Dynavyte sponsored Blyth Tait is one of New Zealand’s greatest sportsmen and he's aiming for his fifth Olympics in Tokyo in 2020
He is really a no-nonsense old-fashioned horseman. No fancy theories, no wonder cures, just straightforward practical advice from a guy who has several times proven himself the best in the world, and who has recently decided to return for a second crack at the international scene.
Early Days:
Blyth was born in 1961 and grew up in the town of Whangarei, in the Northland region of New Zealand.
Blyth was interested in horses from an early age – his father bred race horses – and he tried show-jumping before specialising in three-day eventing.
He first came to the public’s attention riding Rata in the mid-1980s. The pair qualified for the 1986 world championships at Gawler, Australia, but Rata died of a heart attack on the eve of the competition.
1990 saw Blyth take a huge leap forward, winning the world individual title on converted show jumper, Messiah, in Stockholm, Sweden, and helping New Zealand to the world team title.
Big Achievements:
Based in the UK, by 1992 Byth was ranked No 1 on the world standings, a position he held for almost a decade, partnered by horses such as Messiah, Ready Teddy and Chesterfield.
Blyth has represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games, where he won a full set of medals, and at three WEGs where his medal haul included two individual and two team golds.
Blyth Tait has received the prestigous NZ Olympic Londsdale Cup, was the flag bearer for the NZ Olympic team in Sydney and is honoured with an MBE.
After his fourth Olympic Games appearance in Athens in 2004, Blyth retired from eventing and returned to New Zealand to breed racehorses, successfully producing the likes of the dual Group 1 winner Nashville.
Blyth made his comeback to World Eventing representing NZ at WEG in 2018, and now has his eyes firmly set on the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.
We hear from Blyth:
“I think I am getting the right kicks out of it, it’s fun, it’s a challenge, and you want to improve, so you want to be successful, blahdy blahdy blah. I think the freshness again is a real plus.”
And on teaching, “I try and just talk like a human, I try not to make it rocket science. I say things like ‘don’t push on the accelerator and the brake at the same time’ because they can understand what they are doing. I shy away from the ‘I am the master’ military approach, I don’t think younger riders relate to that.”
The Dynavyte products Blyth is using for his horses: MicroBiome Support, Equiette, Luronica and Prime Osseticol.
Photography: banner Kebigrafie, cross country Equus Pix.
