Andrew Clifton Nicholson (born 1 August 1961 in Te Awamutu) is a New Zealand horseman who has competed at six Olympic Games (though selected for seven).
Biography Born and raised in the Waikato, Nicholson moved to England in the 1980s to further his equestrian career. He currently works there as a horse trainer.
Nicholson's greatest success at international level has been in Three-Day Event teams. He won a gold medal at the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, a silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and a bronze at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He is known for his ride on Spinning Rhombus at Barcelona. With the New Zealand team having seven rails in hand to win the gold medal, his horse knocked down nine rails. Instead of withdrawing, he kept the New Zealand team intact (his withdrawal would have instantly eliminated the entire team by dropping completing member numbers below the minimum required) to take the silver medal behind arch-rivals Australia. Nicholson competed at the 2010 WEG (world equestrian games) and received a bronze medal.
In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, Nicholson was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to equestrian sport.
Nicholson and Mark Todd were the first New Zealanders to compete at six Olympic Games.
Nicholson's best individual results have been at Burghley which he has won five times on; Buckley Province in 1995, Mr Smiffy in 2000, Avebury in 2012, 2013 and 2014 consecutively.
After winning Burghley 2012, Nicholson went on to win: Pau 2012 with his Olympic mount Nereo, Kentucky 2013 on four star debutant Quimbo, Lumuhlen 2013 on Mr Cruise Control.
He also won the Badminton Horse Trials with Nereo in 2017, after 36 completions.
In 2019, Nicholson was an inaugural inductee into the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame.
CCI 5* Results Results Event Kentucky Badminton Luhmühlen Burghley Pau Adelaide 1995 13th (Jägermeister II)RET (Spinning Rhombus) (Buckley Province) 1996 8th (Buckley Province)12th (Cartoon II) 1997 32nd (Cartoon II) 1998 14th (Cartoon II)40th (Jägermeister II) (Hinnegar)8th (Merillion) 1999 did not participate 2000 (Mr Smiffy) 2001 did not participate 2002 9th (New York)10th (Mr Smiffy) 2003 11th (Fenicio)13th (Mr Smiffy) (Lord Killinghurst) 2004 (Lord Killinghurst)22nd (Flush Banker) (Lord Killinghurst)16th (Mr Smiffy) 2005 5th (Lord Killinghurst)EL (Fenicio) 14th (Duddles) (Lord Killinghurst)8th (Duddles) 2006 14th (Lord Killinghurst) 13th (Henry Tankerville) 2007 5th (Lord Killinghurst)8th (Henry Tankerville) 4th (Lord Killinghurst)RET (Silbury Hill) 6th (Ginger May Killinghurst) 2008 RET (Armada)RET (Silbury Hill) 8th (Armada)RET (Muschamp Impala) 4th (Henry Tankerville)EL (Muschamp Impala) 2009 23rd (Armada) 21st (Armada)EL (Nereo) 13th (Armada)EL (Avebury) 2010 11th (Nereo)27th (Avebury) 4th (Mr Cruise Control)10th (Armada) 14th (Armada)22nd (Avebury) 9th (Mr Cruise Control) 2011 10th (Avebury)12th (Nereo) 10th (Armada)14th (Mr Cruise Control) (Nereo)8th (Avebury) (Mr Cruise Control)23rd (Armada)RET (Henry Tankerville) 2012 7th (Qwanza)RET (Calico Joe) 4th (Calico Joe)21st (Shady Grey)26th (Mr Cruise Control) (Avebury)13th (Calico Joe) (Nereo)7th (Mr Cruise Control) , 2013 (Quimbo) (Calico Joe) (Nereo)11th (Avebury) (Mr Cruise Control)6th (Rathmoyle King)EL (Qwanza) (Avebury) (Nereo)7th (Calico Joe) 5th (Mr Cruise Control)26th (Quimbo)RET (Viscount George) 2014 21st (Avebury) RET (Quimbo)EL (Nereo) (Avebury) 2015 6th (Nereo)22nd (Calico Joe) 22nd (Qwanza) 2016 5th (Qwanza)7th (Perfect Stranger) (Nereo) 2017 (Nereo)12th (Qwanza) 19th (Teseo) 8th (Nereo)EL (Qwanza) RET (Qwanza)EL (Jet Set) 2018 WD (Nereo) (Swallow Springs)WD (Jet Set) 20194th (Swallow Springs) EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew
International championship results Results Year Event Horse PlacingNotes 1984 Olympic Games Kahlua6thTeam28thIndividual 1990 World Equestrian GamesSpinning RhombusTeam4thIndividual 1992 Olympic Games Spinning RhombusTeam16thIndividual 1994 World Equestrian Games Jager Meister 6thTeam48thIndividual1996Olympic GamesJager MeisterTeamBuckley ProvinceELIndividual1998World Equestrian GamesNew York5thIndividual2002World Equestrian GamesFenicio5thTeam9thIndividual2003World Cup FinalFenicio2003Asian Pacific GamesDuddlesTeam9thIndividual2004World Cup FinalFlush Banker14th2004Olympic GamesFenicio5thTeam60thIndividual2006World Young Horse ChampionshipsArmada23rdCCI**2006World Equestrian GamesLord Killinghurst6thTeam23rdIndividual2007World Young Horse ChampionshipsMr Cruise Control4thCCI*Avebury4thCCI**Nereo41stCCI**2008World Young Horse ChampionshipsTristar II7thCCI*Mr Cruise Control11thCCI**2008World Cup FinalHenry Tankerville26th2008Olympic GamesLord Killinghurst5thTeamELIndividual2009World Young Horse ChampionshipsQwanza6thCCI*Tristar II14thCCI**2010World Young Horse ChampionshipsQuimboCCI**Qwanza16thCCI**2010World Equestrian GamesNereoTeamIndividual2012Olympic GamesNereoTeam4thIndividual2013World Young Horse ChampionshipsJet SetCCI*Tilikum13thCCI**2014World Young Horse ChampionshipsSwallow Springs9thCCI*Jet Set6thCCI**2014World Equestrian GamesNereo14thTeam8thIndividual2017World Young Horse ChampionshipsAs Is7thCCI*Yacabo BKCCI** EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew
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