Badminton 2019: The Worldwide Watching Guide

Watching dressage at Badminton!

There’s nothing in the world that’s better – in my humble opinion – than being at Badminton, with its relentless pulse of energy and its pervasive sense of stopped time. But if you can’t make it this year, then fear not – you’ll be able to follow along with all the action as it happens, no matter where in the world you are.

HOW TO WATCH:

Every phase of the event – including both horse inspections – will be live-streamed directly through Badminton’s website. This is accessible for viewers worldwide, and you can tune into Radio Badminton for additional colour commentary and plenty of expert guests, too. (If you’re on site, we recommend picking up a headset and tuning into this excellent audio service, too – it’s just £10 and will provide an enormous amount of extra insight and entertainment.)

If you’re a UK viewer, there are two major exceptions to your access of the Badminton live-stream. Both the cross-country phase and the final showjumping section will be broadcast on the BBC’s Red Button service. Otherwise, you’re free to live-stream your life away.

Chinch wearing his Radio Badminton headset — ready for cross-country day!

“Alexa, who’s in the lead?”

If you’re the owner of an Amazon Echo, you can enable the Badminton skill, which will allow you to ask for live updates, tune into flash interviews, find out about tickets, stay up-to-date on local travel information, and much, much more.

Badminton has provided a list of some example questions, including…

  • What was Izzy Taylor’s dressage score?
  • When is Michael Jung’s dressage test?
  • Did Star Witness pass the trot up?
  • How did Chris Burton do today?

No word, yet, on whether Alexa can help us figure out the new flag rule.

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, 1 May:

  • First horse inspection: 16.30 – 18.00 p.m. BST/11.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. EST. Available worldwide via the Badminton live-stream.

Thursday, 2 May:

  • Dressage: 9.00 a.m. – 17.00 p.m. BST/4.oo a.m. – 12.00 p.m. EST. Available worldwide via the Badminton live-stream, with French commentary for French and Belgian residents via Equideo, and with German commentary for German and Austrian residents via Horse&Country TV.

Friday, 3 May:

  • Dressage: 9.00 a.m. – 17.00 p.m. BST/4.oo a.m. – 12.00 p.m. EST. Available worldwide via the Badminton live-stream, with French commentary for French and Belgian residents via Equideo, and with German commentary for German and Austrian residents via Horse&Country TV.

Saturday, 4 May:

  • Cross-country: 11.30 a.m. – 17.00 p.m. BST/ 6.30 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. EST. Available via the BBC for UK viewers, with French commentary for French and Belgian residents via Equideo, with German commentary for German and Austrian residents via Horse&Country TV, and to the rest of the world via the Badminton live-stream.

Sunday, 5 May:

  • Final horse inspection: 8.30 a.m. BST/3.30 a.m. EST. Available worldwide via the Badminton live-stream.
  • First jumping session: 11.30 a.m. BST/6.30 a.m. EST. Available worldwide via the Badminton live-stream, with French commentary for French and Belgian residents via Equideo, and with German commentary for German and Austrian residents via Horse&Country TV.
  • Final jumping session: 14.00 p.m. BST/9.00 a.m. EST. Available via the BBC for UK viewers, with French commentary for French and Belgian residents via Equideo, with German commentary for German and Austrian residents via Horse&Country TV, and to the rest of the world via the Badminton live-stream.

Chinch: the only winner of #JodhpurWatch.

PREVIEWS AND REVIEWS

Want to build up the hype? Check out Horse&Country TV’s hour-long preview show, available now. They’ll also be running an hour-long highlights programme, which will air on their TV channel (UK only) and on their website on 21.00 p.m. BST/4.00 p.m. EST on Sunday, 12 May.

For UK viewers only, BBC2 will run a cross-country highlights show from 12.30 – 14.00 p.m. BST on Sunday, 5 May, prior to airing the final jumping session.

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