When H&H paid a visit to Ben Pauling’s National Hunt yard near Cheltenham, one work rider caught the eye. If anyone wondered what Sir Mark Todd is doing now, the secret’s out. There is no disguising the tall frame poised in perfect balance in the saddle, and the quiet hands that made him a two-time Olympic champion, five-time Burghley and four-time Badminton winner.

Since retiring from eventing in 2019 and subsequently also retiring from training racehorses, Mark – who has just turned 70 – is now riding out for a couple of trainers six days a week. We caught up with him after morning exercise.

What is Mark Todd doing now?

In his own words:

It all began when I rang Ben Pauling and asked “Do you need an extra rider?”

I stopped training racehorses at the end of 2024 and we moved to the Cotswolds in October last year. I didn’t have any horses left at home and I was missing riding and I love racing. I knew of Ben, who trains close by in Naunton Downs, but I’d never met him. Luckily he replied “Yes, come along!”

I ride two lots a day, but occasionally they twist my arm to do three. Two is enjoyable, three is a bit much and four is a job, and I don’t want a job!

We actually live next door to another racehorse trainer, Richard Hobson, whose gallops we look out over, so I ride out for Ben on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and I go to Richard’s yard on Wednesday and Thursday.

Most of the team at Ben’s are so young, I don’t think they knew who I was when I arrived. They probably thought, “Who is this old fool who has come to ride?” I’m sure I’m the heaviest rider there, but I really enjoy it and it’s good fun with all the gang. I’m just very grateful that Ben lets me ride there and allows me to do a bit of work on the horses.

I think I probably get put on the nice, quiet ones but after riding Flat horses for so long, the jumpers are definitely a bit more steady.

The horse I ride most regularly is a four-year-old called Old Clayesmorian, who won his first start in a bumper at Warwick. He’ll now be turned out till next season. I expect he’ll make up into a really nice staying chaser.

I haven’t been let loose over the jumps yet, but I’m not sure I want to! Ben doesn’t have an arena so I haven’t had any input into the jumping side of things. Every trainer does things a bit differently but Ben has a fabulous set-up and the horses are all very well looked after.

I get into the yard just after 7am and first lot is out by 7.30am. I said I don’t want to muck out though – I’ve done enough of that over the years!

We just recently sold the last horse we had at home – a little mare we used to race and she won four times for us. We tossed up the idea of breeding from her but we’ve been down that road in the past and where we live now isn’t really suited for having mares and foals.

My wife Carolyn and I have a share in another horse we raced, called Rockit Tommy, who is now with young New Zealand event rider Tayla Mason. He’s a lovely big horse – a great mover and super jumper – so it will be exciting to follow him. I help Tayla a bit and I do quite a lot of other teaching here and there so, all in all, I’m keeping busy.

I don’t make a very good spectator, so I don’t tend to go racing anymore, although I make an exception for the Cheltenham Festival. I only like going racing if I have a runner, or I have a job to do.

Touching wood, the body is holding up well with my turning 70 on 1 March. We might celebrate with a party later in the year, but Carolyn and I went skiing in Verbier instead.

But that’s why I want to keep riding – I don’t know if it keeps you young, but it keeps your body going anyway. I see John Whitaker still competing at the age of 70, but I have no desire to be back on that treadmill again.

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Happy 70th birthday, Sir Mark Todd! Mark’s achievements in eventing are legendary, from his two Olympic golds to riding round Badminton with just one stirrup – and winning it on a catch ride.

To celebrate this milestone birthday for Mark Todd, we’re taking a look back at three of the greatest moments of the New Zealander’s career…

A Burghley one-two

At Burghley Horse Trials in 1987, Mark became the first rider to score a one-two at this event – a feat which has since only been repeated by Blyth Tait (1998, Chesterfield and Aspyring) and William Fox-Pitt (2008, Tamarillo and Ballincoola).

Burghley 1987 was the final chance for Charisma – known as Podge – to win a British four-star (now five-star), as he would be aimed at defending his Olympic title in Seoul the following year and then retired.

“My other Burghley ride that year was Wilton Fair – known unflatteringly at home as Big Red Willy – which I had upgraded from intermediate after his owner, Lucy Robinson, decided she didn’t want to do any more with him,” wrote Mark in his autobiography, Second Chance.

“Despite his inexperience he went very well around Burghley and after cross-country I was in the lead on Podge, who had been as enthusiastic as ever, and second on Will. If only we’d stayed in that order.

“Will, a really genuine horse, showjumped clear; Podge, showing his usual disdain for the coloured poles, hit two fences. I was still first and second, which was a new Burghley record, and I should have been pleased but it felt like the wrong way round. Inside, I was so disappointed not to have won on Podge, and he obviously sensed it, because as I led him into the arena for prize-giving alongside Will, he sulked and put his ears back.”

Mark won five times in all at Burghley, equalling a record set by Ginny Elliot and later beaten only by William Fox-Pitt, whose 2011 victory made him the first person to take the British autumn classic six times.

Back to back Olympic titles

Mark and Charisma sealed their status as one of the all-time great eventing partnerships when they took their second Olympic title in Seoul in 1988, having won their first in Los Angeles in 1984.

At the time of LA, they were still a fairly new combination, with Mark having taken over the ride on the horse he considered a “fat hairy pony” in 1983. The pair won six events in New Zealand that year and Podge was duly shipped to England for the spring of 1984, where he finished second at Badminton before taking the gold at the Olympics.

By 1988, Charisma was 16, an elder statesman of the sport, and Mark received some criticism for even wanting to take him to Seoul. He skipped Badminton that spring, focusing on getting the horse really fit – to the extent that Charisma’s first prep run, at Brockenhurst, was a disaster as he was so above himself. Luckily, he redeemed himself before travelling to the Games by winning the British open at Gatcombe.

“From the moment we arrived in Seoul everything felt right, and I just had a really good feeling about everything,” Mark Todd told Debby Sly for her book Olympic Eventing Masterclass.

“Charisma led the dressage by a good margin, and many commentators felt he deserved an even higher mark than the one was awarded. He achieved the fastest time across country and made it all feel very easy – he was well within himself. Going into the showjumping he had three fences in hand, and just had the one down.”

Horse & Hound’s dressage correspondent Pegotty Henriques said Mark and Charisma’s dressage test was “probably more faultless” than the grand prix special produced by the dressage gold medallists Nicole Uphoff and Rembrandt.

Mark was the second rider to win two Olympic eventing titles, after Charles Pahud de Mortanges, who rode Marcroix to victory in 1928 and 1932.

In 2016, Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW became the third pair to win back-to-back Olympic individual golds; in 2024, Michael became the first event rider to win three Olympic individual titles when he piloted FischerChipmunk FRH to victory in Paris.

A comeback Badminton win

Mark retired from eventing in 2000, leaving a legion of eventers remembering his glory days. A new wave of fans grew up watching old video tapes, reading books and believing they would never see the legend compete live. And then, in 2008, Mark announced a comeback. Three years later, he won his fourth Badminton Horse Trials title, his ninth five-star (then four-star) triumph in all.

Catherine Austen wrote in the Horse & Hound report: “This will surely go down as the greatest sporting comeback of all time… To return to the sport after eight years, pull off a ‘dare’ of riding at the 2008 Olympics and then fight his way back up to the very top and score another Badminton triumph is simply astonishing.”

Mark said: “When I retired, I’d had enough. I’d lost the motivation to do the work. And I didn’t even miss the sport. It ended up as a bit of a dare – could I get to the Olympics in August having started in the spring? But I found I was really enjoying it again.”

The then 55-year-old’s partner was the grey NZB Land Vision, a 10-year-old top-level debutant who had won the 2009 British intermediate championships with Oliver Townend before joining Mark.

“Andrew Nicholson rang me and told me about the horse – and said to be quick because Tina Cook might be going to look at it. I jumped on a plane and bought the horse,” said Mark after his Badminton win.

Have a great birthday, Mark Todd, and thanks for all the wonderful memories.

As Mark Todd celebrates his 70th birthday, what are your favourite memories of his career? Did you learn something watching him which you’ve used yourself with your horses? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for a chance to be published in a future issue of Horse & Hound. Please include your full name and address; your nearest town and county only will be published. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

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Olympic eventer turned racehorse trainer Sir Mark Todd will not renew his licence at the end of the season.

Mark has called time on his training career after six years; he told H&H he had been “thinking about it for a while”.

“We’ve been thinking about having a slight lifestyle change again, and wanting to have more free time. With racehorses it’s pretty much 24/7,” he said.

“We’ve only ever had a small team and I only ever did it because I wanted to have a bit of a new challenge, and that was that. I’ve been there and we felt now is the right time.”

Mark and his wife Carolyn recently sold their Badgerstown base and said he they are looking for a smaller property, likely in the Wiltshire area.

“We were lucky the sale of ours went through very quickly, and we’re going to rent somewhere in the short term,” he said.

Mark successfully trained Flat racehorses in New Zealand during his first break from eventing after the Sydney Olympics. He returned to eventing before the 2008 Beijing Games, and retired for a final time in 2019 aged 63 at a ceremony at Burghley, turning his focus to training racehorses again.

“We’ve cut right down and at the moment have six horses. I might have a couple of runners before Christmas, but from the end of the year that will be it as far as training goes,” he said.

“I’ll probably end up doing a bit more teaching again, and I still want to stay involved in racing to a certain extent. I’ll see what opportunities come up and what ideas I have. It’s all a bit fluid at the minute.

“I love being with horses and working with them, and horses will always be a part of our lives. We’ve got a couple we are involved with in racing, and we might keep one as a broodmare, and we might buy and sell young ones.”

Mark is looking forward to having a bit more time on his hands.

“We want to spend a bit more time travelling and doing whatever. It’s been fairly full on for the last 40 years! There’s no point getting to 90 and saying ‘I wish I’d done that’ because it’s a bit late,” he said.

“The UK has been our home really for the last 40 years, we still have ties in New Zealand and we’d like to be able to go back there and spend a bit more time at some point, so hopefully we’ll have a few more options now.”

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The Defender Burghley Horse Trials commentators for the event next month (5-8 September) have been revealed.

The only way to watch all the action is on Burghley TV and a familiar team return to bring this coverage to viewers at home. The presenters will once again be experienced broadcasters Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner. The commentary team will be led by John Kyle, who has just returned from working at his fourth Olympic Games, and Nicole Brown, host of the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast. They will be joined by Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson, who are both multi-medallists in eventing and have been placed in the top five at Burghley.

The BBC will air a highlights programme on BBC2 on Sunday 8 September, from 2-3.55pm, and this will be fronted by well-known presenter Rishi Persad, another who has recently returned from the Paris Olympics.

Rupert Bell and Jo Thoenes anchor the coverage for Burghley Radio, with insight on the dressage provided by grand prix rider Bobby Hayler Wright, top judge Harry Payne and Olympic dressage rider Richard Davison.

Five-star riders and former Burghley competitors complete the team – Willa Newton and Simon Grieve will add their thoughts on the cross-country phases, Ginny Howe acts as roving reporter and Ben Way will interview riders after their performances.

If you are experiencing all the action for yourself by visiting Burghley Horse Trials, the commentators you will hear on site are Spencer Sturmey, Hugh Lochore and, on cross-country day, five-time Burghley winner Mark Todd.

Spencer can frequently be heard on the microphone at events and on live streams, while British-born Hugh is based in the US and particularly well known as a voice of equestrian sport there, as well as being a four-star cross-country course-designer.

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The names of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials commentators have been released for this year’s event (30 August–3 September).

For those watching from home on the paid-for subscription service Burghley TV, John Kyle and Nicole Brown are the principal commentators – both are experienced equestrian commentators, with John having worked at the past three Olympic Games and Nicole known as the voice of the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast.

Other commentators will include the 2021 European champion Nicola Wilson and another former European champion and multi-medallist, Tina Cook. The presenters on Burghley TV are Nick Luck and Rosie Tapner.

The on-site Burghley Horse Trials commentators team will be led by another seasoned horse sport commentator in Steven Wilde, who anchored the live streaming coverage of the European Eventing Championships in Haras du Pin, France, earlier this month.

He will be joined on the mic by Spencer Sturmey and – for cross-country day – Mark Todd. Mark is a five-time winner of Burghley, as well as being a former Olympic individual champion.

For those tuning into Burghley Radio, dressage rider Bobby Hayler and judge Harry Payne will be commentating on the dressage.

Five-star riders Willa Newton and Simon Grieve will commentate on the cross-country and showjumping phases, while fellow top-level jockey Ben Way will be carrying out interviews with the competitors soon after they hop off their horses after each performance. Another five-star rider, Ginny Howe, is Burghley Radio’s roving reporter.

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Sir Mark Todd has been suspended for four months in a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary hearing – but may resume training immediately.

Today (14 April) the BHA licensing committee met to consider Mark’s interim suspension. A private directions hearing, which sets out the parameters of the disciplinary panel hearing, also took place. A BHA spokesman said during the course of today’s hearings, “it became clear that there was common ground” between the two parties and an “agreed basis of plea” was put before the panel and “they agreed that it was suitable”.

On 16 February Mark was given an interim suspension awaiting a hearing to consider whether he had breached a rule by engaging in “conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of horseracing” by striking a horse with a tree branch on 29 August 2020.

As Mark “accepted” being in breach of the rule, he was given a four-month suspension, with two months of that deferred for two months.

Following the hearing Mark told H&H he was “really looking forward to putting this all behind him”.

“It’s been a very tough two months, particularly on my family and myself. I would also like to express huge thanks to my family and my staff, and especially the owners who have supported me and stayed with me through all this, and also to the many people who have sent messages and letters of support throughout the period,” he said. 

“I am looking forward to doing what I enjoy doing best, caring for horses and getting out there and winning more races.”

The BHA spokesman said the licensing committee agreed with the immediate return of Sir Mark’s licence “due in large part to the fact that the BHA was satisfied that this case posed no ongoing equine welfare concerns.”

“An inspection of his yard on February 17 found his training facilities to be well maintained and horses in good condition,” said the spokesman.

Brian Barker, who chaired the disciplinary panel, said in the view of the panel the actions of Sir Mark “could not be condoned in any form”.

“His prominence and achievement have set a high bar of behaviour. We note the original and immediate apology, which included that Sir Mark was ‘very disappointed in himself’,” said Mr Barker.

“The entry penalty for a breach of Rule (J)19 is a fine of £2,000 or suspension/withdrawal/disqualification for a period of three months – the range is a fine of £1,000 to £15,000 or suspension/withdrawal/disqualification of one month to three years.

“Bearing all that in mind, the panel decided that Sir Mark should be sentenced in this way; the appropriate sentence is one of four months suspension, with two months of that deferred for two months. That means that the eight weeks he has already served is sufficient and Sir Mark is able to operate under his licence immediately. Further, provided that there are no transgressions in the next two months, until 14 June, then that deferment will disappear.”

The BHA spokesman said: “We are grateful to the disciplinary panel for their time in considering this case and acknowledge the penalty handed down this afternoon. As Sir Mark has himself recognised in public statements since the video emerged and in accepting that he was in breach of rule (J)19, his behaviour on this occasion fell short of the standard expected of all licensed individuals and ran contrary to the values of care and respect for the horse that underpin British racing.”

In February Mark “wholeheartedly” apologised for his actions and stepped down from his role as World Horse Welfare patron.

“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results,” he said at the time. “I believe this is one of the main attributes along with a great empathy with animals that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing. I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case

The BHA spokesman said written reasons will follow in due course.

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Sir Mark Todd’s British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary hearing has been adjourned owing to “legal issues”.

The independent disciplinary panel of the BHA met today (24 March) to consider whether Mark breached a rule by engaging in “conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of horseracing” by striking a horse multiple times with a tree branch on 29 August 2020.

But panel chairman James O’Mahony adjourned the case stating “legal issues” had arisen that required “careful consideration”. A new hearing date has not been announced.

On 16 February the BHA confirmed the interim suspension of Mark following video footage shared online, which is said to have been recorded during a clinic in 2020.

Mark “wholeheartedly” apologised for his actions and stepped down from his role as World Horse Welfare patron.

“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results,” he said.

“I believe this is one of the main attributes along with a great empathy with animals that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing.

“I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”

The BHA interim suspension means Mark cannot race horses in Great Britain or internationally while the investigations continue.

