New Zealand was expected to dominate equestrian events in 2000. The country fielded an exceptionally strong team, including Tait's partner of ten years, Paul O'Brien (b. 1968). As things developed, however, the Sydney games turned into a nightmare.

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Tait's beloved horse Chesterfield died suddenly while in quarantine before the games began. His other stellar mount, Ready Teddy, with whom he had won the gold medal in Atlanta and who was arguably the best horse that he had ever ridden, came up lame and was forced to withdraw. A series of other misfortunes ensued, and New Zealand came away with no medals in team events and only one individual bronze.

Among the casualties was O'Brien's horse Enzed, who had to be withdrawn for medical reasons after the cross-country portion of the three-day event.

Like Tait, O'Brien has had a lifelong love of horses. As a child he learned to ride ponies on his aunt's farm and began to hone his skills at a pony club.

Although O'Brien's interest in equestrian sport never waned, he studied for a career in a more conventional field and became a mortgage broker, a job that he did not find satisfying. "I knew that it wasn't for me and decided to check out the horse scene," he stated. "I thought I would give it a go in the U.K. for a while and was fortunate enough to get some good horses to ride there."

It was O'Brien's move to England that brought him together with Tait, who had also gone to Britain and who had a training yard there. Tait was first O'Brien's mentor—"He has trained me from day one, so he has been the main influence on me and my riding career," said O'Brien—and then the relationship grew into a loving one.

Tait and O'Brien left England in 2005 so that Tait could go into a horses sales business with his father.

Although neither Tait nor O'Brien has again ridden for New Zealand in the Olympics, both took part in the Kiwi team's appearance in Beijing in 2008, O'Brien as Olympic selector and Tait as team manager.

Peter Taylor

Peter Taylor (b. 1953) had a happy childhood on a farm in Northland, New Zealand. His passion for equestrian sport began at the age of eleven, when his father gave him a pony.

Two years later, however, Taylor's parents separated. Taylor remained close to his father, who died in 1995, but is estranged from his mother, whose mood swings and emotionally manipulative behavior caused their relationship to deteriorate.

Taylor took solace in the companionship of animals. "You can form a relationship with horses and dogs because you can trust them," he declared. "They don't carry baggage like people. They don't look you in the eye and lie to you."

As much as he loved riding, Taylor did not envision a career as an equestrian. He earned a degree in Hotel and Catering Management and then, at the age of only twenty-two, co-founded an Auckland restaurant, Le Brie, and became its head chef.