Mark Todd
by Fleur from Havelock North
|
| Wikipedia (Henry Bucklow) |
This man has no ordinary life of a simple 60 year old. When you hear of a 60 year old man, you think of a grandpa sitting in a rocking chair at a retirement home. Well, not this one. Mark Todd is going on to his 8th Olympics at the age of a sixty this year and has broken 2 records! One includes being the oldest person to compete at the Olympics after William Swinnerton who was 56 years old. The other, is being selected to go represent NZ at the Olympics for the 8th time!
Mark grew up on a very big dairy farm as his father (Michael) was a farmer while his mother (Sarah) did the house work. Marks parents weren't very horsey but his grandfather was. At the age of 11 he was given a mare by his grandfather and taught himself how to ride. From there on, under the supervision of his grandfather he bought abused or neglected ponies and turned them into competition stars then sold them on. At school he hung out with the wrong crowd. He had bad grades, was caught smoking around the back of the school and had LOTS of detentions. But now that's all changed now that he has started caring for horses. He is now a kind and and caring. But three words that would REALLY describe him would be determined, strong-willed and confident.
|
| Horse Talk (Steph Free man) |
Mark Todd is now competing full time and here is a list of all Mark Todd's accomplishments: 1978 WEG ,1980 Badminton,1984 Olympic Gold, 1987 1st Burghley, 1988 Olympic Gold, 1988 Olympic Team Gold, 1990 WEG Team Gold, 1990 1st Burghley, 1991 1st Burghley ,1992 Olympic Team Silver, 1994 1st Badminton, 1996 1st Badminton, 1997 1st Burghley, 1997 European Championships, 1998 WEG Silver, 1998 WEG Team Gold, 1999 1st Burghley, 2000 Olympic Bronze, 2010 WEG Team Bronze, 2010 1st Badminton, 2012 Olympic Team Bronze.
And being voted rider of the 20th Century.
Mark Todd inspires me and probably a lot of other people to. He inspires me to care for the ponies that aren't as spoilt and fortunate as mine. Because when I'm older, I am going to rescue ponies and horses, feed them and ride them until they are healthy, then sell them onto homes that I know are kind and caring. And he is my hero as I feel sorry for all those horses that aren't as lucky as all the spoilt ponies. But Mark Todd saves those horses, and turns them into jumping stars. He is very determined and strong-willed as he had to come home every day after school and every weekend he would come home and ride his troublemaker ponies while trying to stay on at the same time. He could have easily given up all his hope and faith and given up riding, but here he is ten years later winning back to back gold medals at the Olympics. Also he is mainly confident. And everyone knows if you ride a 1200 pound animal that could kill you in a split second, you have to be confident.
|
| Horse Talk (Kit Houghton) |
In conclusion I think Mark Todd is a fantastic horse-rider and hero to look up to and follow in his footsteps.
As he is a strong-willed, confident, but kind and amazing rider.
A quote: ' It was your cross country round that caught our imagination. From that time on, we knew that Mark Todd would be a name to be reckoned with '
"Mum, I'm gonna compete at the Olympics one day" young Mark Todd said. "Sure honey, follow your dreams," his mum replied. And he sure followed his goal.
Page created on 7/6/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 7/6/2016 12:00:00 AM
The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.
