSunday Mirror that Todd had usedcocaine 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]
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] inWaikato 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 theWellington Cup[23] andNew 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]
On 25 January 2008,Horse & Hound announced online that Todd would 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 the2008 Summer Olympics.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the New Zealand team finished fifth, and Todd placed 17th individually.[26]
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.[26]
Competing at the2012 Summer Olympics, Todd became the second oldest New Zealand Olympian in history.[27]
In the2013 New Year Honours, Todd was appointed aKnight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to equestrian sport.[28][29] His investiture at Buckingham Palace in May 2013 took place only days after the death of his father, Norm.[30]
Todd was selected to represent New Zealand at the2016 Summer Olympics. Once again he became the second oldest New Zealand Olympian in history, as the fellow equestrianJulie Brougham made her Olympic debut at the age of 62.[31] At the Games held inRio de Janeiro,Brazil, Todd finished 4th in theteam competition and 7thindividually. 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.[32]
In 2019, Todd was an inaugural inductee into theEquestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame.[33]
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][34] TheBritish Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced it was carrying out an investigation. In the interim, Todd was issued with a temporary suspension of his licence.[35] Todd stepped down as a patron of the charityWorld Horse Welfare.[35] 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.[36]
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| This sectioncontains alist of miscellaneous information. Please helpimprove it byrelocating relevant information into other sections or articles.(July 2024) |
| 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 | ||||||||||||
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Mark Todd" equestrian – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 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 | ||||||||||
Todd married Carolyn Berry in 1986 and had two children, Lauren and James.[10] They separated in 2009.[37] The couple remarried in 2014, with only their children present as witnesses.[38]
Todd's autobiography,So Far, So Good,[10] was published in 1998. He has had several other books published includingCharisma (1989),One Day Eventing,Mark Todd’s Cross-Country Handbook (1995) andNovice Eventing with Mark Todd (1996). He has also produced a series of training videos.[citation needed]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year 1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Halberg Awards – Supreme Award 1988 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
