The beginning of the week on the Badminton estate has a special kind of atmosphere. The grounds aren’t yet open; the tradestands, behind their facades, are built up from nothing, and the air crackles with the promise of all that’s to come. Tucked behind the house, the stables are abuzz as their equine residents trickle in from around the world. From Monday evening through until the following night, eventing royalty arrive in convoys, their precious cargo emerging, bandaged and blanketed and ready to settle into their home for the week. Their leg-stretching place is the pristine lawn in front of the house, and as the horses get their heads down for a well-deserved graze, grooms and riders catch up with their friends and colleagues, ready to settle into the next stopping point of their nomadic lifestyle.
But enough waxing lyrical – because we could go on all day about just how special it is to find yourself stuck at a junction behind the Duke of Cavan, or to bump into Foxwood High sampling the local flora. Instead, we’ve gathered together some of the social media posts that encapsulate just what it means to arrive at the world’s biggest three-day event.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiP2GfrA4MN/?taken-by=goeventing
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiP2HqJhcz3/?tagged=mmbht
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiQ-gSpHa6n/?tagged=mmbht
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiQ_nIKHxP0/?tagged=mmbht
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiQCuRPn63F/?tagged=mmbht
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiPAZpfntNl/?taken-by=ciaranglynn1
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiPGbK8HA6F/?taken-by=georgie_strang_eventing
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiPlWngnSw1/?saved-by=tillyberendt
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOsTmKHeI1/?taken-by=licihawker
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiPdagXgvnD/?saved-by=tillyberendt
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiPVbSBgluB/?saved-by=tillyberendt
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOsTmKHeI1/?saved-by=tillyberendt
Phew. We want to move in too, now. Want even more? The Badminton media team have created a behind-the-scenes gallery, with even more photos of your favourites in situ.
We’ll be bringing you all the inside information – plus some SERIOUSLY exciting extras – throughout the competition this week, so keep it locked on to Eventing Nation, and don’t forget to follow our Instagram and Twitter accounts for even more juicy content. The competition officially begins this afternoon at 4:00pm BST/11:00am EST with the first horse inspection.
Go Badminton, and go eventing!
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