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Oliver Townend

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Simon Ohio Willstam
MBE
Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class, 2019 European Eventing Championship
Personal information
Nationality United Kingdom
DisciplineEventing
Born (1982-11-15) 15 November 1982 (age 41)
Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England
Medal record
Equestrian
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team eventing
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Pratoni del Vivaro Team Eventing
Gold medal – first place 2009 Fontainebleau Team Eventing
Gold medal – first place 2017 Strzegom Team Eventing
Silver medal – second place 2019 Luhmühlen Team eventing

Oliver David Townend MBE (born 15 November 1982) is a British eventing rider who competes at the international three-day level. He has won team gold medals at the European Eventing Championships in 2007, 2009, and 2017. [1] Townend has also won at prestigious events such as the Badminton Horse Trials, Burghley Horse Trials, and the Kentucky Three-Day Event.[2]

In addition to his championship titles, he represented Great Britain at the World Equestrian Games in 2006 and 2014.[3][4] He was the Event Rider Masters series champion in 2016[3] and has held the title of world number one in eventing twice: first in 2009 and again in 2018.[5] Since 2009, he has also been ranked as the British number one eventing rider on seven occasions.[6]

Biography

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Winner of the 2008 World Cup leg of Chatsworth: Oliver Townend on Flint Curtis

Townend grew up in Scapegoat Hill, a small town on the moors near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.[7] He won the junior newcomers showjumping at the Horse of the Year Show with Cool Mule aged 11,[8] rode in the pony European Eventing Championships aged 13[1] and left school at 16 to pursue riding and selling horses professionally. Townend attributes his love of horses to his parents.[9] His father was also an event rider and his mother showed side-saddle.[9]

In 2010, Townend suffered a rotational fall while participating in the Rolex Kentucky Three Day in Lexington, Kentucky and was crushed by his horse. He broke his collarbone, shoulder bones, sternum along with four ribs, but credited the air bag vest with allowing him to leave the hospital after only one day. He stated that without the vest, he "would be in a box or in America for a month".[10]

Townend presently lives at Ellesmere, Shropshire.[11]

Townend was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.[12][13]

Whip use

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Townend has received several cautions or warnings during his career for excessive use of the whip during competitions and has been pulled up for riding excessively tired horses. [1] He received a verbal warning at Badminton in 2014 for "abuse of the horse" and a verbal warning for "abuse of the horse/inappropriate use of the whip" at Floors Castle in 2017.[14] In 2018, Townend received an official warning for “abuse of horse/excessive use of the whip” while riding at the Badminton Horse Trials in an event that was widely televised.[15] After the incident, he lost two sponsors,[16] and Townend later apologized. Later in 2018, he was once again warned for excessive use of the whip at the Blair Castle International Horse Trials.[17] In 2022, he received an oral warning for abuse of horse/excessive use of the whip at an indoor eventing competition in Stockholm.[18]

In 2023, the FEI disciplined Townend for dangerous riding at Badminton.[19]

International championship results

[edit]
Results
Year Event Horse Placing Notes
2005 European Championships Topping 43rd Individual
2006 World Equestrian Games Flint Curtis 11th Individual
2007 World Young Horse Championships Master Boy 21st CCI**
2007 European Championships Flint Curtis 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
12th Individual
2009 Eventing World Cup Final Flint Curtis EL
2009 European Championships Flint Curtis 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
EL Individual
2014 World Young Horse Championships Willingapark Cooley 9th CCI**
2014 World Equestrian Games Black Tie RET Individual
2015 World Young Horse Championships SRS Chillout 18th CCI*
Ridire Dorcha WD CCI**
2015 European Championships Fenyas Elegance 17th Individual
2017 European Championships Willingapark Cooley 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
WD Individual
2019 European Championships Cooley Master Class 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Team
9th Individual
2019 World Young Horse Championships Miss Cooley 23rd CCI***
2020 World Young Horse Championships Cooley Rosalent 2nd place, silver medalist(s) CCI**
2021 Olympic Games Ballaghmor Class 1st place, gold medalist(s) Team
5th Individual
World Young Horse Championships Cooley Rosalent 7th CCI***
2022 World Championships Ballaghmor Class 4th Team
16th Individual
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

CCI 5* results

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Results
Event Kentucky Badminton Luhmühlen Burghley Pau Adelaide Maryland Bicton
2005 12th (Topping)
2006 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (Flint Curtis)

31st (Topping)

EL (Topping)
2007 EL (Tom Cruise II)

WD (Flint Curtis)

RET (Saxon Cross)

RET (Waterbeck Basil)

2008 12th (Coup de Coeur) RET (Flint Curtis) RET (Clover Curtis)

EL (Divine Inspiration)

2009 8th (Carousel Quest) 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Flint Curtis) 15th (Sportsfield Sandyman)

17th (Golden Hue)

WD (Jackson D'Allez)

1st place, gold medalist(s) (Carousel Quest) 8th (Carousel Quest)
2010 EL (Ashdale Cruise Master)

WD (Master Boy)

5th (Ashdale Cruise Master)

EL (Carousel Quest)

4th (Carousel Quest) 13th (Master Boy)
2011 6th (ODT Sonas Rovatio) EL (Ashdale Cruise Master) 7th (Master Boy) RET (Imperial Master)

