The British Horseracing Authority has confirmed an interim suspension has been placed on the licence of Sir Mark Todd after a video emerged on social media of the trainer striking a horse with a branch.
Todd was a highly successful three-day eventer before taking out his training licence, winning two Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 1988 for New Zealand and earning a knighthood in 2013 for his equestrian achievements.
In the video, Todd appears to be teaching a cross-country schooling session where one rider is struggling to get a horse into the water jump, with the trainer then brandishing a branch and striking the horse several times on the hindquarters. Todd later apologised for his actions.