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This week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 17 March, contains our dressage special, which includes a feature hon ow riders with dyslexia cope in the sport, why relaxation is crucial for success in dressage – and how to achieve it – and more. We also have an interview with Andrew Nicholson to find out how stepping back from the top level is suiting the New Zealander, while in Vet Clinic we find out more about the causes, treatment and prognoses in cases of suspensory desmitis. In addition, we bring you action from the world of showjumping, dressage, racing and point-to-pointing, plus there’s a range of hunting features to enjoy.

Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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A spectator at the clinic in Scotland at which a widely shared video of Mark Todd was recorded has spoken out to give a fuller picture of what happened.

The man, who preferred to remain anonymous, is an equestrian professional who was there to support a rider in the lesson before the one in question, and stayed to watch the next session. He has sent a report of his observations to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), which is investigating the incident.

He told H&H there was a small group of “grassroots riders” in the next session.

“Mark explained what they were going to do in general, but at that point also asked if any of the riders had anything specific they wanted to deal with,” he said. “The girl involved in this investigation made it crystal clear she had no problem with her horse entering water or jumping fences into water but she had a specific issue with her horse jumping off steps or drops into water, and that she’d like him to focus on that, and he said yes.”

The spectator said the clinic went smoothly; other than “the odd rider mistake”, “nothing remarkable” happened. The spectators eventually followed the riders to the water complex, at which none of the versions of the video circulating online shows all that happened.

“[Mark] proceeded to go through a lengthy process, ensuring the horse became increasingly confident and relaxed by repetitively asking the rider to enter/exit the water at various points and very gradually increasing the level of difficulty to support both horse and rider confidence,” the spectator wrote in his report to the BHA. “Once this had been obviously achieved, [Mark] proceeded to focus on this individual’s specific issue.”

The spectator said Mark gave the rider so much time, building up very gradually from walking into the water on a shallow gradient to eventually cantering and a steeper gradient, that “from a spectator’s point of view, it almost got a bit boring”.

He added: “The horse was happy and willing at all times.”

In the report, he said: “On the first approach to the step into the water, the horse started to slow down and present signs of unwillingness. [Mark] at this point was close by, holding a small branch he had picked up from a bush. As it became evident the horse was not going to continue to go forward, he supported the rider in persuading her horse forward by waving the stick and making noise and because of this the horse jumped down the small step into the water and an initial successful outcome was achieved.

“The rider was then advised by [Mark] to come back to the same area and jump into the water from the same point, the horse jumped into the water without hesitation, showing increasing levels of confidence, at this point [Mark] was in the background to offer support if required, however he maintained a healthy and independent distance.”

The report adds that there was a third attempt to jump off the bank, in a different place, “for the purpose of consolidating confidence levels of both horse and rider as a partnership”.

“On approach on this occasion the rider ‘froze’ and became completely ineffective and the horse stopped,” the report reads. “At this point the coach became involved and supported the rider by persuading and driving the horse forward from behind to overcome the lack of belief of ability that had presented itself at that moment in time. Through persuasion a successful outcome was reached as again the horse jumped into the water complex.”

The spectator said there were 20 to 25 people watching and none “uttered any form of concern at all”.

“My take was that it wasn’t pleasurable to watch but Mark had been specifically asked to fix this and problem-solve, and my take is that’s exactly what he did, and he did it without any anger or aggression at all,” he said, adding that the horse showed no signs of fear of anxiety, and the rider appeared “over the moon, delighted” afterwards. The cheer that went up when the horse jumped in can be heard on the video.

The riders all then moved on to another jump complex, the spectator said.

“The horse looked happy; confident and relaxed and showed absolutely no signs that his welfare had been compromised in any way, shape or form,” he added.

“Mark did what he did, he took no pleasure in it and he was calm. The girl asked him to sort the problem, which he achieved.”

The rider told H&H she did not give Mark permission to hit her horse. She confirmed he took her through easier options into the water first but the jump in question was the first time he had faced the “bigger bank”.

“I can’t comment about my riding,” she said. “It probably wasn’t the most effective. I’ve never claimed to be a rider but that’s why I sought instruction.

“I think anyone watching the video can decide for themselves if my horse was showing signs of fear, and you can’t argue with what you see with your own eyes.”

The rider said she was happy when the horse jumped in, but this was because she had not realised “the situation around why he had jumped in”, and did not know he had been hit until she watched the video later.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed the interim suspension of Sir Mark Todd, in relation to footage circulating online.

The chair of the British racing Independent Judicial Panel today (16 February) has approved a BHA application for an interim suspension of Mark’s training licence, “following the emergence over the weekend of a video showing him striking a horse with what appears to be a branch”.

The suspension means Mark will be unable to race, in Britain or abroad, while investigations into the incident continue.

“The trainer has admitted the individual involved in the video was him, has apologised for his actions and agreed to the imposition of an interim suspension,” a BHA statement said.

“On Sunday [13 February] the BHA condemned the video and confirmed that it was looking into the incident. The BHA will provide further updates as necessary in due course, though will not be able to comment on the detail of the investigation itself until it is concluded.

“The interim suspension has been approved on the basis that it can be reviewed at a later date if necessary, on application by either party.”

The FEI is among the organisations that have commented on the video, which is said to have been recorded in a training clinic in 2020, a year after Mark’s second retirement from eventing.

“The FEI is disappointed and alarmed by the images in the video,” a spokesman said.

“This is not acceptable behaviour and it goes against everything we stand for and the values we encourage and expect from all horsemen and horsewomen.

“Every individual in the equestrian community has a responsibility and a duty to safeguard and protect the horses in their care and embrace a zero-tolerance attitude when it comes to any form of equine abuse and mistreatment. Any violation of that important responsibility cannot be overlooked or condoned, and the FEI will investigate whenever sporting and training methods are in clear disregard of the health and welfare of our most valued partner, the horse.

“The foundations of our sport rest on our partnership with the horse, and it is up to all equestrians to uphold and respect this core principle in the pursuit of sport and leisure riding.”

Double Olympic eventing champion turned racehorse trainer Mark said in a statement: “I wholeheartedly apologise to the horse and all involved for my actions in this video clip.

“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results.

“I believe this is one of the main attributes along with a great empathy with animals that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing.

“I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”

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Double Olympic eventing champion Mark Todd has stepped down as patron of World Horse Welfare after a video circulated of him hitting a horse with a tree branch. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) says it is “looking into” the footage.

Last week a rider posted a clip on TikTok under the name chloet.eventing, which is said to have been recorded during a clinic in 2020. She later posted a longer video on Instagram. The footage showed the horse refusing to jump a step down into water and Mark Todd hitting it several times with a branch. He also gave verbal encouragement to the horse, and instructions to the rider.

A longer video shared on YouTube shows the horse twice trotting into the water down a slope and out up a small step, then hesitating before jumping off the small step into the water as Mark gives instruction and waves the branch behind the horse. It then shows the horse jumping off the small step more confidently, before refusing to jump off the larger step.

A spokesman for World Horse Welfare described the treatment of the horse as “disturbing and unacceptable”, and added that to Mark’s “credit” when the video came to his attention, he contacted the charity and voluntarily stepped down from his role as a World Horse Welfare patron.

“There is no place in the horse-human partnership for such use of force. Mark agrees that his behaviour was wrong and we welcome his apology. Mark is a consummate horseman, who cares deeply for horses and their welfare but, in this case, either through losing his patience or acting out of frustration, he has badly let himself down,” said the spokesman.

“We all need to take heed from this episode. If equestrian sport, which we actively support, is to continue to maintain the acceptance of the public – its social licence – there cannot be any tolerance for unacceptable practices, no matter how experienced the rider or trainer.”

Mark, who won six Olympic medals, announced his retirement from eventing for the second time in 2019 and he now focuses on racehorse training. A BHA spokesman said the footage had “rightly caused anger and upset” within the equestrian community and beyond, and the BHA was “looking into the incident”.

“His behaviour, for which he has apologised, fell a long way short of the standards of care we expect of licensed individuals and that we know is provided to the overwhelming majority of horses in training in Britain every day,” he said.

An RSPCA spokesman told H&H the charity was “aware” of the incident but has been given information that suggests it happened in another country (Scotland).

Mike Flynn, Scottish SPCA chief superintendent, told H&H the manner in which the horse was treated is “wholly inappropriate”.

He added: “In Scotland, animal welfare cases are time barred. This means any evidence must be less than six months old at the time it is submitted to the procurator fiscal. This video is older than that and therefore we do not have grounds to take action.”

A British Eventing spokesman said the organisation is “aware” of the footage.

“We are disappointed at the content and would like to stress that we view equine welfare as paramount to everything we do and that we expect our members, along with the wider equestrian community, to uphold the same values,” he said.

British Horse Society director of welfare Gemma Stanford said horse welfare should always be “paramount”.

“Riders at this level have an increased responsibility as they are role models and should also be setting an example for the next generation coming through our sport,” she said. “The behaviour displayed by Mark Todd was completely unacceptable and should be thoroughly investigated.”

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Sir Mark Todd has apologised for his actions in a video circulating on social media in which he hits a horse with a tree branch.

An event rider using the social media name chloet.eventing initially posted an edited clip on Tiktok and has since posted a longer video on Instagram.

The video, said to have been recorded during a training clinic in 2020, shows her horse refusing to jump a step down into water. Mark Todd hits the horse several times with a tree branch as well as verbally encouraging the horse and giving the rider instructions. At the end of the video the horse jumps into the water and the onlookers cheer.

Double Olympic eventing champion turned racehorse trainer Mark said in a statement: “I wholeheartedly apologise to the horse and all involved for my actions in this video clip.

“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results.

“I believe this is one of the main attributes along with a great empathy with animals that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing.

“I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”

chloet.eventing said in her Instagram post she had received “negativity and insults and abuse” since her initial Tiktok post, writing: “Since receiving backlash for the length of time since this clip was taken, for the sake of transparency, this was a clip from a training clinic in 2020.

“Whether I have rightly or wrongly addressed a situation on social media is not relevant to the fact that a top level athlete excessively and repeatedly hit my horse with a tree branch. I personally am not comfortable with how my horse was treated and at the time I was a 21 year old girl who was not brave enough to speak up about my concerns. Now if you are the age I was and would confidently speak up against a famous top level athlete with no reservations without any support then I commend you because you are braver than I am.”

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Top five-star event horse Leonidas II has retired from elite competition aged 17 following a spectacular 12-season career featuring five Badmintons and seventh place at the Olympics.

The 17-year-old Landos son, owned by Diane Brunsden and Peter Cattell, travelled the world under the guidance of Sir Mark Todd and Padraig McCarthy.

Leonidas II was retired following his third and final senior championship completion, at the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, with Padraig (23-26 September).

Diane told H&H they were “absolutely privileged” to be his owners and to share in his journey.

“He has always had the heart of a lion,” said Diane. “He was fast and straight and everything you would look for in an event horse. He seemed to find it all very easy.”

The German-bred gelding started his eventing career with Sidney Dufersne, Mark’s stable jockey at the time, with two top-10 finishes in novice events before Mark took over the reins.

The pair’s results together included victory in the 2014 Grantham Cup, second at Bramham 2013 to Chilli Morning, top-six placings at Badminton in three consecutive years (fourth in 2015 and 2016, fifth in 2017) and sixth at Burghley 2015.

They represented New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing seventh individually, and at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, as well as in numerous Nations Cups.

The horse moved to the Irish rider following Mark’s second retirement from the sport in 2019. The combination’s achievements included winning the CCI4*-L at Barroca d’Alva in March 2020 and forming part of the Irish side at the 2021 Europeans, where they jumped clear across country inside the time.

Diane recalls the horse’s first Badminton in 2014 as a moment that sticks in her memory.

“It was heavy rain, blowing a gale and [hardly anyone] was finishing,” she said. “He jumped into the lake and swam for about 30 seconds. Even after adding swimming to his round and all those time-faults [39.2] he still finished 14th.”

Diane credited both riders for the “amazing job” they did with the horse.

“It was always serious and professional, but they always made it fun,” she said.

In all, Leonidas finished in the top 10 on 27 of his 47 international starts, was crowned Britain’s leading event horse in 2016 and amassed a total of 1,751 points in his remarkable career.

“All that said, he is just the loveliest character. Everyone falls in love with him. We have had numerous offers of people wanting to have him in his retirement as he is such a sweetheart,” Diane said. “He was always the easiest horse for the vets to deal with on the Saturday night after cross-country, they would say ‘he doesn’t look like he has been round’.”

Leonidas will enjoy his senior years with one of Diane and Peter’s other five-star retirees, Major Milestone.

“They can have conversations about Badminton and Burghley over the fence,” she said, adding that she may see if he would enjoy some dressage outings, but ultimately it “will be up to him” how he spends his twilight years. “He is retiring from big competitions, but he’s not retiring from being ridden. I will ride him, hack him out, nothing serious, a relaxed life.”

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Today (18 June), Sir Mark Todd is donning his top hat once again. But this time, it’s not for an eventing dressage test, but instead for an outing to Royal Ascot as the former Olympic champion saddles his first runner at the meeting as a trainer.

Tasman Bay, a three-year-old colt owned by Sir Peter Vela, who was also a supporter of Mark during his eventing career, runs in the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes at 3.05pm.

“It’s a bit hard to believe that I’m having my first Royal Ascot runner, but I’m really looking forward to it,” Mark said in an interview for FEI Global. “I ride Tasman Bay at home – luckily he’s big enough to take me. He’s a beautiful horse, well-balanced, well-mannered and just a joy to ride. He’s got a huge, relentless stride and I’m really looking forward to him having a go.

“I’ll be wearing the same top hat that I wore while I was eventing and it’s the same one I had throughout my career, including riding at the Olympics.”

Tasman Bay has a soft temperament, as Mark explains.

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“I do all of the morning feeds and when I go into his stable, he has to have a cuddle – he puts his head on me.”

Tasman Bay is currently sixth favourite in the eight-runner race, but has been backed into 12/1 from 33/1. The colt has run four times so far, getting off the mark in his second start at Newcastle in March this year, and more recently finished third and second in behind some classy prospects over two furlongs shorter than the trip he will face tomorrow, but he has a chance.

Mark says that he has one ultimate goal as a racehorse trainer.

“I’d like to win a Group One race – I’m not fussy which one,” he said.

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Binge-watching horsey DVDs, hunting and overindulging on Christmas dinner – top riders are no different to the rest of us. Here, Mark Todd shares the details of what he usually gets up to on Christmas Day

“We’re staying at home and the staff who are staying on will probably join us. We’d normally see friends but I don’t think that’ll happen this year; it’ll be a low-key one.

“We try to make doing the yard as easy as possible and not to ride on Christmas Day, though it will depend whether we have any horses running around that time. I like to get the whole family to help on Christmas Day – I’ll be mucking out – then we fill ourselves up with food and feel sick for the rest of the day.

“My favourite Christmases were the ones where we went back home to New Zealand and had the whole extended family together, with my brother and sister and their families. My parents are both gone now, so we won’t have that again in the same way. Christmas is always more fun with little kids around – that’s what makes it special – otherwise it’s just an excuse to eat a lot of food and drink too much!

“Christmas in New Zealand is in the middle of summer, but we always had turkey, Christmas pudding and the whole nine yards, which is a bit ridiculous when it’s hot. None of us are that keen on turkey, but it’s a tradition – I’m not sure if we’ll do something different this year but I’ll leave that to my wife Carolyn. She’s already making the Christmas pudding.”

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“The horse I’m most excited about for 2021 is a two-year-old called Tasman Bay, by Le Havre out of a Galileo mare. He’s run once and finished sixth on a very heavy track at Newbury. He won’t run again until the spring as he’s a big, backwards horse, but I think he could be quite smart.

“We also have a little filly called Rose Fandango, by Exceed And Excel, who ran third on her second start and could be worth watching.”

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The wonderful horse Charisma – Mark Todd’s back-to-back Olympic champion – needs no introduction. He won individual Olympic gold eventing medals in 1984 and 1988, among countless other successes. Standing at around 15.2hh, Mark admits he initially disregarded the horse due to his lack of height.

“I first came across Charisma as a two-year-old in a field when I was working on a farm in New Zealand,” says Mark, while being interviewed by H&H’s eventing editor Pippa Roome for episode 21 of the Horse & Hound podcast. “I remember thinking, ‘oh, that’s a cute little horse, it’s a shame he’ll never be big enough.’