EL (Neo du Breuil)

2012 RET (Pepper Anne) 7th (ODT Sonas Rovatio)

8th (Armada)

4th (Armada)

RET (ODT Sonas Rovatio)

EL (ODT Sonas Rovatio)
2013 34th (Armada) WD (Armada)
2014 2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Armada) 4th (Black Tie) 8th (Armada)
2015 11th (Armada) 11th (Dromgurrihy Blue)

23rd (Armada)

32nd (Samuel Thomas II)

2016 25th (Armada)

RET (Black Tie)

RET (Dromgurrihy Blue)

WD (Black Tie)

7th (Samuel Thomas II)

23rd (Dromgurrihy Blue)

RET (MHS King Joules)

2017 16th (ODT Ghareeb)

25th (Samuel Thomas II)

18th (Black Tie) 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)

12th (Samuel Thomas II)

2018 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Cooley Master Class)

7th (MHS King Joules)

2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Willingapark Cooley)

5th (Ballaghmor Class)

2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)

12th (Willingapark Cooley)

WD (MHS King Joules)

EL (Cillnabradden Evo)
2019 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Cooley Master Class) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)

6th (Cillnabradden Evo)

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)
2020 6th (MHS King Joules)
2021 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class) 6th (Ridire Dorcha)

WD (MHS King Joules)

2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Cooley Master Class) 7th (Tregilder)

EL (MHS King Joules)

2022 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (Swallow Springs)

5th (Ballaghmor Class)

EL (Tregilder)

EL (Swallow Springs)

3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (As Is)
2023 2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)

EL (Swallow Springs)

7th (Swallow Springs)

9th (Tregilder) 27th (Cooley Rosalent)

1st place, gold medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)

RET (Tregilder) RET (Swallow Springs)

2nd place, silver medalist(s) (Tregilder) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) (Cooley Rosalent)
2024 1st place, gold medalist(s) (Ballaghmor Class)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notable horses

[edit]
  • Flint Curtis
    • 2006 Badminton Horse Trials third place
    • 2007 & 2009 European Championships – team gold
    • 2009 Badminton Horse Trials winner
  • Carousel Quest
    • 2009 Burghley Horse Trials winner
  • Armarda
    • 2014 Badminton Horse Trials runner up
  • Willingapark Cooley
    • 2017 European Championships – team gold
    • 2018 Badminton Horse Trials runner up
  • Cillnabraden Evo
    • Badminton 5* dressage record holder (19.7)
  • Ballaghmor Class
    • 2017 Burghley Horse Trials winner
    • 2018 Burghley Horse Trials runner up
    • 2019 Badminton Horse Trials runner up
    • 2019 Burghley Horse Trials runner up
    • 2021 Kentucky Horse Trials winner
    • 2020 Olympic Games – team gold, individual 5th
    • 2023 Badminton Horse Trials runner up
    • 2023 Burghley Horse Trials winner
  • Cooley Master Class
    • 2018 & 2019 Kentucky Horse Trials winner
    • 2019 European Championships – team silver, individual 9th
    • 2021 Maryland Horse Trials runner up
  • Swallow Springs
    • 2022 Badminton Horse Trials third place
  • As Is
    • 2022 Maryland Horse Trials third place
  • Cooley Rosalent
    • 2020 World Young Horse 6 Year Old runner up
    • 2023 Maryland Horse Trials third place
  • Tregilder
    • 2023 Pau 5* runner up

References

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  1. ^ a b "Oliver Townend". Horse & Hound.
  2. ^ "Athlete Performance". FEI Database.
  3. ^ a b "OLIVER TOWNEND". Event Rider Masters.
  4. ^ "WEG cross-country: what happened where?". Horse and Country.
  5. ^ "OLIVER TOWNEND IS NEW NUMBER ONE IN THE FEI WORLD EVENTING RANKINGS". Team GBR Equestrian.
  6. ^ "Townend enjoying 'best days' and door still open for Team GB". Yorkshire Post.
  7. ^ Chadband, Ian (18 April 2010). "From 'Hillbilly' to the peaks of perfection" (PDF). The Sunday Telegraph.
  8. ^ "Oliver Townend: My kingdom for a horse". Financial Times.
  9. ^ a b "Oliver Townend". Badminton Horse Trials.
  10. ^ Thomas, Katie (23 August 2010). "Equestrians' Latest Safety Option Is the Air Bag". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Townend's golden moment". Shropshire Star. 3 August 2021. p. 48.Report of his win at the Tokyo Olympics.
  12. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N25.
  13. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Oliver Townend Apologizes for Badminton Whip Controversy". Horse Sport. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  15. ^ Cuckson, Pippa (7 May 2018). "'It didn't look good': Oliver Townend apologises again for whip misuse at Badminton Horse Trials". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Sponsors drop world number one Townend after Badminton whipping scandal". www.insidethegames.biz. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Oliver Townend given warning for whip use at Blair". Horse & Hound. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  18. ^ Berendt, Tilly. "Oliver Townend Given Recorded Warning by FEI Following Badminton Elimination - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". eventingnation.com. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  19. ^ Autry, Jenni. "Oliver Townend Responds to Public Outrage Over Whip Use at Badminton - Eventing Nation - Three-Day Eventing News, Results, Videos, and Commentary". eventingnation.com. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
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