Spontaneous Hors Concurs

Mark Todd, 51, and his Olympic stead, 10-year-old Gandalf made for a surprise entry at a Lincolnshire dressage show. Trudy Clark, who runs twice-monthly affiliated competitions at Elms Farm Equestrian Centre, could barely believe it when she realised it was the eventing gold medallist, who has come out of eight years retirement to contend the Olympic Games in Beijing. Clark said Todd did the medium hors concours and an advanced medium. “We were all a bit open-mouthed and very excited to see how he would get on,” she said. Then “Toddy” posed for pictures and signed autographs for the fans lucky enough to see their hero at such a low-key event. Todd has represented New Zealand at five Olympic Games and has won two individual gold medals.