NZs Mark Todd wins 4th Badminton 31 yrs after 1st win

Mark Todd on "Land Vision"

The awesome and expert New Zealand equestrian rider Mark Todd won his 4th Badminton this weekend - 31 years after he first won it! Just amazing...

His previous 11 year old horse Gandalf had to be put down Dec 2009, and his new steed is "Land Vision". Todd had planned to take Gandalf to the next Olympics but now Land Vision will fit the bill.

At 55, Todd is the oldest rider to ever win Badminton. Stuff.co.nz reports: "Aboard the striking grey NZB Land Vision, Todd, now the oldest rider to have won Badminton at 55, was a picture of calm as he completed the showjumping phase, needing to go clear as just four points separated the top 12 riders.

However, the two-time Olympic medallist said it didn't all go his way aboard a horse having just its first four star start.

"We gave that first fence a little nudge and that woke both of us up," he said.

But he was full of praise for Land Vision who he rates as as good as any other horse he has had.

"I had a good feeling about this competition and for some reason always felt this was mine to have this year."

"Todd became emotional as he reflected on the win, 31 years after his first at Badminton.

He took an eight-year break from eventing after the 2000 Sydney Olympics - he had already won successive Olympic golds at Los Angeles and Seoul - to concentrate on training racehorses.

But he underlined exactly why equestrian sport's governing body named him their greatest rider of the 20th century

"This, for me, is huge," he told reporters.

"To come back after a lay-off and to do it 31 years after my first Badminton win, it's up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds in 1984 and 1988."

Rock on Mark Todd! Go for Olympic Gold!