“The next time I came across him was while I was training our local Pony Club at the championships and he was there representing another area and he would have won if his rider hadn’t made a mistake in the showjumping.

“Then a while later, I was returning from the UK and I got a phone call asking if I wanted to have a ride on this horse called Charisma, as he hadn’t been doing anything for a while apart from dressage. I drove two hours to go and see him and there was this little, fat, hairy (as it was winter) pony, and I very nearly got back in the car saying ‘I can’t ride that’.

“But I thought I’d driven all that way, so I might as well have a sit on him, and as soon as I did, he didn’t feel like a little horse — he felt amazing. So I agreed to ride him.”

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Mark explains, given his tall stature and Charisma’s lack of size, how he had to alter his riding to allow for the difference.

“I had to ride him shorter than I normally would, as he had a habit of skimming over his fences a little bit, and if I didn’t ride short, my feet would hit the the fence and I’d be shot out of the saddle a bit.”

To hear more of Mark’s exclusive interview, listen to episode 21 of The Horse & Hound podcast or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favourite podcast app.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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This “feisty, fiery” yet diminutive horse won consecutive Olympic golds under New Zealand’s Mark Todd. Catherine Austen finds out more about the headstrong eventer with “limitless stamina”

Legendary event horse Charisma

Died age 30yo,

Breeding: dark bay New Zealand Sport Horse gelding

Owner/rider: Mark Todd

Breeder: Daphne and Peter Williams

Charisma was born in 1972, out of jumping and polo mare Planet – who was 1/16th Percheron – by the thoroughbred Tira Mink. Planet hunted before becoming a grade A showjumper, and was the first mare in New Zealand to jump her own height.

“When I look back, I just think about how cool Charisma was – and how lucky I was to have him,” says Mark Todd. “He was so easy to do anything with, and so kind. But as a competitor, he was feisty, fiery, and exceptionally tough and brave.”

Charisma’s enduring fame pivots around those back-to-back individual Olympic gold medals at Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988, and the extraordinary partnership between the 6ft 2in rider and the 15.3hh horse. Anyone who took an interest in eventing during the 1980s will be able to recall Mark’s tall, lean upper body crouching low over Charisma’s compact form, the rider’s head almost further forward than the horse’s pricked ears.

“He had limitless stamina; he never felt tired underneath me,” remembers Mark. “He was very fast, and never questioned anything I pointed him at.”

Marks feels that being gelded late – not until the 15/16ths thoroughbred, with a dash of Percheron, was four, by which time he had sired four foals – gave him “that bit of cocky arrogance” that helped him become one of the greatest event horses in history.

A string of wins

Charisma had evented to intermediate level, was a Grade B showjumper and competed at prix st georges in dressage by the time Mark got the ride on him in May 1983. They quickly put together a string of wins in New Zealand, including, in December that year, an official Olympic trial at Taupo.

Mark and Charisma won easily, and in February 1984 they moved to England. No longer was Mark a part-time dairy farmer; he was a professional event rider with an Olympics in his sights. Finishing second at Badminton meant that a ticket to LA was theirs, and Mark began to prepare Charisma for the huge test ahead.

“We did have a few arguments – both of us would come out of the arena with steam coming out of our ears and there was never a winner. Well, if there was, it certainly wasn’t me!” says Mark.

“For a little horse he was incredibly strong. I remember a racehorse trainer friend of mine coming over here and I said he could ride Charisma up the gallops. He couldn’t believe how strong he was. He would put his head on his chest and you could pull as hard as you like against him, it didn’t make any difference. And he was permanently on a diet – he was nicknamed Podge for a reason.”

The twisting cross-country track on the golf course at the Fairbanks Ranch at Del Mar, site of the LA Olympics, suited Charisma: “He was so nippy; quick into his fences and away from them,” says Mark.

It was after watching the horse whizz round the steeplechase 20 seconds under the time there that trainer Pat Daley said, “If he can run like that, he ought to go round Cheltenham” – although that drop of Percheron blood would have prohibited event horse Charisma running under Rules, Mark wishes he had run him in a point-to-point in those days.

They finished inside the time around the 13-minute cross-country track, and went into showjumping two marks behind the leaders, Karen Stives and Ben Arthur.

Jenny MacArthur, equestrian correspondent for The Times for many years, says: “The disadvantage of Charisma’s economical jumping style was his tendency to roll the odd pole in the showjumping phase – which was to prove expensive over the years. At Badminton in 1985 he was relegated to runner-up for the second successive year after an error at the last fence. At Stockholm in June 1987 and Burghley in September that year Todd and Charisma had led from the start of the competition only to lose the lead in the showjumping. His record of four-star wins would have been unparalleled had it not been for these odd mistakes.

“Even so, on the two occasions when it mattered most he rose to the occasion to book his place among equine legends.”

Despite giving a couple of showjumps a good rattle in that vast, packed Los Angeles arena, the pair jumped clear. Karen wasn’t so lucky and a fence came down, giving the New Zealand pair the gold medal.

Taking the mickey

“The best performance of Charisma’s career was when he won his second gold medal in Seoul,” says Mark. “He was 16 then – not many 16-year-olds were eventing at that time. The long format [with roads and tracks and steeplechase] used to find them out. But he was incredibly sound – I don’t remember him taking a lame step.

“Towards the end of his career he really only used to perform at his best when he had a crowd, otherwise he’d take the mickey out of you; play up in the dressage, run away across country, skittle the showjumps.”

The eventing facilities in Seoul were on Kwa’Chon racecourse, but barriers meant that when galloping the horses in the build-up to the event, riders could only get three-quarters of the way round the track before having to pull up and go back the other way.

“One way the barrier was a line of Portaloos, and Charisma was so strong that I virtually ran straight into this line of Portaloos because I couldn’t pull him up,” says Mark with a laugh.

“Everything just sort of felt right for Seoul. I had this real feeling of déjà vu,” he adds. “He did the best dressage test of his career; I remember the Horse & Hound reporter Pegotty Henriques writing that his test was more technically correct than Nicole Uphoff and Rembrandt’s gold medal-winning grand prix test, which made me feel quite good!”

Jenny MacArthur says: “The cross-country course the next day was characterised by hilly terrain – and some fairly improbable looking ‘quick routes’. None of the British riders finished inside the time. Charisma and Mark made the tricky course look like a Pony Club event, finishing on their dressage score.”

“He was amazing across country,” says Mark. “I think he had the fastest time and the best recovery rate; he had incredible heart and lung capacity, especially considering when he flew over from New Zealand to England he got a nasal infection which basically disintegrated his sinuses, and he always had a bit of discharge coming out of his nose after that.”

They ended cross-country day with two showjumps in hand over Ginny Elliot (Master Craftsman) and Ian Stark (Sir Wattie).

Jenny says: “The next day Charisma came out looking more like a six-year-old than a 16-year-old and completed a nerve-racking showjumping round [with one fence down] to secure the gold. Mark, who had been criticised in some quarters for wanting to take an old horse to the Olympics, described it as ‘the sweetest victory of all.’”

They were the second pair in Olympic history to defend their title. “A Dutchman, Charles Pahud du Mortagnes, did it on Marcoix in 1928 and 1932,” says Mark. “I had a lovely message from his widow congratulating me.”

A nationwide victory tour

The plan had always been for the event horse called Charisma to retire after Seoul, and Charisma flew back to New Zealand where he and his groom Helen Gilbert went on a nationwide victory tour, sponsored by Wrightsons general stores, lasting six months.

“He loved people,” says Mark. “On that tour he met disabled kids, old people, and was always so kind and gentle and almost compassionate with them.”

An early plan for him to spend his retirement in the hunting field was quickly abandoned – “he was lethal,” says Mark – and, adding once again to his remarkable collection of air miles, Podge flew back to England to retire with Mark and his wife Carolyn. When they moved back to New Zealand in 2000 for Mark’s seven-year retirement from eventing, he went too.

“He stayed on our farm, and had to be put down aged 30 – we found him in the field one day very lame, and somehow he’d broken his shoulder. It was very sad,” says Mark. “Two weeks earlier, he’d done a little demo at a charity event with me – we’d done some tempi changes, jumped a little jump and so on, aged 30.”

The great event horse is buried there and his grave still attracts visitors who wish to pay their respects to a true sporting hero.

Ginny Elliot on the small but brilliant event horse, Charisma

“I happened to be in New Zealand – I was invited to compete at an event out there – when Charisma arrived at Mark’s. He said, ‘Come and look at my new horse,’ and when I did, I thought, ‘Blimey, Mark’s going to need rollerskates!’ I said, ‘You can’t be serious, he’s tiny…’

“Mark told me to wait until I saw Charisma move, and he was such a big mover that he looked much bigger than he actually was. I thought that I would watch with interest – and they clicked straight away.

“He was a very nice-looking horse; he had substance but huge quality. Perhaps it was that thing of his small size versus his big heart that made their relationship so special. And I think they had a wonderful respect and admiration for each other – they were genuinely fond of each other.”

Kate Green on how it felt to ride Charisma

Kate Green, deputy editor of Country Life and former editor of Eventing magazine, went to New Zealand in the autumn of 2001 to do a training series for Horse & Hound with Mark Todd.

She says: “It was emotional enough seeing Charisma in a paddock – the horse had been retired for about 13 years but, wherever Mark was based in the world, he always flew Podge to be with him. The horse would wander around behind him like a dog – there was an invisible golden thread between them that went far beyond competitor and top horse and was deeply touching to see.

“I couldn’t believe it when Mark asked me if I’d like to ride him, but he said he loved seeing people on him. In retrospect, the potential for looking an idiot was immense – and, at 5ft 2in, I could barely reach the stirrups even when the leathers were looped over for me, and felt as if I might be bucked off at any minute – but the sensation of power underneath me was extraordinary for an old horse.

“One tiny squeeze and he floated into the trot that had H&H dressage reporter Pegotty Henriques in raptures at the Seoul Olympics and made a very amateur jockey feel like Isabell Werth. And for a few weeks I could say that the last horse I rode was Charisma…”

Event horse Charisma in numbers

2 individual Olympic gold medals

15.3hh – his height

4 foals sired

16 – his age when winning his second gold

2 runner-up spots at Badminton

30 – the age at which he died

Ref Horse & Hound; 22 October 2020

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In our 21st weekly episode of the first series of The Horse & Hound Podcast, H&H’s podcast host Pippa Roome chats to equestrian legend Mark Todd about his brilliant equine partner Charisma. Moving on to the week’s top news stories, our news editor Eleanor Jones and news writer Becky Murray join Pippa to discuss who might win week's Pau five-star horse trials, dope testing in showing and why questions have been raised about the FEI Tribunal process. We also catch up with vet Helen Van Tuyll, who talks about horses that have skin reactions on their legs and belly after hunting. We hope you will find it useful.

Episode 21 of The Horse & Hound Podcast, our exciting new audio service available exclusively every Thursday morning for our H&H Plus subscribers, is now live.

Each episode is available for all H&H fans to listen to 24hrs after its early release to our H&H Plus members. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your prefered podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode. This will allow more listeners to make The Horse & Hound Podcast an essential part of their week on Friday morning.

• View all episodes of The Horse & Hound Podcast

In episode 21, top legendary Kiwi Mark Todd talks to podcast host and H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome about his diminutive equine partner Charisma, the winner of two Olympic gold medals and the horse he credits for putting him on the map.

Pippa is joined by our news editor Eleanor Jones and news writer Becky Murray to discuss some of the week’s key stories including who they are backing to win Pau five-star, discussions that are taking place around dope testing in showing and why questions have been raised about the FEI Tribunal process.

In this week’s advice section we catch up with equine vet and hunting enthusiast Helen Van Tuyll, who talks about horses that have uncomfortable skin reactions on their legs and belly after hunting. Helen explains how to avoid this problem from happening and how to treat it if it occurs.

We hope you will enjoy our latest episode and would love to hear your feedback, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com.

H&H Plus podcast: episode 21

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Eventing legends Pippa Funnell, Mark Todd, Oliver Townend and dressage superstar Carl Hester are among top names set to help celebrate the “very best of Burghley”.

Land Rover Burghley’s online event will take place on 4-6 September, the weekend the horse trials should have run, with organisers “determined” to mark the 2020 date. Friday will be a “sumptuous” day of retail therapy and Saturday the website will play a “huge” range of Burghley archive material. On Sunday fans can enjoy an “all-star” cast schedule including demos and interviews, and the “ultimate Burghley champion”, the top rider with the most votes cast by fans on Facebook and Instagram until 24 August, will be revealed.

The full Sunday programme includes:

Strictly Dressage with “maestro” Carl Hester and international dressage judge Nick Burton

Mark Todd gives an insight into his new racing career

Pippa Funnell welcomes fans to the Billy Stud

Oliver Townend reveals how he dealt with lockdown and gives an insight into adapting to the “new normal”

“Our host Clare Balding discusses the “road to Tokyo” with Dickie Waygood and Henry Bullen, we hear from the Burghley young event horse winners and Clare meets the new course designer Derek di Grazia and bids farewell to Captain Mark Phillips as they talk cross-country,” said a spokesman for the event.

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“Throughout the programme we will be counting down to the ultimate Burghley champion and taking you on a Burghley odyssey, reflecting on some of the most memorable moments of the event’s past.”

Event director Elizabeth Inman said the event’s loyal visitors and followers were insistent that their Burghley weekend would not go unmarked.

“Without the support of so many within the sport we could not have put together this super weekend of celebration,” she said. “This year we ask our visitors to enjoy their Burghley Food Walk picnic at home while watching this fantastic programme of all things Burghley.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

World Horse Welfare is giving equestrians the chance to win a “dream” ride with Zara Tindall, Pippa Funnell, Mark Todd or Alex Hua Tian.

The charity has launched its summer fundraising prize draw allowing supporters the chance to win the “ride of their life” with one of these Olympic eventers. For non-riders the “money can’t buy” prizes include a “racing spectacular” for two at Newmarket, breakfast with the stars at Epsom, or an original pen and ink drawing of the charity’s famous foal, Captain Tom.

“Many riders hold the ambition to meet one of these eventing superstars and have the opportunity to chat to them about their careers and horses, but add into that the opportunity to hack alongside them and it is a real dream come true,” said a World Horse Welfare spokesman.

“The prizes have generously been donated by the eventers and others, who are patrons and friends of World Horse Welfare, in support of the charity’s work improving the lives of horses and stamping out suffering worldwide.”

The rides will take place, once lockdown restrictions allow, with Zara in Gloucestershire, Pippa in Surrey, at Mark’s yard in Wiltshire, or Alex’s base in Cheshire. The winners will have to provide their own horse for the ride and will be responsible for all costs associated with attending.

Pippa Funnell said she and her team love hacking their horses.

“It’s a fantastic way to allow them to chill out and it’s an important part of their ongoing management. With a spotlight currently on the mental well-being of horses, this was an obvious moment for us to offer this opportunity to a supporter of World Horse Welfare – a charity very close to my heart – where the welfare of horses is always the primary concern,” she said.

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“I’m really looking forward to meeting the winner and their horse, and finding out about their horsey experiences and ambitions. The views from the top of Holmbury Hill where we will be hacking to are staggeringly beautiful. Let’s just hope for decent weather!”

Tickets cost £5 and proceeds go towards helping fund the work of the charity, whose centres have been shut since March due to Covid-19.

Buy your tickets

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Double Olympic gold medal-winning eventer Sir Mark Todd has trained his first UK winner on the track.

Four-year-old Petit Bay, owned by Bobby Allan, got the four-time Badminton winner off the mark with a win under jockey Jack Mitchell in the Leicester Racecourse Supporting Frontline Workers handicap on Tuesday (30 June).

Mark trained Flat horses in New Zealand with success between his first retirement from eventing after the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and his comeback ahead of the 2008 Games.

His success on the track included winning the New Zealand Oaks with Bramble Rose in 2003 and the Wellington Cup with Willy Smith in 2007.

Mark also made a return to racing, which he embarked on alongside his second eventing career, to train Group One contender Eminent last year.

Mark, who was at Leicester to watch the filly score her debut racing win, told H&H he was very pleased with her.

“She’s a little mare who came to me last year,” he said. “She had three runs [in 2019] just basically educational runs and was a little bit backwards. The owners have stuck with her and she has come out this year much stronger. She had her first run a week ago and was unlucky not to win that.

