26 SIDELINES JULY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
can only be positively identified through lab tests. The disease
manifested itself as a severe pneumonia that put Todd in the ICU
before it was diagnosed. Following his release from the hospital,
he sprang back into action after he had been riding again for only
two months when he won the $75,000 Woodlea Farms Grand Prix
in Lake Placid, again aboard Pavarotti. A few weeks after that, he
added three Grand Prix wins at HITS Saugerties, New York.
Todd and Pavarotti went on to success in the bronze in the Pan
Am Games and in shows in Europe before the horse passed away
in April 2012. Without another Grand Prix level horse, Todd was
sidelined from top level competition until a friend sent the mare
Quality Girl over from Belgium for him to ride and show. After the
mare’s potential became evident when she won nine Grand Prix
classes, a group was formed to buy the mare so that Todd could
continue to ride and compete her. Among their more recent wins
was in March 2014 when Todd and Quality Girl made the cross
country trip to California and placed fifth in the AIG Million Dollar
Grand Prix at HITS Thermal.
Currently, Quality Girl is Todd’s top horse and hopes are high
for the complete recovery of Macoemba, a 10-year-old KWPN bay
gelding who fell in competition in April 2013 and broke the back
of his knee. He’s showing again, thanks to the rehab he got at
home at the Todd Minikus, LTD farm in Florida under the care of
Amanda, who is Todd’s barn manager. Macoemba began show-
ing again at the end of 2013 and one of his more recent wins was
the .35 class in Kentucky in May 2014. Hopefully, he’ll soon be
competing again at the Grand Prix level.
Todd chooses to treat setbacks and injuries as a learning op-
portunity. He says about falls, “When you’ve had enough of them,
you learn to feel different things. I don’t think there’s really a fall
that [scared me], but you definitely remember certain scenarios.
I think that’s what makes you a good rider. You recognize [that if
you can’t] make it perfect, you fix the disaster that’s coming, and
that’s what gives a little maturity to riders.”
With over 30 years of competing, Todd has some maturity and
experience that influences his decisions about what horses he
rides. He assesses horses as individuals, taking into account their
individual athletic capability. Todd is known to be very hands-on
and likes to groom his horses himself, partly to better locate any
discomfort a horse has before it can develop into a problem. Per-
haps it’s a carryover from when he had to do his own grooming in
his early years. Now he has a dedicated staff and says that their
work speaks for itself. “It’s a team effort, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It’s just like having a race-car team. The guy that’s changing the
tires has to do his job properly or else you lose time in the pit stop.
Everything has to coordinate together.”
Another source of help is Todd’s numerous sponsors. For his
horses, supplements are provided by Vitaflex, protective leg boots
by Bergus, and feed by Purina Mills. Draper Therapeutic Wear pro-
Todd catches a quick nap while waiting for his next class.
Todd has over 100 Grand Prix wins to his name.
Photo by Jack Mancini,
Even after a 30-year career, Todd still feels blessed to ride.
Photo by Jack Mancini,
Continued on page 28
