New Century Sports learned today that a two-time Olympic champion was suspended by the British Horse Racing Authority for whipping horses, a penalty endorsed by the International Equestrian Federation.
The horse trainer license was suspended by Olympic champion Sir Mark Todd. The 65-year-old Todd is a legend in the field of New Zealand equestrianism and has had a very successful riding career.
Olympic champion Mark Todd leads a horse in Birmingham, England.
Todd competed in eight Olympic Games, including an individual all-around gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and four years later at seoul, and bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In 2012, he also won bronze medals in team competitions in Seoul and London. In 2013, he was awarded the title of "Jazz" for his outstanding contribution to equestrian sport. In 2016, he competed in the Rio Olympics Equestrian Triathlon Cross Country Race and competed with Chinese Olympic rider Hua Tian.
In 2016, Todd competed in an equestrian triathlon cross country race at the Rio Olympics.
Three years earlier, Todd had quit equestrian racing and settled in England and trained horses. In 2021, the foal he trained won runner-up in the International Second Division, King Edward VII, held at the Royal Jockey Club.
On 13 February, a video of Sir Mark Todd whipping a horse with a branch in an attempt to get it into a pool appeared online and was widely retweeted on TikTok.
The TikTok video shows Sir Mark Todd whipping a horse with a branch.
The video shared on TikTok shows the horse hitting it 10 times while it was standing at the water's edge, and then to the cheers of onlookers, the horse ended up in the water.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Todd Zema greeted the audience at the venue.
The video has caused anger and unease both inside and outside the equestrian world and has been the subject of numerous angry comments, which animal protection groups have also paid attention to.
In the face of criticism, Todd issued an apology statement saying, "I sincerely apologize to this horse and all those involved for my actions in this video."
He said patience, kindness, respect and great compassion for the animals allowed him to have a long and successful career in the race, but he is now very disappointed in himself "because I didn't stick to that in this matter".
Real scene of the Royal Jockey Club. Todd's foal was runners-up here last year.
However, in the eyes of the British Horse Racing Authority, Sir Mark Todd's apology for his use of branches to beat the horse fell far short of the standards expected of the Authority for licensed people.
According to a statement issued by the British Horse Racing Authority, the British Horse Racing Authority is investigating the incident and has stopped his trainer license.