New Zealand may well never again see the likes of a stunning sports career that spanned a staggering 41 years.
In 1978, Richard Hadlee led the Black Caps to their first test win over England, Graham Mourie's All Blacks completed their first Grand Slam and the diminutive Precious McKenzie lifted gold at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games for New Zealand — all sporting names of yesteryear.
That same year, 24-year-old Mark Todd made his debut at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky starting a career that ended this week.
Let that soak in for a second. Heck, since Todd has given 41 years to his sport, maybe give a minute to reflect on his impressive and probably never-to-be-matched career. Over that span, New Zealand has had 10 prime ministers and 12 All Blacks coaches, while since his Olympic debut in 1984, the country has produced a further 873 Olympians.
The seemingly never-ending sports career of Todd has, well, ended — two individual golds and five medals in total at the Olympics, four Badminton and five Burghley titles and many more. His final act was victory last weekend at the Camphire International Horse Trials in Ireland as part of the Kiwi team that took home the Nations Cup.
"I'm 63 years old and I can't keep going forever. It was a question of when ... it's probably come quicker than I originally thought but I'm very happy that now is the right time," he told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosting.
"I've done way more than I ever set out to do. I've been very fortunate I had a career that has pretty much avoided injury and far exceeded any expectation I had. I'm incredibly lucky."
Named Rider of the Century by the International Equestrian Federation in 2000, rival Briton Karen Dixon once quipped: "He could make a donkey jump 10 feet."
Todd said a run at being selected for a ninth Olympics next year was possible but he was without a trusty steed.
"Obviously it was a temptation but some of my better horses have either retired or been injured. At the end of the day, I just felt I couldn't keep going for another 12 months and do myself, the horses or anybody justice. It was the right time to stop," he said.
Of course, where would Todd be without his horses?
There was Charisma, nicknamed Podge, his most well-known horse he rode to back-to-back Olympic golds. But there was also Tophunter, Southern Comfort III, Wilton Fair, Face the Music, Bahlua, Horton Point, Just An Ace, Bertie Blunt, Welton Greylag, Double Take, Broadcast, Diamond Hall Red, Word for Word, Karem, Eyespy II, Gandalf, Grass Valley, Land Vision, Campino, Leonidas, Leonidas II and Kiltubrid Rhapsody, to name but a few of his successful stable.
After impressing at the 1978 world championships, he was selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics before New Zealand boycotted the event. Despite the missed chance at gold he won his first Badminton Horse Trials title that year and put the equestrian world on notice.
In 1984, he finally got his shot at the Olympics, winning New Zealand's first equestrian Olympic medal in thrilling style.
Sitting second going into the showjumping, the final discipline of the three day event, Todd went clear before leader American Karen Stives knocked off one rail. Gold was his.
"At the time, I was sucking on a cigarette. Halfway through, I wandered up to the entrance just in time to see her knock a rail down. I couldn't quite believe it," Todd told the Herald in 2016.
In 1988, Todd and Charisma returned to the Olympics in Seoul, where they defended the individual title while also leading New Zealand to bronze in the team event — another first. Todd and Charisma became an iconic '80s duo along with Hudson and Halls, and sweat and spandex.
Then came back-to-back victories at the Burghley Horse Trials in 1990-91 to go with his first title at the five-star event in 1987. He was named New Zealand flag bearer in 1992 but was denied a third straight Olympic medal despite the New Zealand team capturing silver when his horse Welton Greylag withdrew in the cross country stage. Rules, which have since changed, meant he went home without a medal.
It got worse four years later in Atlanta, where Karem was injured on the eve of the 1996 Olympics and Todd didn't get a chance to compete. The same year, though, he won his third Badminton title, and second in three years.
At the 2000 Sydney Games on Eyespy II, Todd not only broke a personal Olympic medal drought stretching 12 years but his bronze drew a collective sigh of relief for the country after an opening week without a medal across the ditch.
Then that was it. Todd retired — only to return eight years later in Beijing, finishing 17th on Gandalf before again ending a 12-year drought in London 2012, when on board NZB Campino at age 56, he helped New Zealand claim bronze in the team event.
His fifth medal equalled the most by a New Zealander while also matching the Olympic record of 28 years for the longest gap between first and last medals.
He puts his career highlight as winning Badminton for a fourth time in 2011 on NZB Land Vision — 31 years after winning for the first time. At 55, he became the event's oldest winner.
There was plenty to celebrate but befitting a man who leaps high obstacles for a living, his career had its up and downs.
There was a drug and sex scandal alleged by an English tabloid newspaper in 2000, while his final act on the Olympic stage will sadly go down as the cruellest of sendoffs. When Todd and Leonidas II entered the Rio Olympic showjumping ring three years ago, New Zealand's eventing team were on the cusp of gold and possibly the perfect ending to Todd's amazing career at the Games.
However, after so many golden moments, this was not to be his day. Four dropped rails later and not just gold but silver and also bronze had slipped away.
Todd's unfortunate ride incurred 16 penalty points which, when added to Jonelle Price's eight, took New Zealand out of medal contention by 3.5 penalty points — or less than one dropped rail.
"To have it slip away at the last minute was devastating," he said at the time.
But as the saying goes, he would always get back on the horse, and Todd continued to compete at the highest level, with a fourth at Badminton in 2017, followed by a sixth and 14th at last year's event.
One of my earliest memories is as a six-year-old being taken into the Hawera Primary School library where we watched Todd secure gold at the 1988 Olympics, listening to the iconic commentary of Brian O'Flaherty: "That's two for Todd and Todd for two."
It was a great joy to watch Todd at the Rio Olympics with my then four-year-son son next to me. His career has crossed generations. When does that happen in sports?
"There's no such thing as retiring, I'm just changing direction," Todd said this week.
That direction still involves horses. He has race horses — 10 on the go — and it's a much safer option than the demanding three-day event.
If anyone has deserved to ride off into the sun, it's Sir Mark Todd.