“I was a bit worried about the standing start as one of the reasons she came to me is she is a bit tricky, although she is very good in the stalls.”

All the races at Leicester on Tuesday were started with a “flip start” — where the starter uses a flag to signal the start of the race — as opposed to stalls usually used in Flat racing. This was owing to a no-show by all bar four stall handlers, as a result of the localised lockdown.

Mark added that Petit Bay is a filly who “like to take her time at the back and just wind into the race”, but showed her speed in the closing stages.

“We have been in our own little bubble luckily during lockdown on the farm, the staff have been here and we were able to keep going and the owners kept the horses in training, which was great,” he said, adding he is “very grateful” to be able to get racing again now.

“We had another runner who was second this week [Tippler, under Shane Kelly at Lingfield on 26 June] so we are hopefully starting to find some form, which is good!”

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Mark announced his second retirement from eventing next to his winning teammates on the podium of the Irish leg of the FEI Nations Cup series at Camphire (28 July 2019).

The seven-time Olympian officially retired at Burghley — an event he has won five times – in September 2019.

“Now I’m heading back into the racing world as I did 19 years ago when I last retired, here at Burghley, and the kids and Carolyn were much younger then!” he said in his emotional retirement speech.

“We left on that Monday morning with 20 suitcases and headed back to New Zealand, before I rode in the Sydney Olympics, which was to be my last ever event.

“Eight years later, I came back and it has been a wonderful 11 years.”

We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.

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We’ve dug into the archives to remember one of Mark Todd’s hairier Badminton cross-country rounds...

Where was it?

Badminton Horse Trials, Gloucestershire, 1995

What happened?

The then 39-year-old New Zealander was flying around the Badminton cross-country track with the 16.3hh gelding Bertie Blunt, when his left stirrup broke.

“Our cross-country round was pleasantly incident free until, landing in the dewpond near the Luckington Lane, I felt my left leg slip down sharply. The stirrup leather had broken,” Mark wrote in his autobiography So Far, So Good.

“My first thought was ‘Oh God, what is Trevor [Banks, who had been involved with buying the horse] going to say now?’ Instantly I realised that I couldn’t give up and would have to keep going somehow, despite the fact I was only a third of the way round with some of the hardest fences to come.

Badminton final scores

“The immediate problem was the Vicarage Vee, before I remembered with dread the horrendous coffin, with its short, awkward distances, but we got through that too. It took a few minutes to work out a method – I didn’t want to be banging around on the horse’s back — and eventually I found a reasonable level of comfort by hitching my left leg right up to the pommel of the saddle for the galloping stretches and dropping it to put my leg on over the fences. The jumping was almost the least of my worries; the galloping was excruciating.

“As we lurched toward the Lake, the situation was so surreal that I was laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of galloping down to one of the world’s most difficult fences with only one stirrup.”

Through sheer grit — and his outstanding horsemanship — Mark was able to complete the course. The next morning however, Bertie had some bruising to his foot and had to be withdrawn from the final horse inspection.

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But after the drama of that year’s competition, the pair’s victory the following spring in 1996 was even sweeter.

Mark Todd’s Badminton Horse Trials winning record

2011 on NZB Bloodstock’s NZB Land Vision

1996 on Robert Howell Construction’s Bertie Blunt

1994 on Horton Point Syndicate’s Horton Point

1980 on Southern Comfort III

We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Many great horses helped make Sir Mark Todd’s eventing career such an illustrious one, but everyone can only ever have one first Badminton winner. Sir Mark talks about Southern Comfort, with whom he won his first Badminton in 1980…

“Southern Comfort was owned by Shirley Woods — a well-known equestrian personality in New Zealand — and had done quite a bit when I bought him around Christmas time in 1979,” Sir Mark recalls.

“He was a Grade B showjumper, and Shirley had evented him and hunted him. I remember being struck by the fact that, when she rode him in either the New Zealand Three-Day Event or the national one-day event championships, I can’t remember which, she didn’t have her jumping saddle with her for some reason and she did the whole thing, cross-country and all, in her dressage saddle!”

Sir Mark describes him as a “lovely big horse — a good 16.2hh.” He was a New Zealand station horse, which means that he was bred on one of the big sheep stations.

“He was a great horse to deal with — always very genuine and nice to do,” says Sir Mark. “I do remember going cross-country on one of our earliest outings and giving him a whack with the stick. He put his head down and started bucking, so I never did that again!”

Badminton final scores

The plan was to go to Badminton in the spring of 1980.

“In those days, you did a couple of events and went straight to Badminton!” laughs Sir Mark.

They arrived in Britain in March 1980, six weeks before Badminton and did three national advanced classes, which went well.

“I was 23 at that first Badminton and just incredibly excited to be there,” says Sir Mark. “It had this mystical aura about it. I’d read books about it as a child, and it was my dream to get there.”

That Badminton was just the fifth three-day event of Sir Mark’s career.

“We did a very moderate dressage and were about midfield after that phase,” he says. “Sally O’Connor, who had helped the New Zealand team at the World Championships in Lexington in 1978, was over in the UK and she walked the course with me. By the time I was ready to go, there had only been about two cross-country clears or something — it had caused carnage. But I didn’t have a clue about that and I said to Sally, while I was puffing on a cigarette in the 10-minute box, ‘How’s it going?’ She said everything was fine, so I went out there believing everything was fine and that I just had to get round.

“I had one near-miss at the Footbridge; the horse landed on the lip of the ditch and went down on his knees and skidded along, but stayed straight, picked himself up and we carried on.”

Sir Mark and Southern Comfort were one of only three clear rounds inside the time, and finished Saturday night in third place behind Helen Butler on Merganser and Lucinda Green on Killaire.

He says: “He was a very careful horse and I’d done a lot of showjumping as well, so that phase didn’t worry me. Everyone expected Lucinda to win yet another one as Merganser wasn’t a very good showjumper, and he had four fences down, but Killaire put a foot in water, so that left me the winner.”

Sir Mark went into the press tent to ring his parents — it was about 4am in New Zealand.

“All I could say was, ‘we’ve won! They couldn’t believe it either,” he says.

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That victory was the catalyst for Sir Mark moving to England and making eventing his career.

“In those days it wasn’t really a profession — only Lucinda was a professional rider, and I thought I was having a bit of fun before I had to go home and get a proper job. Of course, all that changed,” he says.

He sold Southern Comfort to the US rider Torrance Watkins, who rode him at the 1982 World Championships, and he was leading US Horse of the Year with her.

Read Horse & Hound’s new series, Legends of our Sport, which features Mark Todd in the current issue of the magazine, out now (dated 23 April)

We continue to publish Horse & Hound magazine weekly during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping horseandhound.co.uk up to date with all the breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions (six issues for £6) and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Mark Todd was already an all-time great when he retired for the first time, in 2000. But when his comeback yielded yet another Badminton winner and further Olympic tilts, he cemented his supremacy, says Catherine Austen

When the FEI awarded Mark Todd the title of Rider of the Century in 2000, it seemed a beautifully apt way to round off a lengthy, glittering career. He retired back to his native New Zealand and it seemed as though the eventing phase of his life was finished.

Not even his most ardent fans could have predicted that, 11 years later, he would pull off possibly his greatest achievement – a fourth Badminton victory 31 years after his first. That win, on NZB Land Vision, encapsulated everything that makes Sir Mark – knighted in 2013 – a truly great sportsman.

It underscored the fact that he had lost none of his courage, ability, “feel” and fitness at the age of 55 – plenty of his fellow competitors weren’t even born when he first lifted that iconic trophy. But, even more meaningfully, it demonstrated that he could adapt and raise his game to meet the demands of a sport that had changed considerably in his absence. His competitive edge was once more honed to razor-sharpness.

“It was undoubtedly one of my most special moments,” says Mark. “When Blyth Tait said he was going to make his comeback, I told him not to do it. If I had known how difficult it was going to be, I probably wouldn’t have done it. A lot of people said that eventing had changed, I wouldn’t be able to do it… that made me even more determined. That win made it all worthwhile.”

Significant turning points

To relate all Mark’s achievements would take considerably more than one article – he has, after all, published two full autobiographies. There have been scores of horses, all of whom have contributed something to the story. There are, however, a handful who stand out because they illustrate the most significant turning points in this multi-chaptered career.

His mount for that 2011 Badminton was NZB Land Vision, a 10-year-old he had bought from Oliver Townend.

“He was a very talented and genuine horse ,” says Mark, who took Blenheim’s eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S on him in 2010.

“I was pretty confident he would go well at Badminton. He did a very nice test, and was giving me a good ride across country. But a lot of horses finished very tired that year, and as we came away from the Lake, he didn’t feel as full of running as he should have done. Going towards the Quarry, the thought went through my mind, ‘Should I pull up?’”

Mark’s long, angular frame is unmistakable across country, and he had to use all his skill and balance to help the flagging grey through the Quarry. But the downhill run from there put some petrol back in the tank, and the pair galloped over the finish line with only a handful of time-faults.

Land Vision bounced his way through the final trot-up, and showjumped clear to win, to the delight of everyone in the sport.

Mark says: “I remember Lucinda Green, who has been a great mate for a long time, standing in the chute out of the main arena, and she caught my eye. I just took my hands off my reins and shrugged as if to say, ‘How the hell did that happen?’”

Comeback king

The NZB in Land Vision’s name stands for Sir Peter Vela and his brother Philip’s New Zealand Bloodstock. Sir Peter had backed Mark when, in the winter of 2007, a comeback to ride at the 2008 Olympics had first been suggested, and had extended that support afterwards.

“Peter didn’t come to many competitions, but he was there for Badminton,” remembers Mark. “I don’t think he realised the enormity of it. He’s had big racing winners all round the world, and he said he had more texts congratulating him than when he had won any major race.”

That comeback had started as a joke, and then turned into a personal challenge – but Mark hadn’t anticipated it mutating into a second career.

He says, wryly: “The funny thing is that I was very happy with my life in New Zealand. I hadn’t really followed eventing much during my retirement. Tinks Pottinger [on the bronze medal-winning team with Mark at the 1988 Olympics] and Erik Duvander were visiting South Island to teach and stayed with us. One night after a few drinks they mooted the idea of me trying to find a horse for the Olympics the following year.

“I said, ‘You find me the horse and I’ll think about it.’ I thought nothing more of it until I got a call around Christmas from Mary Hamilton, who had been on our 1978 World Championships team in Kentucky – she was now one of the selectors – saying she heard I was looking for a horse for the Olympics. I said no, I wasn’t, and she said, ‘I think I’ve found one.’”

That was Gandalf, a grey 10-year-old who had won at CCI4*-S level with New Zealand rider Angela Lloyd.

“That started me thinking, ‘Perhaps I could have a go,’” says Mark.

Mark had trained racehorses for Sir Peter, and he could visualise the link – the equestrian part of the Olympics was going to take place in Hong Kong where New Zealand Bloodstock had a lot of business, the event would be on the racecourse…

“I rang Peter and put the proposition to him. He said he’d arrived at the races and was about to open his first bottle of champagne… give him time to think about it. He rang me back five minutes later and said, ‘Yes, we’ll do it.’ I didn’t have an excuse after that!”

Of course, Mark had to start his qualifications to ride at the Olympics from scratch and achieve them in a very short time-frame.

“If at any stage we had missed a qualification, or the horse had got as much as a stone bruise and missed a run, the whole plan would have gone out of the window,” he explains.

However, every milestone was met and every box ticked. Mark was selected for the New Zealand team and he and Gandalf flew to Hong Kong.

“I’d been away from the sport for eight years. I’d done half a dozen events to qualify. Then the New Zealand team draws the number one spot and I was number one to go in the team,” he laughs. “I have to say, I did feel a bit daunted heading out on the cross-country.”

The New Zealand team ended up in fifth place, and Mark jumped a double clear, finishing as New Zealand’s second-highest placed rider.

“The Velas had had a great time at the Olympics, and Peter said to me, ‘If you want to do this, why don’t we buy some more horses and do it properly, and aim for London 2012?’ So it was all his fault!”

The story of Charisma

Mark’s talent for spotting potential, and of coaxing it out of unlikely sources, is perfectly illustrated by the story of Charisma, the “fat pony” who won him two individual Olympic golds.

“Charisma was the kindest, friendliest horse,” says Mark. “Yet to ride, he had a really strong will. He and I would have an argument in the school and both of us would come out of the arena with steam coming out of our ears.

“For a little horse [15.3hh] he was incredibly strong. He would put his head on his chest and run.

“He loved people. When he retired, he went on this tour of New Zealand with my head girl Helen Gilbert and he met disabled kids, old people, and was always so gentle with them. But you wouldn’t put a novice rider on him to do anything more than a walk or trot.”

Charisma, mostly full thoroughbred with a dash of Percheron, finished second at Badminton twice, won Saumur, Luhmühlen and the British Open Championships as well as those gold medals in Los Angeles and Seoul. It was the latter, aged 16, which Mark thinks was the performance of his career.

“He was an incredibly tough, sound horse,” says Mark. “He was permanently on a diet – he was nicknamed Podge for a reason, and could live on the smell of an oily rag.

“In Seoul, I had this feeling of déjà vu. Everything just felt right. He probably did the best test of his career; the H&H reporter Pegotty Henriques wrote that Charisma’s test was more technically correct than that of the winner of the grand prix dressage, Nicole Uphoff and Rembrandt, which made me feel quite good.

“The sad thing is that when you look at it now, the test was so basic. Medium trot on a 20m circle, which we used to call the ‘wall of death’, a bit of half-pass, extended trot and counter canter. God forbid you did a change!”

Mark and Charisma shared the lead after dressage with an Italian rider, who arguably benefited from some partisan judging from one of his countrymen, but by the final day they had a comfortable margin of three showjumps in hand.

“I think he had the fastest time and the quickest recovery rate across country; he was an incredible athlete with amazing heart and lung capacity – I’m sure he could have won a 3½-mile steeplechase,” says Mark.

One showjump down handed them their second individual Olympic title.

“I was the second person in history to do that on same horse,” says Mark. “The first was a Dutchman, Charles Pahud du Mortanges on Marcoix in 1928 and 1932, and I had lovely message from his widow congratulating me. I can’t say I sent Michi Jung a lovely message when he did it in 2012 and 2016 – perhaps I should have done…”

Charisma lived until the age of 30, when he sadly broke a shoulder in the field on Mark and Carolyn’s farm in New Zealand in 2003.

“Two weeks earlier I’d done a demo on him at a charity polo event for Kenny Brown, who’d lent me my first pony and who had been paralysed in an accident. I’d done some tempi changes and jumped a little jump on him,” Mark says.

“He’s buried on the farm. We got this really cool headstone, which the people who now own the property keep really nice, and they say that people still come to visit his grave.”

Brilliance as a rider

Mark won Burghley five times – on Wilton Fair in 1987, Face The Music in 1990, Welton Greylag in 1991, Broadcast News in 1997 and Diamond Hall Red in 1999 – and Badminton four times, starting with Southern Comfort in 1980 and concluding with NZB Land Vision’s 2011 triumph.

In between came the two Badmintons that perhaps sum up both his brilliance as a rider and the extraordinary nature of eventing as a sport.

In 1994 he took the catch ride on Horton Point, whom he had never ridden before the week of Badminton, and whose fairytale victory, aged 16, meant so much, emotionally and financially, to his owners Ros and Lynne Bevan.

And in 1996 he took it again, this time on the former Nicky Henderson-trained racehorse and chronic head-shaker Bertie Blunt.

“That was justice all round, certainly for the horse, who was exceptional,” says Mark.

The pair had had “a lot of near-misses”, first at Burghley in 1994 when, having jumped clear inside time across country, they were belatedly eliminated for missing a flag on the roads and tracks.

“Allegedly – if I had, it maybe saved me all of 10yd,” insists Mark. “I was furious. I know the rules are the rules, but I never should have been allowed to start the cross-country.”

Then, the following spring, Mark’s stirrup leather famously snapped at Badminton, just before the Vicarage Vee. They continued, Mark hitching his leg up almost on to the pommel between fences, and finished clear inside the time to go into second.

Mark relates: “That evening he was lame behind. Everyone thought it was his back, that I’d been thumping around and he’d pulled a muscle. A week later this huge abscess burst out of his foot. If they’d found it in time, we could have got it drained and treated and he might have won Badminton that year.

“There I was, with this amazing horse who could have possibly won two major three-day events and I hadn’t finished either one.”

