Mary King and Imperial Cavalier at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Paul Tapner and Kilronan are still holding onto their overnight lead thus far on the second day of dressage here at Badminton Horse Trials, and while we haven’t seen any other tests crack the 30s yet, we’ve still seen some really lovely performances. Most notably, Peter Flarup and Calista E came out swinging this morning, scoring 41.8 in the first morning group to move into fifth place provisionally. This mare is a stunning mover, and the judges really rewarded her in the canter work particularly. Tina Cook followed this test with DeNovo News, not nearly as flashy a mover in comparison, but a real trier who benefits from Tina’s accurate riding in this phase. She was thrilled with his performance, which scored 45.8 for 12th place.
Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister came out next, and I’ve already posted a full breakdown of their test plus a video interview over on this post. Their score of 43.7 puts then in eighth place at this point in the day, and while that’s a very good score, it could have cracked the 30s had Tiana not lost Finn just before the extended trot. Those breaks to the canter proved very costly, and while Tiana was disappointed in the mistake, she was still very happy with the performance. Rebecca Howard was equally happy with a tense, excitable Riddle Master for 48.7, and she rode him very quietly and carefully to avoid any outbursts. Rebecca is also celebrating her 35th birthday today! Click over to this post for more comments on her ride, as well as photos.
You could tell Mary King and Imperial Cavalier were about to ride their test when spectators started flooding the stands about 10 minutes before, and by the time she entered the stadium, just about every single free seat was filled. The judges gave her a bit of extra time to get the horse settled before ringing the bell, which is a courtesy they’ve been showing to riders dealing with horses not fond of the wind. The test was progressing along beautifully until the horse started tossing his head once the canter work started, which must have affected Mary’s concentration, as she picked up an error by missing the canter serpentine soon after. But Mary had her usual smile on her face at the end of the test — as she should! It scored 42.8 for sixth place provisionally.
Excitement is building here at Badminton, both for the second half of the day’s dressage tests — which will feature a slew of big names — and tomorrow’s cross-country day. As I posted in my earlier report, Badminton officials decided to remove fence 18b, the log after the mound, from the course due to concerns about the footing; the optimum time will not be changed. But riders have expressed much more concern over the course than just the mound complex, and there are rumblings back in the barns that some riders are considering withdrawing their horses, saying the course asks too much of horse and rider. Be sure to check out the course preview photos and video here, and stay tuned for much more from Badminton.
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