Jen Buchanan (left) and Joanne Bridgman with a happy Mark Todd
How lovely that all the team members managed to make a whirlwind trip back to New Zealand to share in the celebrations with all their fans based at home. Fellow Kiwi rider, Joanne Bridgman, who admits to be of the same era as the great Mark Todd, was delighted to attend a drinks party with the team yesterday.
“It was great to welcome back to New Zealand our wonderful bronze medal-winning eventing team and have the chance to catch up with great buddies Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson. Mark and I go way back, nearly 40 years, to when we used to ride at pony club events together locally. At that stage Andrew was a little kid and I used to ride with his big brother John, who is now a bit of a ‘rockstar’ in the course-designing world.”
With a perfect sunny day blending in with the happy mood of everyone, the team attended a presentation in Cambridge in front of the town hall. Some of the boys from the Te Awamutu College did the haka, (photo above) - and the eventers were happy to watch.
“It was especially cool to see all the cute pony club kids out in full force to see their idols,” said Joanne. “They lined the pathway with their sticks in the air and I have no doubt that there were some future medal winners in the crowd, with a firm goal in sight now they have had this great experience. The whole team seemed overwhelmed by the turnout of fans and loyal supporters and couldn't take the smile of their faces.”
You have to remember that this was a team who won the bronze medal – can you imagine the celebrations if they won gold – especially if Mark Todd was part of that team … roll on Rio!