Mark was desperate to right that at Badminton in 1996 – and did so. “No horse deserved it more – he was so genuine,” says Mark.

A new venture

Just a handful of riders have competed in more than one discipline at the Olympics, and even fewer in more than one at the same Games. Mark showjumped as well as evented at both the 1988 Seoul Olympics – on Bago and Charisma – and that whetted his appetite for another go four years later in Barcelona.

“Double Take was a station-bred horse from New Zealand and half trotter,” says Mark. “I had incredible fun with him, and won a lot on the county show circuit. I’d time it to rock up for the grand prix, he’d go and win it and I’d take off again. The showjumpers used to get really pissed off with me!”

Double Take won Mark a World Cup qualifier in Helsinki, finished second in the British grand prix at Hickstead to Milton and jumped in the massive grand prix at Spruce Meadows. Even Mark admits that Olympic showjumping tracks are “huge”, and Double Take’s form had dropped a little at just the wrong time before Barcelona.

“Bago had made the final in Seoul, but Double Take didn’t unfortunately, and after that I decided I couldn’t really concentrate on both disciplines,” he says.

In 2019 Mark retired from eventing for the second and, he says, final time. He and his wife Carolyn have set up a new venture training Flat horses from their yard near Marlborough.

He admits: “The thing with me is that I actually love riding and I love competing. That’s where I get the real buzz. It’s great training a winner of a good race, but you do all the hard work and then you stick some one else on [for the race] and they get all the fun! But I’m ready to get over that now…”

It may be on two feet, rather than in the saddle, that Mark’s equestrian career continues, but it’s certainly a story that isn’t finished yet.

Blyth Tait on Mark…

“What was impressive to his fellow competitors was that he had a lot of success with horses that didn’t match his own talent,” says Blyth, who was on numerous New Zealand teams with Mark, including those which won gold at the 1990 and 1998 World Equestrian Games. “He made whatever he had successful; often we’d say we weren’t fans of a particular horse, and that would make him more determined to get the best out of it.

“Success never went to his head. He is comfortable with people from all walks of life – he was always just one of the gang, and stayed exactly the person he was before he was successful.”

Ginny Elliot on Mark…

“He’s always been a very positive person,” says Ginny. “I don’t think he looks ahead and thinks, ‘Oh, what if…’; he thinks, ‘It will be fine,’ and it always is!

“I was with him when Charisma arrived. I thought, ‘He’s jolly sweet, but you’re going to need rollerskates to ride him.’ But, typically, Mark thought, ‘Why not?’, and there you go, he became a double Olympic champion.

“He’s very modest, but confident with it, without ever being arrogant. He’s a strong character, but is also very kind and thoughtful.

“His wife Carolyn is a wonderful supporter and team player. She also has that attitude of ‘it’ll be all right on the night’, and they are a great combination.”

A Classic winner

During his first “retirement” from eventing, Mark trained in New Zealand and, in just his second season, achieved the Holy Grail – a Classic winner.

He bought Bramble Rose as a yearling at Karaka Sale in 2001. “There was something about her – she marched up and down with her ears pricked,” says Mark.

She won on her second start at three, and earned her place in the New Zealand Oaks.

“The jockey who had been riding her all along smashed his foot against the stalls in an earlier race, so I had to find a last-minute replacement and we ended up with Opie Bosson, a very good jockey who had been out for a while and had just started riding again,” he says. “He gave her a beautiful ride and we won. It was very cool.”

Mark took her to Australia, where she finished second in another Group One, and she was one of the favourites for the Australian Oaks. A shoeing issue upset her foot balance and although she finished third, she broke down.

“But she won half a million in stakes, having cost about $32,000, and we sold her very well as a broodmare. She was a very good buy.”

Sir Peter Vela on Mark

“My lasting memory of when NZB Land Vision won Badminton is, when sitting round the lorry chatting afterwards, the number of other competitors who came up and who were genuinely delighted for Mark – I’ve never seen that in any other sport, and I thought it was remarkable,” says Sir Peter.

“He has a skill and affinity with and understanding of the horse that I’ve never seen in anybody else. He’s gifted. I have no doubt that he will be outstanding at training racehorses again. He’s a genius – what more can I say?”

Mark’s career in numbers

4 Badminton wins

5 Burghley wins

2 individual Olympic golds

2 team world golds

6 Olympic medals overall

7 Olympic appearances

28 years: the gap between first and last Olympic medals

Ref Horse & Hound; 23 April 2020

Mark Todd may not be riding at this year’s Badminton (6-10 May), following his retirement from eventing last year, but the four-time winner will be coaching Canadian rider Selena O’Hanlon at the event this May.

Selena has been based with the legendary New Zealand rider for her previous Badminton starts and he will be helping her this year although she won’t be keeping her mount Foxwood High (“Woody”) at his yard because there isn’t space with his new racing venture.

“Mark has agreed to coach me and hold my hand through Badminton and he’s putting his thinking cap on for where Woody can stay. I hope he can find me somewhere,” said Selena, who stays with family friends for her British ventures.

Foxwood High’s owner John Rumble was a team bronze medallist for Canada in eventing at the 1956 Olympics and he was based at Badminton for team training.

“The team had dinner with the Duke and he said he hoped to see him back with a horse one day to compete so there’s a lot of history there for John,” said Selena, adding that John’s team-mate Jim Elder will also make the trip over to spectate at Badminton this time, as he has previously.

Badminton final scores

Selena has completed Badminton twice, with Colombo in 2011 and with Foxwood High in 2018, when the pair finished 24th.

“I know now it’s achievable. Woody is such a good cross-country horse and you can really move up the leaderboard,” she said.

Last year, Selena was in Britain preparing for Badminton when Woody sustained an injury and had to be withdrawn. He did not compete again last season, so Selena was thrilled to have him back for last weekend’s Mars Eventing Showcase (8-9 February) at Equestrian Village at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

“His injury could have been career-ending, so it’s just the icing on the cake to have him back — my smile started in the warm-up and continued right through,” said Selena after her dressage test, which put her in third place after that phase. “Whether it goes well or badly, it’s such a great experience to be out there playing with the big boys.”

Selena then had two showjumps down and finished just one second over the optimum time across country to finish 12th.

“I was interested to see if we could pick up where we left off,” she said, explaining that that was the case across country, but she needs to practise more showjumping courses with the big-striding Woody, who had not jumped a course in either discipline since last March.

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Selena and Woody will fly over to Britain around 1 April and will have one run before Badminton, probably at Bicton Arena.

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Sir Mark Todd’s 2018 World Equestrian Games ride McClaren has been taken on by 2018 Badminton winner Jonelle Price.

The 16hh 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, by Clarimo, finished second with Mark at Saumur CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) in 2018 before heading to the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, where he helped the Kiwis secure their Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification.

“[Jonelle is] the perfect fit for McClaren in many ways – not only in stature either,” said Mark.

“It is very fitting that she will now have the ride as originally I tried to sell him to her, but pulled out of the deal when I decided to keep him for myself. I am looking forward to seeing this partnership develop as both are super talented and feisty.”

Mark, 63, officially retired from eventing in an emotional ceremony in the main arena at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Sunday (8 September).

He thanked the horse’s “incredibly supportive owners” David and Karie Thomson.

“We are sad to lose Toddy as ‘Mac’s’ master but we are also very grateful that he saw the potential in this little pocket rocket and invited Karie and me to be his owners,” said David. “Mac has been amazing.”

Mac, who was bred by Hotze Dirk, started his international career with Sir Mark in 2017 and went from BE100 to three-star (now four-star) in one season.

He was on the New Zealand team that won the CCIO3* (CCIO4*-L) FEI Nations Cup final Military Boekelo-Enschede in The Netherlands in 2017, where he finished seventh individually.

At the time, Mark described him as “truly phenomenal” and a “brilliant” horse for the future.

When Karie and David were told by Mark that he planned to hang up his eventing boots their hearts dropped.

“Of course we had a very emotional response, but the first question of business was then who would be his (McClaren’s) new trainer and rider who would continue to develop his potential to support our New Zealand team objectives for Tokyo and beyond?” said David, adding they discussed whether it would be best for the horse to go to an established rider or up-and-coming talent.

“Jonelle became the obvious choice because Mac is still relatively fresh to four-star experience,” said David, adding he is very pleased that his groom, “the talented and delightful” Jess Wilson, will move to the Prices’ stable with him.

“Karie, Mark and I are delighted that Jonelle accepted our offer. We believe he will develop his true potential under Jonelle’s tutelage.”

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Jonelle said she has “always admired the horse”.

“Having seen him work and compete, as well as being on teams with Toddy, I am very excited about the future and the opportunity this presents,” she said.

“I am massively grateful to the owners for their major support of Team New Zealand both with McClaren and beyond.”

Equestrian Sport New Zealand high performance eventing manager Graeme Thom thanked David and Karie for their ongoing commitment to Jonelle and the wider team.

“It is fantastic news that McClaren will remain in the Kiwi camp,” he said.

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Sir Mark Todd officially retired from eventing in an emotional ceremony at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Sunday (8 September).

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.

“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,” he told the packed stands, before he was overcome with emotion.

“Now I’m heading back into the racing world as I did 19 years ago when I last retired, here at Burghley and the kids and Carolyn were much younger then! We left on that Monday morning with 20 suitcases and headed back to New Zealand, before I rode in the Sydney Olympics, which was to be my last ever event.

“Eight years later, I came back and it has been a wonderful 11 years.”

Sir Mark announced his second retirement from the sport after New Zealand won the Irish leg of the FEI Nations Cup series at Camphire in July.

“It has been an amazing 40 years. I know there’s a lot of people here who were probably little then and have grown up since I first rode here. You are an amazing crowd and have always got behind me and made me feel very welcome,” he said.

“I want to thank all the event organisers, the volunteers, the trainers, the grooms — including my latest groom, Jess Wilson, who has done an amazing job — and the owners. It is very easy for me to stand here, but it is all the work that goes on behind the scenes and I’m just the one who gets the glory.”

The six-time Olympic medallist, who won individual gold at both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics on Charisma, joked he seems to “make a habit” of Burghley retirement ceremonies.

“I’ve retired twice here, I’ve had two horses retire here — maybe it’s because it’s the end of the season and it’s a fitting time,” he said.

“[All my victories here] have been so different. When I won on Face The Music it was a year when nobody made the time. He was well down after the dressage and he was an incredibly fast horse, so he pulled up the leaderboard and we ended up winning it.

“When Welton Greylag won here it was for some wonderful owners, the Welmans, and that was their only four-star (now five-star) big win. When Broadcast News won it was the open European Championships here, and of course when I won on Welton Fair and was second on Charisma that was the only time I’ve done a one-two at a major three-day-event. They have all been special.”

The five-time Burghley and four-time Badminton winner, who will now focus on training racehorses, said he “honestly cannot say one highlight”.

“If I had to pick anything, I guess it would be the back-to-back [Olympic] gold medals with Charisma,”he said. “But also coming back after eight years off and going to Badminton with NZB Land Vision and winning again, when I didn’t expect it and I don’t think anybody else expected it. That was amazing as well.”

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The 63-year-old added he is not totally divorcing himself from the sport and is still mentoring a couple of riders.

“For the moment though, I’m just want to get myself set up in the racing and get that going, then I can look to see what I can do,” he said.

“The encouraging thing is there are a few younger ones following on. We saw Sam Lissington have her first Burghley here, it wasn’t probably what she hoped but she showed a lot of promise, and there’s a couple of others coming through.

“Maybe with me moving out of the way it will give them a chance to shine.”

Don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound — on sale Thursday, 12 September — for the full report from Burghley, plus all the usual news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more

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New Zealand’s double Olympic champion Mark Todd has recently announced his retirement from eventing.

He visited the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials to assess the cross-country course, designed by Mark Phillips, exclusively for Horse & Hound…

Please wait for the video below to load…

Fence 10abcd and 11ab: Land Rover Trout Hatchery

Mark Todd says: “This, the main water complex, consists of three pools of water to negotiate. There are a variety of options testing accuracy, bravery, line, focus and responsiveness.

“The first part is a rail oxer perched on a slope, then a run down to more rails in the water. I think there’s a risk of 11 penalties for breaking a frangible pin here; it’s the type of fence where horses might shut down behind, so it would be worth considering the longer but safer option of a house instead of the oxer.

“There’s a nice log into the second water and, as ever, it’s about riders’ choice of line to the seemingly innocuous step up before the final sets of rails. Riders have to be decisive, positive and accurate — they mustn’t end up on a half-stride. The direct route should ride well but there will be plenty of variation, I think.”

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Fence 14abcd: Rolex Combination

Mark says: “Slightly different to last year — the 
apparently direct route is a left-handed 
corner cleverly situated near the ropes on 
four strides to a narrow rail angled over a ditch, with a further four to a second corner. 
I prefer the option of a right-handed corner 
to a ditch on a bounce stride to rails, then a left-handed corner.

“I think it should be very nearly as quick and it’s a safer, slightly more straightforward option, although the fact that the ‘Vicarage Vee’ over the ditch jumped well last year will encourage riders to tackle it.”

Don’t miss Mark Todd’s thoughts on every fence on the Burghley course in today’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine (dated 29 August), plus course map and dressage test. Next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (5 September) contains the second part of our preview, with a full form guide detailing every horse and rider competing, plus score sheets for you to fill in.

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Eventing legend Mark Todd has begun his new chapter as a racehorse trainer and a recent video by Sky Sports Racing has gone behind the scenes at the New Zealander’s impressive set-up at Badgerstown, on the edge of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire.

The first glimpse of his yard is in the tack room, which is adorned with eventing accolades and memorabilia, and one horse in particular stands out among the others.

“Charisma is the horse most people probably associate me with, he is the one who really put me on the map,” said Mark, who won two Olympic gold medals with the diminutive gelding.

Mark announced his second retirement from the sport in July this year, having taken an eight-year hiatus in 2000, following the Sydney Olympics, when he returned to his home country to train racehorses.

“I’ve always had a passion for racing and when I was small I wanted to be a jockey — a dream that didn’t last long,” he quipped gesturing to his 6ft 2in frame.

This time round, the 63-year-old has decided to remain in the UK to follow his training dream and will stay at the same base where he so successfully prepared his event horses.

He has already got off to a promising start when training He’s Eminent to second place in a Grade One in Australia.

During the video, we also get a sneak peek inside the stables and his sand gallops — which will be used to train the racehorses — alongside a variety of cross-country fences.

“Eminent did actually have a pop over the cross-country fences before his race — I do believe variety is good for horses,” added Mark. “I’m still experimenting with how to train the two-year-olds and what to do with them on these gallops. Horses are horses — as long as you look after them, feed them well and keep them happy, they will try for you.”

Continued below…

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Mark continues: “Everything I’ve done in the past, I’ve done at the highest level, but it all comes down to horsepower. I know that it’s not going to happen overnight, but hopefully I can find a decent horse, who will take me to some nice places.”

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Mark Todd proved once more that he will always be a legend – by ending a dressage test at his last ever event without a bridle.

The New Zealander was caught on camera pulling a mock-despairing face at Camphire International Horse Trials, Ireland, last weekend (24 to 28 July), as his ride Leonidas II, bridle hanging around his neck, looked entirely unbothered by his bare-faced state.

The combination were on the New Zealand team for the Irish leg of the Nations Cup – which they won.

Mark, who announced his retirement on the Sunday, told H&H last Friday’s (26 July) incident was “a bit strange”.

“He had a fly mask/ear cover on, and as he finished his test, he put his head down, shook his head and the whole bridle came off,” he said. “He wasn’t too worried about it though.

“I wasn’t too sure whether to get off or what to do – I didn’t want to get myself eliminated!”

Mark was still in the arena at the time, but as he had finished his test, his grooms were able to run over and replace the bridle.

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“One of the judges said to me afterwards: ‘Thank you for the entertainment,” he said, adding that the moment caught on camera was when he turned to the judges, to say: “What do I do!”

Mark acknowledged that there may not be many top-level super-fit event horses who would be as unfazed as Leonidas was in such a situation.

“Bless him!” he said.

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In the current edition of the magazine (1 August), don’t miss the full report from Camphire International Horse Trials, while the eventing world pays tribute to Mark Todd’s amazing top-level career.

