Charisma (30 October 1972 – 7 January 2003), nicknamed "Podge" and "Stroppy", was a horse ridden by New Zealander Mark Todd. Charisma won many competitions in the sport of eventing. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest event horses ever to have competed. He stood .
Breeding and early life
Charisma's dam, Planet, stood and was sired by the Thoroughbred/Percheron-cross Kiritea. Planet's dam was a Thoroughbred named Starbourne. Planet was a successful Grade A show jumper in New Zealand and under rider Sheryl Douglas, became the first mare in New Zealand to jump her own height. After an injury ended her career, she was bred to the Thoroughbred stallion Tira Mink, and Charisma was foaled on 30 October 1972.
Charisma's first home was on the Williams' farm in Wairarapa, New Zealand. Even at a young age, Charisma was laid-back and easy to train. He was soon bought by David Murdoch, who placed the yearling in a small pasture with a four-foot fence, which Charisma jumped. The colt was gelded as a four-year-old, although he managed to cover four mares before that time.
Competitive career
The Beginning: 1977–1982
The young horse was slowly broken in, and later bought by Sharon Dearden in 1977. She competed him in Grade B show jumping competitions, and trained him up to intermediate level in eventing. Although the pair was long-listed for the Los Angeles Olympics, Dearden decided to sell the horse.
Charisma was moved to England in February 1984. During the trip, he became sick, and the illness never really left him for the rest of his career. The gelding was taken to the Badminton Horse Trials later that year, where he finished in 2nd place on his dressage score. A few months later, at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Todd and Charisma finished well after dressage and then put in a clear cross-country and stadium round. A rail down by Karen Stives, who was leading by a few points, allowed the pair to clinch the individual gold.
After the Olympics, Charisma's owner, Fran Clark, decided to sell her horse. In 1985, she offered Charisma to the British rider Lizzie Purbrick. Knowing that Todd wanted the horse badly, Purbrick managed a deal with him to buy Charisma behind Clark's back. Todd's sponsor, Woolrest, transferred 50,000 pounds to Lizzie's account, to which she paid Clark, and Todd now was the official rider of Charisma under Woolrest's sponsorship.
Todd continued to compete Charisma in England, where he placed second at the 1985 Badminton Horse Trials and won every one-day event of the season in which they competed, except Dauntsey after a fall on cross-country. In 1986, the pair went to the World Championships in Australia. There they had a fall at the water and two rails down in stadium, and they finished in 10th place. A few weeks later in Luhmuhlen, they won both individually and as part of a team. He then went on a six-month tour before taking a well-earned rest.