Charisma (horse)

Charisma (1972 - 2003) was a horse ridden by New Zealander Mark Todd, and the gelding won many competitions in the sport of eventing. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest event horses ever to have competed. He stood 14.3hh.

Breeding and early life

Charisma, also known as "Podge" and "Stroppy," was born October 30, 1972. His 12hh hand dam, Planet, was by the Connemara and 1/16 Thoroughbred stallion Kiritea. Her dam was a Thoroughbred mare named Starbourne. Planet was a very successful Grade A show jumper in New Zealand, and under rider Sheryl Douglas, became the first mare in New Zealand to jump her own height. However, an injury ended her career, and she went home and was bred to the Thoroughbred stallion, Tira Mink.

Charisma's first home was on the William's 3,000-acre (12 km²) farm in Wairarapa. Even at a young age, Charisma was laid-back and easy to train. He was soon bought by David Murdoch, who placed the yearling in a small pasture with a four-foot fence, which Charisma jumped. The colt was gelded as a four-year-old, although he managed to cover four mares before that time.

Competitive career

The Beginning: 1977-1982

The young horse was slowly broken in, and later bought by Sharon Dearden in 1977. She competed him in Grade B show jumping competitions, and trained him up to intermediate level in eventing. Although the pair was long-listed for the Los Angeles Olympics, Dearden decided to sell the horse. Mrs. Fran Clark bought him and later lent him to Jennifer Stobart. Stobart brought him to Prix St Georges level in dressage "just for fun".

Under Mark Todd: 1983-1986

Mark Todd was offered Charisma to ride by Virginia Caro, as his experienced horse was sick. In May 1983, he tried the gelding out, and brought him back to his place to get the horse fit. Charisma was a bit fat at that time, and had to be bedded on newspaper strips, as he would try to eat other bedding. Keeping the weight off the horse was always quite a struggle.

Charisma won his first two one-day events with Mark Todd, and then won the National One-Day Event Championship and National Three-day Event at Taupo (both of which he led after dressage and finished on his dressage score). The pair was then selected for the Los Angeles Olympics.

Charisma was moved to England in February 1984. During the trip he became sick, and the illness never really left him for the rest of his career. The gelding was taken to the Badminton Horse Trials later that year, where he finished in 2nd place on his dressage score. Another satisfying finish came a few months later, at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Mark and Charisma finished well after dressage, and then put in a clear cross-country and stadium round. A rail down by Karen Stives, who was leading by a few points, allowed the pair to cinch the individual gold.

After the Olympics, Charisma's owner, Fran Clark, decided to sell her horse. However, for some reason she did not seem to want Mark Todd to continue with Charisma as a mount. In 1985, she offered Charisma to the British rider Lizzie Purbrick. Knowing that Todd wanted the horse badly, Purbrick managed a deal with him to buy Charisma behind Fran Clark's back. Mark Todd's sponsor, Woolrest, transferred 50,000 pounds to Lizzie's account, to which she paid Fran Clark, and Mark Todd now was the official rider of Charisma under Woolrest's sponsorship. Needless, to say, Fran Clark was not pleased.

Mark Todd continued to compete Charisma in England, where he placed second at the 1985 Badminton Horse Trials, and won every one-day event of the season in which they competed, except Dauntsey after a fall on cross-country. In 1986, the pair went to the World Championships in Australia. Unfortunately, they had a fall at the water, and two rails down in stadium, and they finished in 10th place. They redeemed themselves a few weeks later in Luhmuhlen, where they won both individually and as part of a composite team.

The end of his career: 1987-1988

However, Charisma never got his chance to win Badminton, as it was cancelled in 1987. He won the three-star in Saumur, and the pair almost won Burghley that year, but two rails down in show jumping dropped them to second. They later won the British Open Championships before shipping to Seoul.

At the 1988 Olympics, Charisma put in a stellar dressage test, and jumped clear rounds in both the cross-country and stadium. He won the individual gold yet again, and beat the second-place horse, Sir Wattie, by the incredible margin of 10.20 penalties. The New Zealand team also won the bronze that year. The back-to-back Olympic win in eventing had only been accomplished once before.

Retirement

Charisma was retired after his second Olympic victory, and he went home to New Zealand. He then went on a six-month tour before taking a well-earned rest. He was later shipped to Britain in 1995 to continue retirement.

On January 7, 2003, Charisma was euthanized at Mark Todd's Rivermonte Farm in Cambridge, after breaking a shoulder in the field. He was 30 years old.

Fans

Whenever Charisma went to compete, there would always be heaps of fans on the ringside, eager to get a picture with this AMAZING horse. Charisma officially won the competition titled Horse with the Most Fans in 1986. This event is only known to very close friends and family who own the winning horse. In 1992 he became the horse with the most fan mail in New Zealand.

Achievements

• Second Place at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1984 and 1985
• Individual Gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
• Won the Luhmuhlen, Germany Three-Day Event in 1986
• Second Place at the Burghley Horse Trials, England in 1987
• Won the British Open Championships in 1987
• Individual Gold and Team Bronze at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul
• Voted best NZ Sport Horse in the world in 1983 and 1985
• Smallest Thoroughbred foal in Invercargill, NZ in 1972
• Horse with the most fan mail in New Zealand