Horse & Hound – 22 August 2019

Illustration by Emily Cole. Picture by sarahfarnsworth.co.uk

TODDYTHESAVIOUR

ITwaswithmixedfeelingsthat

I readaboutSirMarkTodd’s

retirementfromeventing.First,

prideina fellowKiwiwhohas

donesomuchforequestrianism,

butsadnessthatI won’tseehim

rideagain.Themanis a legend

anda celebrityinNewZealand,

eventopeoplewhodon’tknow

one end of a horse from the other.

Thereis nowaythatMark

couldeverknowthis,buthe

mademytimegrowingupin

NewZealanda lotmoretolerable

thanit wouldotherwisehave

been.I wasa verygeekykidinan

unacademicruralschool,where

sportingprowesswasrewarded

highlybutacademicachievement

wasa targetforpersecution.

However, my classmates were

soimpressedI “didwhatMark

Todddid”outsideschoolthat

theyoverlookedmynerdiness.

Therefore,Marksavedmefroma

childhoodofpersecutionwithout

everknowingit.

Isaluteyou,SirMark,and

wishyouthegreatesthappiness

andsuccessinyournewcareer.

SarahJohnsen

Edinburgh,Midlothian

PONYCLUBSTANDSOUT

WITHreferencetoGeorgia

Butler’sletter(8August),I am

saddenedtohearthatshefeelsher

childrenarenotgettingthebest

fromtheirPonyClubexperiences.

WithintheCheshireHunt

South(CHS)branchofthePony

Club,ourdistrictcommissioner

(DC)is farfrombeing“embattled”.

Rather,shehasspentthepast

30 orsoyearsbeinghands-on,

workingtirelesslyforthegoodof

themembers.Thisshehasdone

withthehelpandsupportofthe

branchcommitteeandparents

and,likeallDCs,sheis unpaid.

ThePonyCluboffersan

internationallyrecognised

structureoftraining,and

continuestoproduceeducated,

capableandemployableyoung

peoplewhoarea credittothe

entireorganisation.

Of the thousands of riders I

LETTERS

haveseenasa BritishEventing

(BE)chiefdressagesteward,from

BE80(T)uptointernationaland

Olympiclevel,themajorityof

regularpastandpresentPony

Clubridersstandouta mile

fortheirhorsemanshipand

presentationatBEevents.

KatieHolden,CHSchief

instructor/BritishHorse Society

seniorcoach

Winsford,Cheshire

WHYTHEDECLINE?

I WASinterestedtoreadGeorgia

Butler’sletter(8August)about

thedecliningnumberofolder

members in the Pony Club.

[email protected]

Name and address must be included. Letters may be edited.

NEXTWEEK

BURGHLEY

COURSE

WALKWITH

MARKTODD

Plusdressage,showjumping

andparadressageEuropean

Championshipsreport.

Don’t miss it!

‘Pride and sadness’: many will miss seeing Mark Todd eventing