Horse hero

NZB Campino

‘He’s a bit of a yard pet’

MARK TODD

The ‘real dude’ of an eventer who has become faster with age SIR Mark Todd was away when NZB Campino first arrived at his yard. The horse’s headcollar nameplate read “Kenki”, so the team assumed his name was Kinky. On his return, Mark explained that Kenki was the horse’s previous pilot (Japan’s Kenki Sato), but the nickname had already stuck.

Mark first tried the son of Contendro I on the recommendation of Philipp Kolossa while on a horse-buying trip in Germany. He immediately noticed Campino’s impressive jump and the deal was sealed.

“I also discovered that he liked to be on the forehand,” says Mark. “I ended up trying to make him go in a more balanced way for a number of years, but it wasted time so a year ago I decided to hardly touch the reins. He now goes along with his nose poking out, but he loves it and I do feel safe when he jumps.”

Despite Campino’s rapid rise through the grades, the duo experienced a few early blips.

“A couple of times on cross-country courses I would

By JULIE HARDING find myself suddenly going in the opposite direction at high speed,” says Mark. “Campino was also spooky out hacking, but over time he’s improved and is now a real dude.”

The London Olympics came too soon, but injuries to Land Vision and Grass Valley led to the Hanoverian receiving his call up. He lay in bronze spot until showjumping faults sent him sliding down the order.

“He had a pressure cooker preparation,” Mark admits.

“Nevertheless, he only collected one time-fault across country, which surprised me considering he has so little thoroughbred in him. He’s got faster as he’s got older.”

Behind the scenes, Campino is well-mannered and polite in the stable.

“He’s a bit of a yard pet,” notes Mark, who also admits that the 15-year-old has a few quirks. “He loves posing. Sometimes at a competition he will stand and stare into the distance.”