Bring on the beetroot! Sir Mark Todd and Keyflow prepare for Olympic year
Sir Mark Todd - and friendIt may be the off-season for eventing in Britain, but it's a very busy time for Sir Mark Todd - a founding director of the Marlborough-based equine feed company Keyflow, technical adviser to the Brazilian national team and, of course, a long serving stalwart of New Zealand's national team - with six Olympic Games and two gold medals to his credit.
He is recently back from one of his visits to Brazil to advise at their 3* qualifying competition for the Olympics. And he is back too from Cornwall where Keyflow launched its new feed product with the eye-catching name Pink Mash - more of which later.
When Marlborough News Online visited Sir Mark's Badgerstown headquarters on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, it was blowing a gale and he was a bit worried about his horses crossing the channel on their way to the Geneva Horse Show for Saturday evening's Rolex indoor cross country competition.
Sir Mark moved to Badgerstown immediately after the 2012 London Games - and he loves it there. It's good for transport links and is in wide open country - space for grass and all-weather gallops and a cross country course.
Sir Mark invested in Keyflow Feeds when it was first set up by fellow New Zealander Cam Price three years ago to provide a 'super-premium' range of feeds and supplements designed by world renowned equine nutritionists. "Nutrition", Sir Mark says, "is a big part of high performance horses."
"There has to be a reason to change from one brand to another" and he explains how Cam Price visits all areas of the country advising people on nutrition - and putting forward the technical details of Keyflow's way to improve a horse's long-term health and performance.
Sir Mark in his feed store of Keyflow productsSpecialising in feed and supplements for sporting horses, Keyflow has Key Riders who support the brand: Sir Mark and his New Zealand compatriots Jonelle and Tim Price, with Canadian star Rebecca Howard represent the eventing world. And from show jumping Keyflow has the Whitaker Brothers (John and Michael) with Jack Whitaker (Michael's son) and Yorkshire's Ria Scott - all British riders.
Another joint enterprise with Keyflow is The Mark Todd Bridging the Gap scholarship scheme. It is run by British Eventing with the support of the Mark Todd Collection (his horse equipment and clothing brand) and Keyflow. The scheme helps riders moving towards Advanced/2* eventing level or towards a more established 3* level - there is no particular age limit.
The scheme has experienced trainers - Jill Watson and Lizzel Winter - and applicants attend a series of training days. The latest winner was Tim Cheffings from Tiverton. He's receiving a mentoring programme, a year's supply of Keyflow Feeds and goods from the Mark Todd Collection.
Sir Mark told Marlborough News Online: "It gives them a boost and a leg up. It's an expensive and tough sport to get into - this is a way for us to put something back into the sport over here."
Sir Mark's work with the Brazilian eventing team began after the last Olympics. The home team wanted to put on a good show for the Rio crowds - and some of the leading Brazilian riders have spent time at Badgerstown.
Eventing is quite a new and small-scale sport in Brazil. Competitions can have as few as nine entrants. And - like many other eventing teams - as the Games approach they will be at the mercy of injured or non-performing horses.
The outlook for both British and New Zealand Olympic teams is fairly open. Both teams have key riders recovering from serious injuries: Wiliam Fox-Pitt for Britain and Andrew Nicholson for New Zealand.
Pink MashKeyflow riders feature well in the international rankings list. The current rankings name Tim Price as third in the world with Sir Mark at sixth position.
Kewflow have been expanding fast this year. Sir Mark says they can only just keep pace with the orders. They are working hard to expand their network of stockists so people can buy their feeds quickly and easily, all over the country.
Which brings us to the new and innovative Pink Mash with its beetroot and super fibre. It is specially aimed at maintaining a horse's healthy hind gut which is critical for health and performance. It soaks in 5-10 minutes and can be used as a partial replacement for hay or forage.
Sir Mark is 'very excited about it': "It's new, it's different and it's a very good product." You can ask Keyflow for a free sample.
And the 55th Concours Hippique International de Geneva? Sir Mark on his 14-year-old grey gelding Landvision came tenth out of the nineteen international riders. And not too far behind was Brazil's Ruy Fonesca on Korsica in fourteenth place.
Sir Mark raises his eyebrows: "I can't believe the London Olympics were nearly four years ago. And the next eight months to Rio will fly by!"