Sir Mark Todd rides McClaren during the First Day of Dressage. Photo by Libby Law, ESNZ.
Cambridge’s Sir Mark Todd wrapped up the CCIO3 Military Boekelo-Enschede on Sunday – an international equestrian eventing competition in The Netherlands – with a seventh-place finish aboard the very promising McClaren.
“I was particularly thrilled with his performance,” Todd said of the trusty horse. “At the beginning of this year he was only doing novice, so to finish seventh in his first CCIO3 competition is truly phenomenal. I think he is a brilliant horse for the future.”
It was a great weekend for the NZ eventing team as a whole, finishing as the top team in the international competition to secure the FEI Nations Cup.
“It was a fantastic effort by the team to win the final round of the Nations Cup by a convincing margin,” said Todd. “All the horses went really well, and it was very exciting for Tim (Price) with the lovely mare Cekatinka to win the overall competition.”
Conditions had been tough with a lot of rain, but a new all-weather surface at Boekelo for both the dressage and showjumping had paid dividends.
Much of the talk going into the event had been about series leaders Germany and Great Britain. But it was the Kiwi team that finished first on 160.9, with Germany second on 174.3 and Australia third on 203.7.
Team NZ win the final leg of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing. From left, ESNZ HP Eventing Manager Graeme Thom, Tim Price (Cekatinka), Blyth Tait (Havanna Van’t Castaneahof), Dan Jocelyn (Grovine de Reve), Sir Mark Todd (McClaren) during the Prizegiving. Photo by Libby Law, ESNZ.
