Rider Biographies

Blyth Tait

Country: New Zealand

Age: 50

A double World Champion and Olympic individual gold medal-winner, Blyth announced at the beginning of this year that he was following in his fellow countryman Mark Todd’s footsteps and making a comeback to the sport, having officially hung up his boots seven years ago.

Blyth has won Burghley twice – in 1998 with Chesterfield (when he also finished second with Aspyring) and in 2001 with Ready Teddy, his gold medal winning partner from the 2006 Atlanta Olympics.

After announcing his retirement in 2004 Blyth returned home to New Zealand to breed and pre-train racehorses. He was also performance manager for the New Zealand eventing team.

Blyth returned to the UK this spring and started to campaign his Burghley runner, Santos II, a horse that was produced to four-star level in New Zealand by his student Jenna Mahoney. Having had a shaky start to the year, especially in the show jumping phase, Blyth and Santos have now cemented their partnership.

Blyth is based in Cheltenham with his partner Paul O’Brien, a former international rider for New Zealand.

Notable achievements

• 2004 – Burghley CCI**** 8th Eze
• 2004 – Athens Olympics 18th Ready Teddy
• 2004 – Punchestown CCI*** 1st Ready Teddy, CCI** 1st Eze
• 2002 – Burghley CCI**** 14th Rongotai
• 2001 – Blenheim CCI*** 8th Haka
• 2001 – Burghley CCI**** 1st Ready Teddy
• 2000 – Bramham CCI*** 2nd Chesterfield
• 2000 – Kentucky CCI**** 1st Welton Envoy
• 1999 – Kentucky CCI**** 2nd Aspyring
• 1998 – Burghley CCI**** 1st Chesterfield, 2nd Aspyring
• 1996 - Atlanta Olympics ind gold Ready Teddy, team bronze Chesterfield
• 1992 – Barcelona Olympics ind bronze, team silver Messiah