Equestrian: Olympic hopes riding on Kiwis

Mark Todd. Photo / Mitchell Gunn, Actionplus

The only thing people normally put their legs astride in London's Greenwich Park is the prime meridian, the arbitrary line marking zero degrees of longitude at the Royal Observatory. Tourists flock to get photographed with legs either side of the painted red stripe marking Greenwich Mean Time.

Late next month, the world's most versatile horse riders - including veteran New Zealand Olympians Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson - will put their legs astride horses in that same park in London to contest the Olympic three-day eventing disciplines of dressage, cross-country and showjumping - where they are a distinct medal hope.

Todd and Nicholson are expected to be selected for their seventh Olympic campaigns when the team is named on July 3. Barring injury or mishap, they are likely to be joined by Caroline Powell, Jonathan Paget and Clarke Johnstone. The same team secured bronze in the eventing at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. The New Zealand team's Olympic prospects have been recognised with a $1.25 million investment from High Performance Sport New Zealand for this year's campaign.

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At 56, Todd is back on the Olympic medal radar after becoming the oldest winner at Badminton in April last year. The horse he took the title with, NZB Land Vision, is out of Olympic contention but he can ride NZB Campino or NZB Grass Valley as alternatives. The double Olympic gold medallist is the last New Zealand rider to medal at a Games, taking bronze at Sydney 12 years ago. He remains confident of a repeat.

"I'm naturally blessed with a fairly level temperament. If anything, I thrive on pressure. I've never used a sports psychologist but I seem to have an ability to cope. Pressure brings out the best in me."

Todd will need the same composure which has compelled observers to claim he could "win Badminton on a skateboard" or "make a donkey jump 10 feet". Since he won his first Olympic gold medal in 1984 aged 28, the winners have ranged from 28 to 45-years-old.

He was thrilled with his experience at the Games test event last year: "By the time our horses got there, all the gear had been laid out in roomy stables - it was as good as any facility of its type worldwide, including the vet quarters. The dressage arena was fine; the only criticism was from some of the pure showjumpers who suggested the sand jumped 'a bit dead'. The cross-country terrain is twisty and steep in places but for spectators it is an amazing view of the city."

The cross-country course is on two levels; flat at the top then a steep downhill to the bottom. It consists of 19 jumps over 2.8km. All the fences are portable and natural ponds are used as water obstacles.

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Nicholson's career has been intertwined with Todd's. He worked as Todd's groom at Badminton in 1980. Shortly after, Nicholson moved from his family's dairy farm in the Waikato to work in English racing stables. He now buys, trains and sells horses on his property in Wiltshire.

The 50-year-old is ranked second in the world but is chasing a first individual Olympic medal. He has two Olympic team medals (silver and bronze), a bronze at the last World Games and a couple of Burghley crowns. He says Greenwich Park has a good feel.

"I took a young horse [to the test event] because they take an awful lot more riding. The course tires them easily. You also ride faster than you intend to, the advantage being that I identified more potential pitfalls."

Many argue a smaller, more manoeuvrable horse could be useful on steep terrain but Nicholson is adamant his mount Nereo (rhymes with Te Reo) will be suitable, despite being relatively big at 17-hands tall.

"He's a big, powerful horse but very ridable. Sure, he won't be in love with the Greenwich course but I have faith in his work ethic to get down and dirty. His father was a racehorse; his mother was more of a showjumper. He is heavier than the average racehorse, so will use more energy on the hills but has more spring in his ligaments."

Nereo is getting primed for the London Games at Nicholson's stables. He is in a regular routine just like any human athlete for a major event.

"He is galloping once a week for the cross-country, he's showjumping twice a week and doing dressage on a couple of other days," Nicholson says. "His muscles and ligaments are getting worked into a routine to prevent injury. Remember, the horses have to do the work, I just do the steering.

It hasn't stopped Nicholson getting addicted, too. He used to rely more on being 'match fit' through riding. The onset of age means he has employed a fitness consultant for these Games.

"He came in the winter and set me up with a rowing machine. Maybe I should enter the 1500m as well," Nicholson laughs.

Todd relies on being "horse fit" more than anything: "That's the great thing [about eventing]. It is not like running, swimming or gymnastics where you have a shorter lifespan; the horse does most of the work. I look after myself - staying supple is the most important thing. I ride horses every day combined with a bit of swimming, cycling and yoga."

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The London Games have an advantage for the New Zealanders, given most of the contenders live in Britain for at least part of the year.

"It's going to be much easier getting the horses around," Nicholson says. "We only have to put them in a float and drive rather than worrying about aeroplanes, changes in climate or quarantine. In fact, the moment the Olympics were announced for London [in 2005] I was focusing on it."

"It is the best possible scenario being just down the road. We will also get to experience the athlete village as a full part of the New Zealand team, unlike Beijing where we were isolated in Hong Kong. Mixing with other athletes is a big part of the Olympics. The village will be less than 20 minutes from the venue."

With Badminton cancelled this year due to poor weather, candidates for the New Zealand team will have a final trial at Barbury Castle in Wiltshire at the end of the month. Those named in the team on July 3 will head to the world equestrian festival in Aachen, Germany the following week as a final competition warm-up before going into a camp in Surrey just before the Games.