Blyth Tait

Blyth Tait, MBE ( born May 10, 1961 in Whangarei ) is a former New Zealand eventing riders.

With four Olympic medals, four world championship titles and victories in two events in the highest category CCI **** he belonged in the 1990s and early 2000s, the most successful riders in this discipline.

Career

His father bred racehorses and so Tait interested early on for riding. He initially began as a show jumper, but switched after a few years for versatility. Tait qualified for the World Cup 1986 in Gawler, but one day before the competition begins his horse died of heart failure. The breakthrough of the world leaders he succeeded in 1990, when he was second at the Badminton Horse Trials. In the same year he won at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, the gold medal in the individual and in the team standings.

At the Olympic Games in 1992 Tait won the silver medal with the team and bronze as individual riders. The single result is remarkable, since he was only on the 69th place after the first of three tests, the dressage. Four years later he was in Atlanta Olympic champion in the individual competition and third with the team. At the World Equestrian Games in Rome in 1998 Tait won the gold medal in both the individual as well as in the team standings.

Tait won two competitions versatility of the highest category, in 2000, the Rolex Kentucky Three Day and the Burghley Horse Trials 2001. The Olympic Games 2000 and 2004, however, were less successful. In Sydney, where he had been standard-bearer at the opening ceremony, he was forced to retire in two ratings during cross country, in Athens, he reached as a single rider only the 18th place and was with the team in fifth place.

Private

Tait is one of the few riders who are open about their homosexuality.

Achievements

  • Olympic games 1992: Silver team (on Ready Teddy ), Bronze Item (on Messiah )
  • 1996: Bronze team ( to Chesterfield ), gold single (on Ready Teddy )
  • World Equestrian Games 1990: Gold Single, Gold team (both on Messiah )
  • 1998: Gold Single, Gold team (both on Ready Teddy )
  • Other major tournaments Winner Rolex Kentucky Three Day: 2000 (on Welton Envoy )
  • Winner Burghley Horse Trials: 2001 (on Ready Teddy )
Equestrian at the 1992 Summer Olympics Equestrian at the 1996 Summer Olympics Show jumping Gawler, South Australia List of Olympic medalists in equestrian Adolph van der Voort van Zijp Charles Pahud de Mortanges Ludwig Stubbendorf Hans von Blixen-Finecke, Jr. Edmund Coffin Mark Todd (equestrian) Matthew Ryan (equestrian) Leslie Law Michael Jung (equestrian)
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