| Simon Ohio Willstam MBE | |
| Discipline: | Eventing |
| Birth Date: | 15 November 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England |
Oliver David Townend (born 15 November 1982) is a British event rider who competed at the international three-day eventing level. He represented Great Britain in the European Eventing Championships, winning team gold medals in 2007, 2009, and 2017.[1] Townend has also won at events such as the Badminton Horse Trials, Burghley Horse Trials, and the Kentucky Three-Day Event.[2]
In addition to his championship titles, he represented Great Britain at the World Equestrian Games in 2006 and 2014.[3] [4] Oliver David Townend was the Event Rider Masters series champion in 2016[3] and has held the title of world number one in eventing twice: first in 2009 and again in 2018.[5] Since 2009, he has also been ranked as the British number one eventing rider on seven occasions.[6]
Townend grew up in Scapegoat Hill, a small town on the moors near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.[7] He won the junior newcomers showjumping at the Horse of the Year Show with Cool Mule aged 11,[8] rode in the pony European Eventing Championships aged 13[1] and left school at 16 to pursue riding and selling horses professionally. Townend attributes his love of horses to his parents.[9] His father was also an event rider and his mother showed side-saddle.[9]
In 2010, Townend suffered a rotational fall while participating in the Rolex Kentucky Three Day in Lexington, Kentucky, and was crushed by his horse. He broke his collarbone, shoulder bones, and sternum, along with four ribs, but credited the airbag vest with allowing him to leave the hospital after only a single day. He stated that without the vest, he "would be in a box or in America for a month." [10]
Townend currently lives at Ellesmere, Shropshire.[11]
Townend was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to equestrianism.[12]
Townend has faced several cautions and warnings throughout his career for excessive use of the whip during competitions and for riding overly fatigued horses.[13] In 2014, he received a verbal warning for "abuse of the horse," and in 2017, he was issued another verbal warning for "abuse of the horse/inappropriate use of the whip" at Floors Castle.[14] In 2018, Townend received an official warning for “abuse of horse/excessive use of the whip” while riding at the Badminton Horse Trials in an event that was widely televised.[15] After the incident, he lost two sponsors,[16] and Townend later apologized. Later that year, he was once again warned for excessive use of the whip at the Blair Castle International Horse Trials.[17] In 2022, he received an oral warning for abuse of horse/excessive use of the whip at an indoor horse trial competition in Stockholm.[18]
In 2023, the FEI disciplined Townend for dangerous riding at Badminton.[19]
| Results | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | Horse | Placing | Notes | |||||||
| 2007 | European Championships | Flint Curtis | Team | ||||||||
| 2009 | European Championships | Flint Curtis | Team | ||||||||
| 2017 | European Championships | Willingapark Cooley | Team | ||||||||
| 2019 | European Championships | Cooley Master Class | Team | ||||||||
| 2020 | World Young Horse Championships | Cooley Rosalent | CCI** | ||||||||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Ballaghmor Class | Team | ||||||||
| EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew | |||||||||||