Equestrian: Mark Todd to lead five-strong NZ team to world games

Olympic champion Mark Todd will lead New Zealand's eventing team at the world games. Photo / Warren Buckland

Mark Todd will spearhead New Zealand's eventing challenge at the world equestrian games in North Carolina next month.

The double Olympic champion is one of five riders named for the Games. At the world event, New Zealand will line up a team of four, with the best three scores to count, and an individual combination.

Husband-and-wife four star champions Tim and Jonelle Price have been included along with Dan Jocelyn and Todd's fellow veteran Blyth Tait.

Todd will ride 11-year-old McClaren who is highly-regarded by the 62-year-old legend. Todd has won two world games team golds, a bronze and an individual silver, along with six Olympic medals.

The Prices, ranked fourth and fifth in the world, will fancy their chances.

Tim Price is riding 11-year-old Cekatinka, who was third at the Aachen international event recently and has been a consistent horse.

Jonelle Price, who won back-to-back four star titles this year at Badminton and Luhmuhlen, will ride Classic Moet, which was the leading New Zealand combination at the 2014 world games, finishing fourth. She was part of the 2012 Olympic bronze medal-winning team.

Olympic and world champion Tait, 57, will ride 14-year-old Irish horse Dassett Courage and is chuffed to be selected after some years out of the limelight.

''I am absolutely delighted. It has been a long time and I'm very honoured to be part of such a strong team and plan to take my opportunity.''

Jocelyn will ride Grovine de Reve, an Irish-bred gelding.

Another four star winner Caroline Powell on Up Up and Away, and fast-rising Jesse Campbell on Cleveland are the team reserves.

This is the third discipline named by Equestrian Sports New Zealand for the WEG, after endurance representatives Jenny Champion of Wairarapa and Canterbury's Philip Graham, while dressage riders Julie Brougham of Palmerston North and Hamilton's John Thompson are already in the US preparing for the games.

The games, the biggest multi-discipline event in equestrian sport, will be held in Tryon from September 11-23.