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With Mark Todd announcing his retirement from the sport of eventing (28 July) after what has been a glittering career, complete with gold medals, Olympic appearances and five-star triumph, we take a look back through the archives to highlight some of his memorable achievements.

Mark Todd’s career in pictures

Mark strikes a pose with his Badminton trophy — the first of a total of four

Mark in action on cross-country day with Charisma IV — the horse that he won two Olympic gold medals on in 1984 and 1988.

Mark and Charisma — the horse who he describes as ‘the one’.

Mark takes the third of his five Burghley titles in 1991, this time with Welton Greylag.

Mark and Double Take contend the individual showjumping at the Barcelona Olympics, having proudly carried the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony of the Games.

Mark lifts the Badminton trophy for a second time in 1994, with Horton Point.

Mark goes cross-country at Badminton with only one stirrup in 1995 on Bertie Blunt

Mark takes the fourth of his Burghley wins with Broadcast News.

Mark and Diamond Hall Red in the team competition at the Sydney Olympics. He won an individual bronze at these Games with Eye Spy II. After Sydney, Mark retired from international competition for the first time.

Mark comes out of retirement with sponsorship from New Zealand Bloodstock, and returns to the international stage at the Beijing Olympics with Gandalf. The New Zealand team finished in fifth position.

Mark is part of the bronze medal-winning team at the World Equestrian Games, with Grass Valley.

Mark proves he’s back at the top of his sport, taking the Badminton title with NZB Land Vision.

Mark and NZB Campino take part in the test event for the 2012 Games, with the striking London skyline as a backdrop.

Mark and NZB Campino are part of the bronze medal-winning team in London, where he finished 12th as an individual

Mark and his son James at home in Wiltshire.

A rare moment when the eventing stalwart puts his feet up.

Mark riding Leonidas II at Blenheim en-route to third place in the eight and nine-year-old CCI4*-S class

Mark pilots Oloa around the horse’s first Badminton

Mark and Leonidas II tackle the cross-country in Rio, finishing in fourth place individually.

NZB Campino en-route to fourth place at Badminton in 2017

The grey Kiltubrid Rhapsody at Burghley

Mark at his final championship, riding McClaren at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon

On his penultimate ride on Leonidas II, Mark finished third in one of the CCI4*-S sections at Barbury Castle earlier this month

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Sir Mark Todd says he is feeling a “mix of sadness and relief”, after his announcement yesterday (28 July) that he was retiring from eventing, aged 63.

The seven-time Olympian said he had planned to keep it quiet but having been persuaded by Jonelle and Tim Price, his winning team-mates for the Irish leg of the Nations Cup series at Camphire International Horse Trials, he made the announcement on the podium.

It was finishing on a high for Mark, who notched up six Olympic medals, including back-to-back individual golds on Charisma in 1984 and 1988, and four World medals, not to mention five Burghley Horse Trials wins and four Badminton Horse Trials titles during his two stints in the sport.

“It’s slightly surreal,” Mark told H&H today (29 July). “It hasn’t really hit me yet.

“Obviously, I couldn’t keep going for ever, and it was just when would be the right time. Would it be next year, and try to go for another Olympics? That was ruled out, and I decided I was going to finish at the end of this year.

“But this year, once I’d started taking up training [racehorses], my focus shifted; having something new and exciting to focus on changed things.”

Mark said that once he had decided to stop, he “couldn’t wait”.

“At every competition, I was thinking ‘oh my god, is this going to be the one too many?’” he said.

“About two weeks ago, I decided Camphire would be the stopping point. I had three really good rides – except I had a senior moment on one and missed out a cross-country fence – and I wasn’t going to announce it, I was going to disappear quietly.

“But I told my team-mates before the showjumping that this would be my last one and they said: ‘You’ve got to do something’. So I did.”

Mark said to be competitive, a rider has to be “110% focused”, and he felt he was not putting that 110% in, and that he had not been riding as well as he had in the past.

He added that even his owners had not known about the decision until this weekend, and that now all the horses at his yard have to be sold while he concentrates on training.

“I don’t think you can really understand unless you’ve been a competitor, but the camaraderie among riders, as we’re all doing the same dangerous job, is something very special,” he said. “All the people involved – I’ve had amazing owners, fantastic sponsors, great people working for me; the eventing world is one big family.

“It’s been amazing, being part of it and I’ll certainly miss that, and the excitement of cross-country, the adrenaline rush, the high after a good round.

“But I won’t miss that sick feeling in the stomach on cross-country morning at Badminton, Burghley or championships!”

Mark said he will still be riding and teaching – “I love riding, I’m not going to stop that, but I’m over going to competitions” – as well as trying to emulate on home soil the success he has enjoyed training racehorses in New Zealand, although he says the plan is to stay in Britain for the “foreseeable future”.

Looking back on his two careers – having retired after the 2000 Olympics, he made a comeback for the 2008 Games – Mark said he could not pick one performance in particular as a highlight.

“Every big win was a thrill and excitement, it’s hard to pick one,” he said. “The two Olympics on Charisma, but any big four-star win, although to come back after an eight-year break and win Badminton [on NZB Land Vision in 2011] was pretty amazing.

Continues below…

Olympic eventer aims for another training first — before Badminton

Bute, no hats and one pair of breeches: Mark Todd recalls his early eventing career

At the 2017 Horse & Hound Awards ceremony held at Ascot racecourse, six-time Olympian Sir Mark Todd took to the

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“But apart from the personal successes, just being involved in the sport, and the people, is what’s kept me there.”

And is there any chance this retirement will end like his previous one?

Mark laughed.

“Last time, it took me seven and a half years to decide to come back, and even then it was only for a dare!” he said. “It’s not going to happen this time.”

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A horse who won an Olympic medal in one of his first international seasons is to spend a happy retirement “generally being pampered” at home.

Mark Todd has paid tribute to NZB Campino, who is stepping out of the limelight aged 17, but will stay at the Todds’ Wiltshire yard. 

“Kinky” has been with Mark since 2009, and his stable name came about almost by mistake.

“He arrived when I wasn’t there,” Mark told H&H. “He’d been ridden by the Japanese rider Kenki Sato, so the girls at the yard thought the tag on his collar said Kinky, called him that, and it stuck – but it did kind of suit him.”

Mark said the Contendro gelding was a “funny character”, who had quirks such as refusing to leave the stable until he felt like it, and also a “very sweet horse”.

“He always liked to play games with you,” Mark said, adding that Kinky had “a funny thing about ditches”.

“He jumped the Vicarage Vee at Badminton and the Cottesmore Leap at Burghley but show him a tiny ditch in a coffin and he’d have a fit!”

But Kinky overcame this fear to win Hartpury CCI2* (now CCI3*-L) in 2010 as an eight-year-old, and went up through the grades with his stablemate Leonidas, who had arrived at about the same time.

He and Mark were on the New Zealand team that won bronze at the London 2012 Olympics, “a staggering achievement at just 10 years old after barely two seasons in the game”, and finish 12^th individually.

In 2015, Kinky and Mark won Tattersalls CIC3* (now CCI4*-S), came fifth at Luhmühlen and 10^th at Pau. They finished ninth at Burghley in 2016, and fourth at Badminton in 2017.

Mark was selected for the 2016 Rio Olympics on both Kinky and Leonidas but took the latter, the team finishing in fourth place.

“I should have taken him to Rio – but then, hindsight is a wonderful thing!” Mark said.

“He’s always had his quirks but he’s been a real yard favourite for a long time, and especially in the last few years, he’s been a really fun horse to ride. He’s great to ride cross-country, and as long as you don’t try to boss him in the dressage, he’ll do his best.”

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Mark explained that Kinky had an operation to remove a bone spur behind his knee last year. Although this seemed to have been a success, he believes it may have started growing back, causing temporary lameness issues.

“I’m not going to put him through another operation, or under pressure,” Mark said. “He’s sound now, and it’s just not worth it, so he will do as little or as much as he wants.”

Kinky will now be a hack for Mark’s wife Carolyn, look after youngsters in the fields and be pampered by Mark’s head girl Jess Wilson, with whom he has a “special bond”.

Looking back on a career that also included the eventers’ challenge at Hickstead, the high jump competition at Blenheim and a number of chase me Charlies at his home yard, Mark added: “He was so photogenic. Every picture of him jumping, his knees are absolutely perfect, and his face like a seahorse’s – he was special in many ways.”

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The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials dressage times have been released for the Thursday and Friday of competition (2 and 3 May).

The first pair, Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope, will enter the dressage arena at 9.30am tomorrow.

Pippa has chosen Billy Walk On as her second horse, from her four entries, and he will be one of the last to start at 4.36pm on Friday.

Oliver Townend was the other rider who had to make a final choice between his entries this week and he will start on Cillnabradden Evo (9.54am on Thursday) and Ballaghmor Class (3.56pm on Friday). After his win at Kentucky last week, Oliver is the live contender in the Rolex Grand Slam, the big-money bonus given to any rider who can win Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley consecutively.

Combinations numbered up to 53 will do their dressage tomorrow, with the rest of the field following on Friday, when the dressage again starts at 9.30am.

Badminton final scores

Full times

Among the home side favourites, Laura Collett and Mr Bass will trot down the centreline at 11.42am on Friday, while Piggy French and Vanir Kamira’s time is 2.16pm on Thursday. Nicola Wilson and 2017 European individual bronze medallist Bulana will head into the arena at 11.26pm on Thursday.

New Zealand’s Tim Price has 10.18am on Thursday (Bango) and 3.48am on Friday (Ringwood Sky Boy) as his times, while compatriot Andrew Nicholson will kick off his campaign with Swallow Springs at 10.10am on Friday.

H&H’s first-timer blogger David Britnell will begin his Badminton on Friday, at 10.42am, with Continuity.

The guinea pig rider, who is not competing but performs a dressage test before the first horse to help the judges get their eye in and test the event systems, will be double young rider individual medallist Alex Kennedy, with new ride Global Milchem JJ at 9.10am.

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Sir Mark Todd is set to add another “first” to his extraordinary international equestrian career by running He’s Eminent, the Flat racehorse he took over training earlier this year, in a Group One in Hong Kong next Sunday (28 April).

If He’s Eminent, who finished a close second for Sir Mark in a Grade One in Australia at the end of March, runs well, he will return to Britain for a crack at the Group One Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He’s Eminent, a son of Frankel, won a Group Two for his previous trainer, Martyn Meade, but Mark was asked to take on the five-year-old by his owners, who include Sir Peter Vela, owner of Sir Mark’s 2011 Badminton winner Land Vision.

“Frankie” ran in two races in Australia for Mark in March and April. In the first, the G1 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill, he put up a superb effort to finish second.

Mark said: “He ran a cracker of a race and we were thrilled. It was heavy ground, which he had never run on, and he just got a little leg-weary in the last 150m and Avilius, a mudlark, ran him down.”

He’s Eminent then ran disappointingly in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick behind the mighty Winx, who was having the last run of her glittering career.

“I was confident of a good run, but between the jockey [James McDonald] and I we made the stupid decision to run He’s Eminent in earmuffs, because he does get quite wound up and there was a huge buzz and atmosphere because of Winx. We also didn’t want him to be too fierce out in front, because we wanted him to lead,” Mark explained.

“The earmuffs completely switched him off. He fell out of the stalls, and was out the back of the field and totally lost interest.”

But connections have taken the decision to run him in Hong Kong in the HK£24m (£2.35m) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Sha Tin – without earmuffs – with the hope of putting up a good enough performance to earn a flight back to Britain to run at Royal Ascot, delaying his future stud career in New Zealand.

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Mark returned to Britain to ride his event horses and to compete Badminton entry NZB Campino at Bicton Arena — where they won the open intermediate, finishing on their dressage score of 23.6 — before flying to Hong Kong. He will return after the race and immediately take NZB Campino to Badminton.

“After Badminton I will concentrate on building up the training more,” said Mark, who trained successfully in New Zealand in his eight-year hiatus from eventing between 2000 and 2008.

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A snapped stirrup or rein is the stuff of nightmares — check out these instances when it happened to some of the best in the business

1. Mark Todd at Badminton

The New Zealand legend was flying round Badminton with Bertie Blunt back in 1995 when his left stirrup broke as he jumped into the Vicarage Pond. He suffered through the agony of completing the rest of the course, hitching his leg up to relieve the pressure between fences, but the next morning the horse had some bruising to his foot and had to be withdrawn from the final horse inspection. Poetic justice was served when the pair won the event the next year.

2. Henrik Von Eckermann in Paris

The Swedish showjumper was jumping a massive oxer in the CSI5* grand prix Hermès in Paris in 2017 when his right stirrup gave way. He made a valiant attempt to stay in the saddle, but was unable to do so. Luckily neither horse nor rider was injured.

3. Sam Griffiths at Burghley

Lying in eighth place after dressage at Burghley in 2016, the Aussie eventer was on track for a good placing with Happy Times when his left stirrup iron broke between fences three and four — the bolts holding the tread of the stirrup iron in place sheared off, leaving it dangling from the leather with nowhere for him to put his foot. Sam continued on course, clear all the way, until the Cottesmore Leap (fences 12/13), when he pulled up as the flapping stirrup was beginning to unsettle Happy Times.

4. Christian Landolt at Bicton Arena

Christian was leading after the dressage in the CIC2* at Bicton in 2017 with Toblerone NZPH when his stirrup snapped at fence two of the showjumping.

“Luckily I did not fall off and managed to jump a few more fences before the pain of a pulled adductor muscle was too painful, so I had to retire,” he told H&H.

“All I can say is that luckily I was not going across country at the time.”

5. Harrie Smolders in Ghent

The Dutch rider was just starting his jump-off in the CSI2* grand prix at Flanders Horse Expo in Belgium in February 2017 when his left stirrup snapped on landing at the first fence. Undeterred, Harrie continued round the course with Emerald NOP, with barely a break in his balance, and went on to win the class.

6. Gregory Wathelet in Paris

At the Global Champions Tour in 2014, the Belgian rider was contesting the Prix du Qatar on Conrad De Hus when the horse’s bridle came off over his ears as he jumped a large oxer near the end of the course. The ear covers momentarily obscured the horse’s vision, but the bridle then dropped down and flapped around while the horse kept hold of the bit in his mouth. The pair managed to jump three more fences, completing a clear round, before the horse spat the bit out after the finish flags.

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7. Yago Alvarez del Castillo in Colorado

The rider was representing Mexico North in the second round of a junior showjumping competition, when his left rein popped off his ride Coloredo 2’s bit as he jumped through a one-stride combination. He was forced to retire, but the team still captured the gold medal, with the rider’s score from round one among the counting efforts.

8. Ginny Howe at Osberton Horse Trials

Eventer Ginny Howe survived a hairy moment when her girth snapped over a fence at Osberton International Horse Trials. Ginny was riding her sister Rachael Sheppard’s horse Echo P in the CCI2* in 2017.

“Looking at the video I think it happened two strides out [from fence six],” Ginny told H&H. “I was on a good stride, but he added another one.”

She added she gave Echo P a couple of smacks after the fence as she thought he needed “waking up”, not realising that her girth had given way.

She continued galloping round the corner and noticed what had happened about four strides out from the combination at fence seven, at which point she pulled up and retired.

9. Ludwig Svennerstal at Blair Castle Horse Trials

Ludwig was riding El Kazir SP in the Event Rider Masters class at Blair Castle Horse Trials, when the pair had a misunderstanding about the take-off point for the yellow upright at fence 10. The grey chipped in an extra stride and then blundered through the fence, throwing Ludwig up his neck. It looked momentarily like the rider would fall off, but he managed to right himself — only to find that somehow, the horse’s bridle and ear covers had slipped over his ears. The ear covers fell to the floor but the bridle was left dangling from the horse’s nose by the noseband, which was still done up. Unwilling to give up, Ludwig managed to lean forward and grab the bridle with his left hand and then use both hands to replace it in position while El Kazir SP trotted around. He then continued his round.

“I wanted to carry on — he’s a new horse for me and I felt he should have taken off [on the first stride], but I’m not used to him and he’s not used to me,” said Ludwig. “He’s a bit spooky and not that secure in the ring, so he needed not to finish on that note. He’s a nice horse, he just needs more confidence in the ring.”

Sadly in the course of the operation, Ludwig racked up 31 time-faults, as well as 12 jumping faults.

10. Kirsty Short’s rein snapping at Lincoln Horse Trials

Event rider Kirsty Short was competing Cossan Lad in an intermediate section at Lincoln when her rein snapped in the showjumping phase.

