A two-year-old video of Olympic eventing double gold medalist Mark Todd striking a horse with a tree branch continues to wreak havoc with his reputation.
The latest fallout from the controversy that erupted over airing of the incident is the announcement today of an interim suspension of his race training license imposed by the British Horseracing Authority.
Todd, a 65-year-old New Zealander who won individual gold at the 1984 and 1988 Games to become an icon of the sport, was named the FEI (international equestrian federation) eventer of the 20th Century. He had retired from eventing in 2000 to train racehorses. But in 2008, he made an eventing comeback and also continued to be involved in racing. He retired from eventing competition for the second time in 2019.
Mark Todd. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
The video was made during a cross-country clinic where Todd was the instructor. A horse stopped on the edge of a water obstacle and would not proceed. Todd urged the animal to go forward, using the branch on its hindquarters, and the horse finally went into the water.
Investigations are continuing into the circumstances of this situation. Todd, who received a British knighthood in 2013, will not be able to enter horses in British races or internationally until the probe is completed.
A statement from the racing authority noted, “The trainer has admitted the individual involved in the video was him, has apologized for his actions and agreed to the imposition of an interim suspension.”
Prior to getting his British racing license in 2020, Todd had been a successful trainer in New Zealand. In eventing, he is a four-time winner of the Badminton 5-star and a five-time winner of the Burghley 5-star, both in Britain.
In a statement, Todd said, “I wholeheartedly apologize 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.
Mark Todd on McLaren at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in North Carolina. (Photo © 2018 by Nancy Jaffer)
“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.”
In the wake of the scandal, Todd resigned as a patron of World Horse Welfare.
That organization stated, “The treatment of the horse in this video is disturbing and unacceptable. There is no place in the horse-human partnership for such use of force. Mark agrees that his behavior was wrong and we welcome his apology.”
It added, “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.”
The charity added a warning that applies to everyone working with horses–especially in an era when very little is private and everyone has the ability to produce a video of anything.
“We all need to take heed from this episode,” the charity noted.
“If equestrian sport, which we actively support, is to continue to maintain the acceptance of the public–its social license–there cannot be any tolerance for unacceptable practices, no matter how experienced the rider or trainer.”
This is reminiscent of the outcry after a German coach punched a horse in the Tokyo Olympic pentathlon when it refused and its frustrated rider–who had been standing first in the five-part competition–burst into tears. The photos went worldwide. The incident didn’t help the cause of keeping riding in the pentathlon, and the show jumping part of that sport will be dropped after the 2024 Olympics. The fate of pentathlon itself is still uncertain for the 2028 Olympics.
There was an outcry among animal rights activists over the pentathlon scandal. PETA suggested all equestrian sports should be dropped from the Olympics, even though there can be no comparison between the situation of riding horses drawn by lot, as it relates to pentathlon, and the disciplines of dressage, eventing and show jumping, where riders train and develop their horses for years.
