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Sir Mark Todd Under Fire As Video Emerges

Dual Olympic gold medal-winning equestrian and licensed trainer Sir Mark Todd has become the subject of much criticism after a video showing him repeatedly striking a horse with a tree branch emerged on social media.

The video, from 2020, shows the New Zealand native striking a reluctant horse some 10 times when it baulked at a water crossing.

“I wholeheartedly apologise to the horse and all involved for my actions in this video clip,” Todd said in a statement.

“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider, and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results.

“I believe this is one of the main attributes, along with a great empathy with animals, that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing. I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”

The British Horseracing Authority has been made aware of the video and released a statement of its own, saying: “The footage seen this weekend of Sir Mark Todd hitting a horse with a branch has rightly caused anger and upset within the equestrian community and beyond. His behaviour, for which he has apologised, fell a long way short of the standards of care we expect of licensed individuals and that we know is provided to the overwhelming majority of horses in training in Britain every day. The BHA is looking into the incident.”

Todd won Olympic gold in 1984 and 1988 and was knighted for services to equestrian sport in the 2013 New Year Honours.

This, from Sir Mark Todd, is absolutely disgusting.

This is not the behaviour of someone knighted for services to Equestrian Sport pic.twitter.com/fRIa5D27cy

— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) February 12, 2022

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Arrest Made In 37-Horse Animal Abuse Case In California

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department in California has made an arrest in the equine abuse case that saw 30 horses seized by animal services back in December, reports The Modesto Bee.

Lisa Dunckley, 53, was arrested Thursday at a Stanislaus Animal Control hearing and booked on a felony animal abuse charge.

Thirty horses, including multiple pregnant or nursing mares, were seized during the course of an animal welfare investigation in Riverbank, Calif. on Dec. 20. All 30 were taken to the Oakdale Equine Rescue, which later took in seven additional horses.

“I can tell you the animals were in very poor condition,” Annette Bedsworth, executive director of Stanislaus County Animal Services, told modbee.com on that date. “This was unnecessary. It did not need to happen.”

Authorities and individuals with past dealings believe Dunckley had been keeping up to 80 horses at multiple locations, but no information on the other horses was available.

Dunckly posted bail and was released, and arraignment details were not immediately available as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has delayed court proceedings.

Meanwhile, a dispute on Jan. 13 between several of the horses' owners and the Oakdale Equine Rescue over payment for the horses' veterinary care may also result in lawsuits.

France Now Requires Horse Owners To Be Licensed; Nonpayment Of Fees Considered Abandonment

France has enacted three new laws to combat animal abuse and protect horse welfare. One requires horse owners to obtain a “knowledge certificate,” another requires “nerved” horses to be identified, and the third considers nonpayment of boarding fees to be abandonment.

Horse owners who aren't licensed by a governing body (like the French Equestrian Federation) will be required to complete a course that demonstrates their knowledge of equine management. This certificate will be required to be completed by all private horse owners within a year.

Horses that have received a neurectomy must have the procedure noted in their identification documents. Chronic hoof pain might necessitate the procedure, which involves cutting the nerve and making it insensitive to pain. Horses which have been nerved are not permitted to race or compete.

A horse owner who doesn't pay boarding or lease fees on a horse, leaving it in the care of an equine facility, will be charged with abandonment. After the horse owner or lessor has been served with a formal notice and three months have passed, the facility housing the horse can apply to have the horse auctioned to recoup lost fees.

Irish Trainer Pat Hayes Convicted Of Animal Neglect After Horse Found ‘In Shocking Condition’

Irish trainer Pat Hayes has been convicted of animal neglect after a horse was found starving on his land, reports extra.ie. He was handed a suspended three month sentence and ordered to pay €5,000 (about US$5,660) to a local animal charity, Kildare Animal Foundation.

The horse was found in February of 2020 by a passer-by, a source told extra.ie: “This horse was in shocking condition,” the source was quoted as saying.

Found with ribs protruding through the skin, a prolapsed penis, and cardiac disease, the horse had no food or water available. The horse had to be euthanized shortly after he was found.

Hayes, the brother of champion apprentice jockey Chris Hayes, has not had his license revoked as a result of the conviction, and is understood to still have horses on his land.