In her H&H blog, Kirsty explained: “A tack malfunction at the sixth fence saw my rein actually snap at the rubber part. This was a first for me and such a shame as Bouncer was flying. I was absolutely gutted for him. He was actually really well behaved given the situation — he could have easily just popped out of the arena over the hedge. I took a check setting up for an upright and suddenly I was like “oh I have no rein attached”. I then leant down and grabbed the bit of rein hanging from the bit and managed to stop him. I did however contemplate for a second maybe I could loop the rein through the bit somehow and carry on. Thankfully my sensible side came over me and I retired.”

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Sir Mark Todd is embarking on a new equine challenge – he is training the high-class Flat racehorse Eminent and plans to run the five-year-old in two Grade One races in Australia in March and April.

Eminent is principally owned by Sir Peter Vela, who has owned many event horses with Mark, including his 2011 Badminton winner Land Vision and NZB Campino, fourth at Badminton in 2017. He also owns Pencarrow Stud in New Zealand and has bred and raced many top horses, including 2001 Melbourne Cup winner Ethereal.

Mark said: “Sir Peter and [bloodstock agent] Hubie de Burgh bought [Eminent’s former trainer] Martyn Meade out of the horse with the idea of sending him to stud in New Zealand – he’s got a great pedigree and is a Group Two winner.

“They sent him to me to do something with before going to New Zealand, and then I got a phone call, saying they were thinking of taking him to Australia to run in a couple of races before retiring. ‘And we want you to do it!’ they said.

“I had a think about it – and I can never resist a challenge! I’ve had to take out my training licence in a hurry. The plan is to run him in two Grade Ones over 10 furlongs in Sydney – the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on 23 March and the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on 13 April, although he does have an entry in the Star Doncaster Mile as well as an insurance.”

Eminent, a son of Frankel out of a Kingmambo mare, won the Group Three Craven Stakes at Newmarket in 2017 for Martyn Meade, finished sixth in the 2000 Guineas and then fourth in the Derby at Epsom before winning a French Group Two and taking third in the Group One Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown that season.

Last season his form dipped and he was unplaced in all of his four runs, three of them at Group One level.

“He’s a lovely horse – on the ball, and he is still an entire of course, but he has a great nature,” said Mark, who has done all the riding work apart from the fast galloping work on the horse himself. “I played around with a bit of flatwork when he first came and popped him over a few fences – letting him be a horse, not just a racehorse. He’d probably be a nice event horse, although I don’t think that is what his owners have in mind!

“He has worked on the gallops here at Badgerstown [Mark’s yard in Wiltshire] and I have also taken him to other gallops to work alongside other horses. The snow and the equine flu virus have upset our plans a bit and we’ve had to resort to plans B, C and D, but he is now in quarantine in Newmarket and he flies to Australia on 28 February.”

Mark, who is continuing his own eventing career, will compete at Isleham on 3 March before flying to Australia the following day.

“The plan is that I will be over there for six weeks if all goes well,” said Mark. “If everything goes right and he is able to reproduce his best form, I think he could be competitive. Winx [the champion Australian mare who has now won 29 times in succession, including a world record 22 Group Ones] is in the Queen Elizabeth and beating her would be a pretty tall order – but you’ve got to be in it to win it.

“Sir Peter is one of the great sporting owners of the world – he embraced it when I started eventing again and has never been afraid to think out of the box. What other owner would give me a chance to do this?”

After Mark first retired from eventing after the Sydney Olympics in 2000, he trained Flat horses in New Zealand with success. His achievements included winning the New Zealand Oaks with Bramble Rose in 2003 and the Wellington Cup with Willy Smith in 2007, but in 2008 he returned to eventing.

Is this the start of a greater involvement in racing again?

Continues below…

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Mark Todd launches range of diamante belts

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“I’ve toyed with the idea of getting back into training,” said Mark, “but I don’t think it is something I want to do full-time. My wife Carolyn and I would like to have a few horses of our own, and maybe it will develop a bit, but I am not giving up eventing just yet.

“It is a great privilege to be allowed to train Eminent, and winning a Grade One for Sir Peter would be wonderful.”

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Riders have given their first reactions to Mark Phillips’ cross-country course at the World Equestrian Games (WEG).

The track includes a long uphill pull in the final two minutes, which will be a big ask for horses.

British pathfinder Gemma Tattersall said: “I’m very glad to be sat on a thoroughbred with the hill at the end, especially in this heat. Dimensionally it’s not huge, but I need to make sure Arctic Soul is looking where he’s going. There are lots of options and tricky combinations.”

US rider Boyd Martin said: “It’s a twisty, technical track at the beginning and you’ve got to leave a bit in the tank for the last two minutes. A lot will come down to heart and desire and my guy [Tserterleg] is a real trier.”

Gemma’s team-mate Piggy French added: “We are riding with team pressure, which is different to normal. The course needs respecting and there are plenty of places you can have sillies [a silly mistake].”

Australia’s Chris Burton echoed her, saying: “It’s a real championship question and I think it’s perfect. The team environment puts on so much pressure and I think it’ll ride tough. I’m on a green horse, so I’m as nervous as can be.”

Sam Watson, Ireland’s trailblazer, said that riders need to concentrate: “You can tell the difference between a three-star [as here] and four-star championship track and lots of people will be kicking themselves with hindsight. It’s a clever course with lots of combinations.”

Riders are agreed that the conditions and ground will be a major factor. While Hurricane Florence is not expected in this area of North Carolina until after cross-country day, the going is currently on the soft side after some heavy downpours.

“It’s anybody’s guess how the ground will ride and as we’ve seen, it can change within an hour. Hopefully there will be no more downpours, hopefully it will dry out a bit, hopefully it’s not too hot — there’s a lot of hoping going on,” said Mark Todd.

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The New Zealand team exuded quiet confidence at a press conference this morning ahead of their participation in the Mars-sponsored eventing at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon.

The squad combines the vast experience of Mark Todd — making his eighth WEG appearance — with support from comeback kings Blyth Tait and Dan Jocelyn (who both last rode at a championship at the 2004 Olympics) and the on-form eventing power couple Tim and Jonelle Price.

Jonelle said: “We’ve banked on Todd and [Andrew] Nicholson for the last 20 years and Blyth for the last 40, but over the past 15 years Mark and Andrew perhaps haven’t had the support from the team — they were leading the way, but they lacked support from the new generation. Certainly it’s taken Tim and myself a bit longer than some to get to the top end of things, but we’ve done that in the past couple of years. On paper it looks like we can be in with a fighting chance.”

Jonelle was upfront about the fact that her finishing position with the Badminton winner Classic Moet depends very much on how influential the cross-country proves as that is the mare’s strongest phase.

“We brought her here hoping the hill and speed is influential — if not, I’m in trouble. I hope we get 10 inches of rain, it’s hot as hell and the hill’s a minute longer than anyone realised!” she said.

Speaking about his return to the squad, Dan said: “It’s a bit of a thrill and I’m glad to be back here, it’s been a long time in between. I’ve loved all the training and build-up, it’s exciting to be riding with these guys and am looking forward to getting started.”

Blyth echoed his thoughts, adding: “I’m treating it like it’s my first championship as it’s so long since the last one!”

Asked whether his recent Burghley win means he comes into this with confidence, Tim said: “It’s a completely different situation, but I’m definitely trying to wear it as a bit of confidence. It’s only 10 days ago that I was under pressure and put in a good performance, so I keep reminding myself of that. It’s very much a team effort here, it’s not about one performance but about riding with each other in mind and creating a consistent result.”

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Chef d’equipe Graeme Thom said the team’s “intense ability to flip from individual component of sport to team component” makes this group of athletes particularly special.

He added: “I think it’s probably the best group of people I’ve ever met in my whole life. I just sent them a video of cowboys running across the plains herding cats to remind them to be here on time!”

Horse & Hound has two journalists and a photographer in Tryon for WEG. Keep up to date with all the news on horseandhound.co.uk and in the magazine issues dated 20 and 27 September.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The cross-country times for tomorrow (Saturday, 1 September) at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials have been released.

The action starts at 11.15am and Oliver Townend is first out on course with MHS King Joules — the best-placed of Oliver’s three rides after dressage, he lies third.

Riders follow at four-minute intervals throughout the day until Oliver closes out the cross-country phase when he starts at 3.51pm on last year’s winner, Ballaghmor Class (currently fifth).

Dressage leaders Mark Todd and Kiltubrid Rhapsody are scheduled to head out of the start box at 3.19pm, while fellow Kiwi Tim Price (currently second on Ringwood Sky Boy) has a start time of 3.35pm.

Sarah Bullimore is the second-best British rider at this stage, in fourth behind Oliver, and she and Reve Du Rouet will begin their cross-country campaign at 12.51pm.

Germany’s Andreas Dibowski will set off to defend his sixth place on FRH Butts Avedon at 2.27pm.

H&H’s first-timer blogger Hazel Towers is slated to start at 12.35pm, with regular H&H blogger Simon Grieve getting underway at 11.27am on Douglas and at 3.31pm on Drumbilla Metro.

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Sometimes there are delays on the course, which can result in riders having to start later than their original allocated time. This is usually the result of falls, which lead to the course being stopped while injured horses and riders receive veterinary or medical attention, or broken fences are repaired.

Cross-country course-designer Mark Phillips and the course-building team have also used frangible technology on some fences in a bid to improve safety. This means the fence will collapse if horses and riders hit them in a certain way in order to prevent a fall. Replacing or resetting frangible devices can also lead to a delay.

Full report from Burghley in H&H on Thursday, 6 September, including exclusive expert comments, full analysis of every phase, the best photographs and more.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The top of the leaderboard has been reshuffled at the end of day two of dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (29 August-2 September).

Five-time Burghley winner Mark Todd sits in top spot on a score of 26.4 on the big-moving grey, Kiltubrid Rhapsody (pictured below).

“I’m so pleased with him — he’s getting better and better,” Mark said of the 11-year-old who was sixth at Badminton this spring. “He’s got a wonderful temperament and although he became a little nervous in the warm-up, he was better when we went into the arena. We had a little skip in the extended trot, which he never normally does, but for where he is in his training at the moment, he couldn’t have performed much better.”

Fellow Kiwi, Tim Price is in second with Ringwood Sky Boy, who was fifth and fourth at Burghley in 2017 and 2016 respectively. They are just half a penalty behind Mark.

“I’ve had high hopes for him here and he was very good,” said Tim. “He’s maybe maturing and we know how to best prepare him now. The highlights of his test were that he stood still in all three of his halts! He’s gone sideways in them before, including at the Rio Olympics — I think repetition in his training has helped, but we still can’t always be sure that he’ll go in there and do it.”

Oliver Townend is third on the first of his three rides, MHS King Joules. The pair held onto the lead for the majority of the two days of dressage on a score of 27.2.

Oliver said yesterday that he “had no complaints at all” and “if I stay on that mark throughout the competition, I will be happy.”

Britain’s Sarah Bullimore is now in fourth on Reve Du Rouet with a score of 27.3 and Oliver is just .6 of a penalty behind her in fifth on last year’s winner, Ballaghmor Class.

“The test didn’t quite come off as I had hoped for,” explained Oliver. “A few mistakes crept in, but I was thrilled with his performance. He’s been in a few big atmospheres in quick succession recently so it’s testament to the horse’s attitude that he can go in there and perform the way he did.”

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Germany’s sole representative at this year’s Burghley is Andreas Dibowski in sixth with FRH Butts Avedon and Oliver is in seventh with the last of his three rides, Cooley SRS.

Just 7.5 penalties separate the top 30, so the cross-country tomorrow, which kicks off at 11am, could prove highly influential.

You can read the full Burghley report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (Thursday 6 September).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Britain’s Oliver Townend is the early leader at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

Oliver was first into the arena at 9.30am this morning (30 August), and at the lunch break, nobody has yet been able to catch him.

Oliver sits on a score of 27.2 aboard Tom Joule’s 13-year-old gelding, MHS King Joules (pictured).

Oliver said: “I have no complaints at all and if he stays on that mark all weekend, I’ll be very happy. Going into the arena first is always difficult as the judges perhaps take a few combinations to warm up to the marks, but it was inevitable with me having three horses here.”

As things stand, Oliver is the only competitor to have broken to 30 barrier. Mark Todd sits in second on 30.8, but he could have been in the 20s had it not been for two errors of course on NZB Campino.

“It’s too early in the morning,” he joked. “I let him down and two errors is unforgivable. It’s bloody annoying to say the least. I forgot to ride a 20m circle and then halted in the wrong place.”

Britain’s Julie Tew has made a great start to her first ever Burghley campaign, and sits equal third on 32.1 riding Simply Sox.

“He’s such a kind and generous horse — he’s had his ups and downs with silly injuries resulting in soundness issues, but it means so much to be here,” said Julie, who explained she was told to give up riding two years ago.

“I had a tumour removed from my spinal chord 18 years ago and was told at the time I wouldn’t be able to ride and I would have to walk with a stick. I fought back, but over the past five years I’ve really struggled with pain.

“I have 90% nerve damage in my legs and and I can’t do any fitness work — the less I do, the better I feel. As I’ve got older, things have got worse and I’ve cut down to riding just two horses now. It’s so emotional to make it to Burghley though.”

Tim Price, riding for New Zealand, shares thirds spot with Julie, riding Bango.

“I’m really pleased with him — he’s not an out and out dressage horse and he is a bit of a headshaker which filtered through today.”

The dressage recommences after the lunch break at 2pm.

You can read the full Burghley report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (Thursday 6 September).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A number of horses who could have finished in the prize money are among the latest withdrawals from this week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (30 August-2 September).

Britain’s Sarah Cohen has withdrawn Treason, who finished 12th at Burghley in 2016.

Euro Prince, the ride of Ireland’s Clare Abbott has also been pulled out of the event. He finished 13th at the event last year.

Tom McEwen has withdrawn both his rides, unsurprisingly — Strike Smartly started at Blair CCI3* last week instead, finishing second, and Toledo De Kerser has been selected for the British squad for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) two weeks after Burghley.

Chris Burton has also now withdrawn Cooley Lands, who he will ride on the Australian squad at WEG.

Another Cooley horse, Cooley Earl, has also come out of the draw as Georgie Strang has taken her ride out of contention.

Charlotte Bacon will have to wait for another year to make her Burghley debut after withdrawing Last Touch, while US competitor Boyd Martin will not bring forward Steady Eddie.

Fans will be sad not to see Becky Woolven’s characterful Charlton Down Riverdance, who was 17th here on their shared debut in 2016.

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Mark Todd has now withdrawn Leonidas II, so he will compete on Kiltubrid Rhapsody and NZB Campino.

His fellow New Zealander, Andrew Nicholson, still has three horses in the draw — Teseo, Swallow Springs and Jet Set IV — but he will only start on two of them.

Last year’s winner, Oliver Townend, still has five horses in the mix, but will only start on three, so he has to choose which ones out of Ballaghmor Class, Cooley SRS, Cooley Master Class, MHS King Joules and Ulises. He said last week that the horses would have a gallop on Monday (yesterday) and a jump today before he made his decision.

Full Burghley preview, including course walk with Blyth Tait and complete form guide, in the issue of H&H now on sale (dated 23 August).

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Olympic gold medallist Blyth Tait is heading to his first senior championship since “retiring” from eventing 14 years ago.

The 57-year-old Kiwi rider has been named as one of the five-strong New Zealand squad for this year’s World Equestrian Games (WEG).

He will ride the 14-year-old gelding Dassett Courage, with Havanna as his reserve horse.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said Blyth. “It has been a long time. I am very honoured to be part of such a strong team and plan to take the opportunity and give it my all.”

Blyth announced his retirement from the sport after the 2004 Athens Olympics following a glittering career, but returned to competition in 2011.

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He joins a host of other eventing legends on the seriously competitive New Zealand squad.

Double Olympic champion Mark Todd, 62, is named on the 11-year-old gelding McClaren, with his Rio 2016 ride Leonidas II and Kiltubrid Rhapsody, who finished sixth at Badminton 2018, as reserves. This will be his 16th senior championship.

Both Mark and Blyth were on the New Zealand squad at the first ever WEG at Stockholm in 1990, where they won team gold and Blyth also took the individual title.

“I am delighted to be on another WEG team and excited to be part of this great bunch of people,” said Mark. “Everything crossed now for the next four weeks to get there safely and in top form.”

