Sir Mark Todd suspended after video of him hitting horse went viral

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Olympic gold medallist, 65, sparked outrage at the weekend after footage emerged of him appearing to thwack a horse 10 times on its rear end.Approaching a water obstacle, the horse hesitated to proceed forward and with a rider in the saddle, it was seemingly smacked for motivation with a tree branch.Now the ex-Equestrian champion has been temporarily suspended while an investigation is carried out by the BHA.A BHA statement read: "The Chair of British racing’s Independent Judicial Panel has today approved an application from the BHA that an interim suspension should be placed on the training licence of Sir Mark Todd following the emergence over the weekend of a video showing him striking a horse with what appears to be a branch."This interim suspension means that while investigations continue into the circumstances of this incident, Sir Mark will be unable to race horses in Great Britain or internationally."The trainer has admitted the individual involved in the video was him, has apologised for his actions and agreed to the imposition of an interim suspension."On Sunday the BHA condemned the video and confirmed that it was looking into the incident."The BHA will provide further updates as necessary in due course, though will not be able to comment on the detail of the investigation itself until it is concluded.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.And that's it, job done.