Mark Todd (equestrian) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Mark Todd KNZM CBE
Todd on Gandalf at the 2008 Barbury International Horse Trials
Personal information
Full name	Mark James Todd
Discipline	Eventing
Born	(1956-03-01) 1 March 1956 (age 69) Cambridge, New Zealand
Medal record Equestrian Representing  New Zealand Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 – 3 World Championships 2 1 1 Olympic Games Gold 1984 Los Angeles Individual eventing Gold 1988 Seoul Individual eventing Bronze 1988 Seoul Team eventing Bronze 2000 Sydney Individual eventing Bronze 2012 London Team eventing World Championships Gold 1990 Stockholm Team eventing Gold 1998 Rome Team eventing Silver 1998 Rome Individual eventing Bronze 2010 Lexington Team eventing

Todd and Major Milestone during the cross-country phase of Burghley Horse Trials 2010

Todd and NZB Land Vision during the cross-country phase of the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials

Sir Mark James Todd (born 1 March 1956) is a famous horseman from New Zealand. He is best known for his amazing skills in eventing, a sport where riders and horses compete in three different areas: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. He was even voted the "Rider of the 20th Century"!

Mark Todd has won many big awards. He earned gold medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988). He also won the Badminton Horse Trials four times and the Burghley Horse Trials five times. As part of New Zealand's eventing team, he won gold medals at the World Championships in 1990 and 1998. He has won over 20 other international events and many team titles.

In 1988, he was named New Zealand's Sportsperson of the Year. He was also added to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, at 55 years old, he became the oldest winner of the Badminton Horse Trials. He won his fifth Olympic medal in 2012, setting a record for the longest time between his first and last Olympic medals (28 years!). He has competed in seven Olympic Games, more than any other New Zealander.

In 2022, a video was shared showing Mark Todd hitting a horse during a training session. He quickly apologized for his actions. His training license was temporarily paused while the situation was looked into.

Early Life and Horse Passion

Mark Todd was born in Cambridge, New Zealand. From a young age, he loved horses very much. He rode at a pony club and competed in local shows.

He thought about becoming a jockey, but he grew too tall (6 feet 2 inches!). This led him to focus on show jumping instead. Another rider, Andrew Nicholson, once said that Mark "could ride anything – he could go cross-country on a dairy cow!" This shows how talented he was with horses.

After school, Mark Todd studied farming and worked on farms. He still made time for riding, competing, and selling horses.

Mark Todd's Equestrian Career

In 1978, Mark Todd was part of New Zealand's first team to compete in a world championship for three-day eventing. This was in Lexington, United States. After this, he moved to England. He worked in stables and got to ride horses for events. In 1980, he won the Badminton Horse Trials on his first try, riding a horse named Southern Comfort. At the time, not many people knew who he was.

Many people see Mark Todd as a leader in three-day eventing for New Zealand. His success inspired other New Zealand riders who later won Olympic medals and world championships. One of them, Vaughn Jefferis, said that they all "owe a huge debt to Mark Todd" because he showed them the way.

Famous Horses and Achievements

Mark Todd became a very popular sportsman in New Zealand. Some of the horses he rode also became famous. The most well-known was Charisma. This horse helped Mark win two Olympic gold medals in a row, in 1984 and 1988. After the 1988 Olympics, Charisma retired to a farm in New Zealand. Charisma even appeared with Mark at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

In 1984, Mark Todd moved his base to England so he could train and compete there more easily. He was recognized for his achievements by the Queen of New Zealand. He became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1985 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995.

He also competed at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, where he won an individual bronze medal.

Retirement and Comeback

After the 2000 Olympics, Mark Todd retired from international competitions. He moved back to New Zealand with his family. He started breeding horses and worked on other businesses. He even coached the New Zealand Olympic Eventing team in 2004. He still rode horses locally and supported the sport.

But in 2008, Mark Todd decided to return to eventing! He bought a horse named Gandalf to try and qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He did qualify and performed very well at the Olympics in Beijing. The New Zealand team finished fifth, and Mark placed 17th individually.

After the 2008 Olympics, Mark Todd decided to fully return to top-level eventing. He moved back to England with a team of horses. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he became the second oldest New Zealander to compete in the Olympics.

In 2013, he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to equestrian sport. This means he is now called "Sir Mark Todd."

He competed again at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was still the second oldest New Zealander at the Games. The New Zealand team finished 4th, and Mark finished 7th individually.

Recent Events

In February 2022, a video from two years earlier became public. It showed Mark Todd hitting a horse with a branch during a training session because the horse did not want to go into a water obstacle. Mark Todd quickly said he was sorry after the video was shared. The British Horseracing Authority looked into the matter. Mark Todd's training license was temporarily stopped. He also stepped down from his role as a patron for a charity called World Horse Welfare. His training license was given back to him in April 2022 after a panel decided he had already served his temporary suspension.

Olympic and World Championship Results

Mark Todd has achieved many great things in his career. Here are some of his top results from the Olympics and World Championships:

Year	Event	Horse	Placing	Notes
1984	Olympic Games	Charisma	6th	Team
				Individual
1988	Olympic Games	Charisma		Team
				Individual
1990	World Equestrian Games	Bahlua		Team
			5th	Individual
1992	Olympic Games	Welton Greylag		Team
			RET	Individual
1998	World Equestrian Games	Broadcast News		Team
				Individual
2000	Olympic Games	Eyespy II	8th	Team
				Individual
2008	Olympic Games	Gandalf	5th	Team
			17th	Individual
2010	World Equestrian Games	Grass Valley		Team
			11th	Individual
2012	Olympic Games	NZB Campino		Team
			12th	Individual
2016	Olympic Games	Leonidas II	4th	Team
			7th	Individual

Personal Life

Mark Todd married Carolyn Berry in 1986. They had two children, Lauren and James. They separated in 2009 but later remarried in 2014. Only their children were there as witnesses.

Mark Todd has also written several books about his life and horse training. These include his autobiography, So Far, So Good, and books like Charisma and Mark Todd’s Cross-Country Handbook. He has also made training videos.

See also

In Spanish: Mark Todd para niños