Facile Vega© Photo Healy Racing
A video which circulated on social media over the weekend of Mark Todd beating a horse with a stick to make it enter a water obstacle on an eventing course is utterly abhorrent. The decorated New Zealand-born equestrian champion turned racehorse trainer has issued a statement of apology which included the following:
“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.”
None of the above was evident in the video which was disturbing on many levels. Firstly, during this training session with a number of horses that is reported to have taken place two years ago, Todd appears to be lying in wait with a large stick in hand as the horse approaches the water obstacle. This looks like a premeditated action, and once the horse hesitates at the edge of the water, Todd quickly runs up behind the horse and repeatedly beats it. At the same time Todd is issuing instructions to the rider in a manner that suggests this is no more than a standard training procedure. Todd doesn't appear to have lost his temper and once the horse eventually concedes to enter the water Todd casually walks away.
Six other people can be seen in the video, but by the sounds of cheering when the horse jumps into the water, many more were present. Yes, they actually cheered.
Since it has taken two years for the video to go public you’d have to presume that most people present on the day didn’t see much wrong with Todd’s actions which is most alarming. They possibly didn’t see much wrong because they were used to seeing similar behaviour towards horses.
Dual Olympic Gold medalist Todd previously trained a Classic winner in his native New Zealand and is now licensed in the UK by the BHA and the governing body issued a statement on Sunday which included the following: “His behaviour, for which he has apologised, fell a long way short of the standards of care we expect of licenced 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.”
Compare this to their response less than twelve months ago when the infamous Gordon Elliott image surfaced: “The BHA, which regulates racing in Britain, will use powers under its rules to refuse to allow horses trained by Mr Elliott to race in Britain pending consideration of the outcome of the Irish investigation.”
The Todd video is far more disturbing than the Elliott image so why has the BHA not acted as swiftly this time? Some might suggest it has to do with the fact that Todd has been knighted by the Queen. Others may see it as evidence of an anti-Irish bias but ultimately due process must be seen to be done and at the very least the BHA seem to have learned something from their ill-judged knee-jerk reaction last time.
Todd’s actions have resulted in horse racing’s social licence being further eroded and you’d have to wonder how much more bad publicity the sport can actually handle. Public confidence in those that care for horses in Ireland took a real battering last year - from the nobbling of Viking Hoard to Gordon Elliott to Abattoirs to Stephen Mahon to Jim Bolger’s doping claims and the Monasterevin raid. Internationally the situation is not much better.
Those peddling the“five-star hotel” and “horses can’t feel the air-cushioned whip” rhetoric are sounding increasingly out of touch. The public perception of racing is that of an industry that uses horses as a means to an end and anything goes once you don’t get caught.
While there are still those within the industry who couldn’t give two hoots about what the public thinks they’ll be quick enough to change their views once they start to feel it in their pocket and that time is surely getting closer. The politicians of Ireland hold racing’s purse strings and, while they also have a tendency to disregard public opinion for much of their tenure, they’ll be quick to distance themselves from the sport if it means votes.
Changing the subject, it was great to see Enable pictured with her colt foal by Kingman which was born last Friday afternoon. There will be huge expectations to see if the brilliant race mare has passed on her winning attributes to her son. It will be two or more years before we get to see him on a racecourse, but if he does turn out to be an exceptional racehorse like his mother he can then carry those genes to the breeding shed when he retires.
It’s a pity the same can’t happen in the National Hunt side of the game. Take the wonderful race mare Quevega as an example. Her son Facile Vega has looked top drawer in two recent bumpers at Leopardstown and is a short-priced favourite to win the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in four weeks time. Unfortunately, no matter how good he turns out to be he can’t pass on those genes as he’s been gelded. It will be a similar story if connections of Honeysuckle ever decide to put her in foal.
