Olympic equestrian champion Mark Todd free to resume training after ban for striking horse
Double Olympic equestrian champion Mark Todd is free to resume training racehorses after receiving a four-month suspension with two months deferred over a video which showed him striking a horse with a branch.
The 66-year-old New Zealander was seen striking a horse several times while attempting to coax it towards a water jump in a cross-country schooling session.
Todd, who won individual gold medals at the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics, has apologised for the incident.
He was handed an interim suspension by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in February and since his penalty was backdated to that point, his licence has now been restored.
The BHA said Todd had accepted that his behaviour fell short of the standard expected and “ran contrary to the values of care and respect for the horse that underpin British racing”.
Todd became a racehorse trainer in 2019 after retiring from three-day eventing.
Reuters
From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.