Todd, Charisma t© stay together

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 44

Todd, Charisma t© stay together

PA Wellington The Olympic gold medal partnership of Mark Todd and Charisma will be staying together ,for future international competition. The gelding’s owner, Mrs Fran Clark, said from Taupo yesterday that she and Todd had verbally agreed he could keep Charisma. With Todd’s lease on Charisma expiring this month, and some sharp words exchanged between Todd and Mrs Clark through the media since the Los Angeles Games, the future of the winning combination was in doubt. Charisma was due to have left England on Sunday, but Mrs Clark said it was being held in quarantine there until something definite had been decided. “Verbally we agreed that Mark could hang on to the

horse, but there is no timeframe. That’s all going to be decided in the next week,” she said.

“We had a very pleasant conversation and everything was happily resolved, but nothing has. been signed up at this stage.” Mrs Clark said a lot had been written about the future of Charisma which was untrue.

“Mark was a bit upset about some of the reports, but it was always a bit difficult with Mark in England, and me over here being reported,” she said.

“I’ve also had the pressure on from the New Zealand Horse Society, wanting the horse to come back to New Zealand, so there has been pressure on me from all around.” Mrs Clark, who describes 10-year-old Charisma as the

“family pet,” said the only stipulation she has placed on Todd keeping it was that it would return to New Zealand “eventually” when he had finished competing on it

“So he will be retiring in New Zealand, whether he wins the world championships in Australia or does well in another Badminton.”

She hopes to sign an agreement with Todd next week, after he had finished this weekend’s invitation two-day event at Pukekohe.

Although she will hot be parting permanently with Charisma, she said American buyers were expressing interest in two of her show jumping horses — the six-year-old grey, Blue Ridge, which has finished in the money in each of its three competitions, and the show hack, Hot Advice.