29th April, 2011

Country99TV is pleased to announce they have secured exclusive pay television broadcast rights to coverage of Mark Todd’s history making comeback at the 2011 Badminton Horse Trials.

The Badminton Horse Trials is one of the toughest and most exciting equestrian events - the pinnacle of the world’s 3-Day-Event calendar.

As the name suggests horses and riders complete the competition over 3 days, each day consisting of a different discipline or phase. Horses and riders must complete a dressage test demonstrating Obedience, Discipline, Accuracy and Elegance. They need to be fit and athletic to complete a 4 mile cross country ride jumping solid man-made and natural obstacles within a set time.

Finally they must complete a course of show-jumps designed to test their agility and accuracy at speed. Mark Todd is among the most celebrated New Zealand sportsmen, with two Olympic gold medals and numerous other honours.

He was named to compete in six successive Olympic Games, though he missed the first games, in Moscow in 1980, because of the American-led boycott.

Mark was a pioneer of three-day eventing in New Zealand and, in 1978, was part of New Zealand’s first three-day eventing team to contest a world championship.

In his first attempt at Badminton in 1980, riding Southern Comfort, Todd was 45th after the dressage, but was one of only three inside the time limit on the cross-country. Going into the final day he was third. When other riders came unstuck during the show jumping, Todd was Badminton champion. It was his first major victory in what was to become a glittering 20-year career at the top. He remains the only person to win back-to-back individual Olympic titles since World War II.

Please visit www.country99tv.co.nz for screening times, details on how to subscribe to Country99TV and all other equestrian coverage.

ENDS

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