World number five Jonelle Price, 37, is named with her 2018 Badminton winner Classic Moet. Her husband, fellow four-star winner and Tim Price, is named aboard the 11-year-old Cekatinka, with whom he finished third in Aachen, helping the NZ team to victory.

Tim, 39, who is currently the top-ranked New Zealand eventer in the world at number four, also has Ascona M and his Rio Olympic horse Ringwood Sky Boy as reserve rides.

Dan Jocelyn, 47, has been named aboard the 10-year-old Irish-bred gelding Grovine De Reve, with Dassett Cool Touch and Blackthorn Cruise in reserve.

The non-travelling reserves are Caroline Powell, 45, (Up Up And Away) and 28-year-old Jesse Campbell (Cleveland).

New Zealand has a successful history at WEG — the team won gold in 1990 and 1998 as well as bronze in 2010.

Individual gold medals have been won by Blyth Tait on Messiah and Ready Teddy in 1990 and 1998 respectively, and Vaughn Jefferis (Bounce) in 1994. Mark Todd and Broadcast News won silver in 1998, with Andrew Nicholson and Nereo claiming bronze in 2010.

This year’s Games take place in Tryon, North Carolina, from 11 to 23 September.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Defending champion Oliver Townend has entered five horses for the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (30 Aug-2 September) this year.

Oliver’s entries include last year’s winner Ballaghmor Class and Cooley SRS and Cooley Master Class, all three of whom are also on the British long-list for the World Equestrian Games (WEG). The world number one also has MHS King Joules and Ulises on the roster for Burghley.

It is unlikely that Oliver will actually ride more than three horses in the competition, although Burghley does not put a strict limit on how many horses a rider can start on, saying instead that it is “subject to the organisers’ discretion” and will be confirmed after close of entries (last Friday, 27 July).

Tina Cook also looks to have a strong hand for the autumn four-star, with her WEG long-listed horse Billy The Red entered as well as Calvino II and Star Witness.

Andrew Nicholson, who has won Burghley five times, is entered with a trio of horses in Jet Set IV, Swallow Springs and Teseo.

New Zealand’s Mark Todd is the other rider entered on more than two horses, with Kiltubrid Rhapsody, Leonidas II and NZB Campino currently in the mix, although it is almost certain he will ride one of the horses at WEG instead.

Ninety-nine horses representing nine different nations have been entered for Burghley in total.

Previous Burghley winners in the mix besides Oliver, Mark and Andrew include Australia’s Chris Burton on Cooley Lands — one of the two horses he has on the Australian short-list for WEG — New Zealand’s Caroline Powell, who brings forward Up Up And Away and On The Brash, and Pippa Funnell (Majas Hope).

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The horses who finished second (Vanir Kamira with Piggy French), third (Arctic Soul under Gemma Tattersall) and fourth (Toledo De Kerser ridden by Tom McEwen) at Burghley last year have all been entered again, but all are also on the British long-list for WEG so their participation will depend on whether they get the British squad call-up.

The other British WEG-listed horses also entered for Burghley are Bulana (Nicola Wilson), Away Cruising (Harry Meade), Reve Du Rouet (Sarah Bullimore), Mr Bass (Laura Collett) and Allstar B (Ros Canter).

A number of British first-timers are also entered, including H&H blogger Hazel Towers, who has had to withdraw Simply Smart but still has Simply Clover in the mix. And the crowd will be delighted to see favourites such as Charlton Down Riverdance (Becky Woolven), Ivar Gooden (Imogen Murray) and Euro Prince (Clare Abbott) back at Burghley.

H&H’s bumper Burghley preview, including course-walk with former winner Blyth Tait and full form guide, will be on sale on Thursday, 23 August.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A hugely influential cross-country phase caused favourites and overnight leaders Germany to plummet down to fifth, and hand the Aachen Nations Cup victory to New Zealand.

All four of the home side fell foul to Rüdiger Schwarz’s deceptively tricky course, with Julia Krajewski eliminated after three refusals on her team ride Samourai Du Thot. Last year’s winners Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD had trouble at the same combination of skinnies with a run-out. Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida) and Kai Ruder (Colani Sunrise) jumped clear but each racked up the time penalties, with Kai’s 12-year-old gelding refusing to leave the start box for a full 40 seconds.

However, Julia on her second ride, Chipmunk (above), gave the home crowd what they came for, with a super round on the 10-year-old Contendro son to clinch the individual lead.

“My first round really didn’t go to plan and was frustrating, but I had to remind myself that it was another horse, and Chipmunk is very different to Sam,” Julia said. “He’s a young horse and I was thrilled with how he answered all my questions.”

Australia’s Chris Burton and Quality Purdey were the only combination to get inside the time, by just 0.01 of a second. Having raced into the lead, and seen the overnight runner-up Tim Lips and Bayro retire at fence 4, Chris had an anxious wait as Julia completed her round. The roar from the crowds as she crossed the finish line told him all he needed to know – despite clocking up 6.4 time faults, it was enough to secure her the victory by just 0.6 of a mark.

New Zealand produced an impressively consistent performance to rise up the rankings and take the team win. Clarke Johnstone (Balmoral Sensation), Mark Todd (Kiltubrid Rhapsody) and Tim Price (Cekatinka, below) all jumped clear, with the latter finishing third individually.

“The priority was a solid team performance and it’s thrilling that we’ve all gone out and delivered everything we wanted for the team,” said Tim.

It wasn’t a good day for Britain, with the team finishing sixth. The best performance across country came from team first-timer Imogen Murray, who had been the drop score overnight, but finished as best Brit in 24th. She and Ivar Gooden jumped clear around what she described as an “intense” course, but was unlucky to pick up 20 penalties for a circle before the first water complex, that she thought she had got away with.

“I had a bit of steering malfunction, and that cost us time too,” she told H&H.

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Oliver Townend was best of the Brits overnight, but a very sticky jump over the skinny element of the first water resulted in him pitching over Ballaghmor Class’s side, and into the water. Both Oliver and the 11-year-old grey gelding were uninjured in the fall.

Luck was also not on the side of Britain’s other riders; Gemma Tattersall and Pamero 4 had a run-out at the skinny element of the second water complex, and Sarah Bullimore ran out at the same combination of skinnies that caught out the German riders, after Reve Du Rouet got distracted and didn’t really lock on to the fence.

“He was fabulous but he’s difficult with crowds and when we came in to that fence there were so many people and at the last minute he lost concentration and got confused,” Sarah said.

Don’t miss the full report from Aachen in next week’s H&H, on sale on 26 July.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Badminton winner Jonelle “speed queen” Price will head the eventers’ team in a head-to-head clash with leading jockeys at Barbury’s JCB Champions Challenge this weekend.

A team of eventers will compete against a team of jockeys in a relay race over fences on borrowed horses in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

It is held in the main arena at the St James’s Place Barbury Horse Trials during a break in the eventing timetable, at 1.45pm on Saturday (7 July).

A full Antipodean contingent makes up the eventing squad — Jonelle is joined by her husband Tim Price, Australian rider Lissa Green and the legendary Sir Mark Todd.

They will face three-time champion jump jockey Richard Johnson, Tom Scudamore, Wayne Hutchinson and Sam Twiston-Davies.

“We so much enjoy our trip to Barbury for the JCB Champions’ Challenge every year,” said JCB’s Tim Leadbeater.

“It’s such good fun and couldn’t be for a better cause in the Injured Jockeys Fund.”

Last year’s challenge was won by the jockeys, captained by Bridget Andrews.

“We were keen to get the changeovers right, as that is key, and also you need to choose your horse carefully,’ she said after her team’s 2017 victory.

“We spent all morning watching the inter-hunt relay and earmarked our horses – you need ones that are quick but careful.”

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Barbury International runs from 5 to 8 July and features the fourth leg of the CIC3* Event Rider Masters (ERM) series, as well as another CIC3* section, a CIC2* and novice classes.

Riders from 21 nations and around 1,000 horses will compete over the four days.

Nine former ERM-winning riders are entered for the Barbury leg, including 2017 victors Tom Carlile and Upsilon.

“I’m delighted with the entries, which include CCI4* winners, CCI3* winners and lots of contenders for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in September,” said event director Martyn Johnson.

“Several leading nations are using Barbury as a WEG trial, which is a great compliment to the event.

“Anyone who wants to watch real superstars, both equine and human, in action, should come to Barbury. We have the best viewing of any event in the country, so feast your eyes on the best of the best.”

In this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, out on Thursday 28 June 2018, don’t miss our full report from the Hickstead Derby meeting, including all the showjumping and showing action, plus don’t miss our six-page report from Royal Ascot.

We also have a feature on the much discussed whip rules across the disciplines and in this week’s ‘Vet clinic’ we find out how to spot the signs of sand colic.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Rolex Grand Slam contender Oliver Townend is the lunchtime leader on the first day of dressage at the 2018 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

Oliver and the first of his two rides, European team gold medal-winner Cooley SRS, were ninth to go this morning, scoring 25.9.

Oliver, whose win at Kentucky last week puts him in contention for the grand slam title, is 1.5 penalties ahead of second-placed Gemma Tattersall on Pamero 4 on 27.4.

“The horse is at his first four-star, so it is nice to get through and feel that they have given their best,” Oliver told H&H.

“The horse made one mistake and I made another, but I’m happy with the mark and his overall performance.”

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He added there is “no doubt about it” that Badminton is going to be “heavy going and a stamina test”.

“There’s plenty out there on the course, it is definitely Badminton — there’s a few twists and turns and it is definitely going to be hard work.

“You are going to see a lot of action one way or the other, it is a serious course.”

Meanwhile Gemma was delighted with Pamero 4’s performance.

This is a relatively new ride for Gemma, as the horse was campaigned by Laura Collett until March 2017.

“I’m delighted with the score, we made some pretty big mistakes, but also did some seriously lovely work,” she said.

“Pamero and I are still getting to know each other, so before today you could count on one hand the number of times I have been in an international arena with him.”

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In third is four-time Badminton winner Sir Mark Todd, with his Rio Olympic ride Leonidas II.

“I’m very happy with his test, he just got a little bit tight in the walk, which messed up our halt and rein-back, but I think he scored pretty consistently all the way through,” said Mark.

“It is always hard when you go this early in the morning as the judges are never too excited about what they see, but from what I can gather, it was judged pretty fairly.”

Still to go this afternoon are former winning riders (and the only two eventing Rolex Grand Slam winners) Michael Jung on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW and Pippa Funnell, riding Billy Beware.

Read an interview with Badminton first-timer Will Furlong in the current issue of H&H (dated 3 May), plus Badminton predictions from equestrian data experts EquiRatings.

Our bumper 24-page Badminton preview will be in our 10 May issue, including opinion from Oliver Townend, Mark Phillips and Peter Storr.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

On Saturday night, the 2011 Badminton winner NZB Land Vision was put down. His victory was one of the great Badminton stories of our time, the triumph of an extraordinarily talented young horse, piloted by the greatest rider eventing has ever known. We look back at Mark Todd and NZB Land Vision’s Badminton story.

“He got a little bit uptight and against the hand, but he’s such a good-looking, elegant horse that he shows himself off. There’s another five marks improvement in him,” says Mark.

Ruth Edge leads the field at this stage, scoring 33.3 on Two Thyme, but ground jury president Anne-Mette Binder actually has Mark in first place.

“He’s a relatively young inexperienced horse and he did feel a bit green and got tired towards the end, but he was very genuine — he could easily have stopped at the Quarry,” says Mark, after the horse climbed over the log at the bottom of the slope.

The day was marked by some confusion over Marina Kohncke’s time-faults as she was held on course and there were issues with calculating her held time, so Mark only found out he was in pole position at the press conference

This is the 12th year in a row that the overnight leader has won Badminton.

“Two years ago, he would have had two fences down. Today he managed to stay focused; he’s a really good jumper and one of the best horses I’ve ridden,” says Mark.

Mark’s other Badminton wins were in 1980 (Southern Comfort), 1994 (Horton Point) and 1996 (Bertie Blunt).

“I always felt this competition this year was mine,” he says. “Winning is incredibly special, right up there with back-to-back gold medals. It comes down to horse power and I reckon I’ve got one of the best in the world.”

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Sir Mark Todd has paid tribute to NZB Land Vision, the 2011 Badminton winner who was put down on Saturday (17 March) at the age of 17 when he suffered complications after colic surgery.

“He was definitely he best horse I’d had since Charisma,” Mark told H&H. “He could do everything — he was great on the flat, a fabulous jumper, very good cross-country. He had everything going for him. Before I got him, obviously he was successful with Oliver Townend and Daniel Henson, with whom he also won quite a bit in pure dressage.”

Mark explained that the only thing “Ben” lacked was a physical toughness, which meant his career was cut short.

“After Badminton he sadly only did a handful of events. He had reoccurring tendon problems and various issues. He was one of those horses without a very sound constitution. Sometimes you get these horses with amazing ability, but their body just can’t cope with it. That’s the thing with event horses — it’s all very well having the ability, but they have to be able to withstand the work too.”

Speaking of NZB Land Vision’s Badminton win, which came three years after Mark’s comeback to eventing, the rider said: “Badminton was pretty remarkable on all fronts. When I came back to eventing, I hoped to prove I could get back to that level and he was horse that did that for me. To win another Badminton amazing and he was a relatively inexperienced horse at the time. It was his first four-star and he’d only done one CCI3* as a nine-year-old.”

Badminton final scores

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In his later years, NZB Land Vision was a favourite on the Todd yard even though he was no longer seriously competing.

“I did a couple of indoor events with him after he finished eventing and [my wife] Carolyn played around here with him,” said Mark. “He loved being worked and various people had plays on him. He could go out and do two-time changes and all the party tricks.

“He was a lovely horse to have around, a real gentleman who was just brilliant to do anything with. He could be quite sharp out hacking and a bit spooky, but there wasn’t a nasty bone in his body. He was great to travel to events, never got worried or panicked, always ate and did everything. He was an easy horse in that respect.”

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NZB Land Vision, the horse who carried Sir Mark Todd to his comeback Badminton win in 2011, has been put down, aged 17.

Mark told H&H that “Ben” had a colic operation a couple of weeks ago, but after an initial period of successful recovery, complications set in on Saturday.

“We sent him back to the hospital, but it got worse and they couldn’t operate again,” he said. “He was in a lot of pain so we had to make the decision on Saturday night.”

Mark paid tribute to the horse, saying: “Ben was undoubtedly one of the most talented horses I ever rode and to win Badminton for us at his first four-star as a 10-year-old was amazing. Due to his soundness issues we never got to see just how good he could have been. He has been a fantastic hack for Carolyn [Mark’s wife] in his retirement.

“Huge thanks to Sir Peter Vela and NZ Bloodstock for giving me the opportunity to ride him and to all the girls over the years who have been his devoted carers. He was loved by everyone who had anything to do with him. A true gentleman.”

Badminton final scores

The grey by Broadstone Landmark started his eventing career as a four-year-old under Daniel Henson and over the next three seasons progressed quietly up to intermediate level, racking up several wins and placings, but also having a number of cross-country jumping penalties.

Land Vision’s career really took over when he teamed up with Oliver Townend in 2008, running under the ODT prefix. He won an intermediate at Somerley Park, the CIC2* at Strzegom, Poland, and the British intermediate championships at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe, so often a pointer to future stars.

The following year Land Vision moved to Mark Todd’s yard. The pair won the CIC2* at Somerley on their second run together and moved up to three-star. They had some mixed results, but finished 14th at Blenheim CCI3* in the autumn.

Land Vision hit a purple patch in the autumn of 2010, winning an advanced at Highclere and the eight- and nine-year-old CIC3* at Blenheim, before taking second in the big CCI3* at Boekelo.

The following spring, after three prep runs including fifth in the Grantham Cup at Belton, Land Vision and Mark Todd won Badminton. It was one of the greatest Badminton stories of modern times, with this perennially popular rider scoring his fourth victory, more than 30 years after his first and just three years after making his comeback after eight years in retirement.

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Sadly, Land Vision was dogged by injury and never had a chance to build on that Badminton win. He had just one more run in 2011, missed 2012 and competed just a few times a year in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, always at open intermediate level. He was also placed in indoor cross-country classes in 2014, finishing second at the Stuttgart German Masters and fourth at the Sweden International Horse Show.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now