Classic Eventing Nation

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats offer up this afternoon’s closest challenge for the lead, ultimately finishing up in second at the end of the first day. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It doesn’t often happen that Badminton’s Thursday morning leader remains in the top spot through the rest of the day, but that’s exactly what happened in today’s competition: coming forward as just the fourth competitor of the day, Olympic medallists Tom McEwen and his eminently reliable Toledo de Kerser delivered a career-best five-star score of 23.4 that proved unsurpassable as the day wore on. There were plenty of admirable challengers for the throne, though, and as the day drew to a close, two of them had come very close indeed.

“He’s getting more and more reliable — he used to be a little bit more tricky, but he’s getting more and more on side as he’s getting older and he’s getting the strength there,” says Kitty King, who posted a 24.8 with Vendredi Biats (Winningmood x Liane Normande, by Camelia de Ruelles). While it’s hardly the Selle Français gelding’s first sub-25 – he’s managed the feat four times at four-star – it easily eclipsed his previous five-star score of 27.2, earned here in 2019. Like many French horses, we’ve seen him hit a peak, both in strength and in hard-earned maturity, as he’s entered his teens and today, his professionalism won out – despite some tricky schooling sessions in the previous days.

“He was quite tricky yesterday, and kept breaking in all his medium trots,” explains Kitty. “I was getting a bit stressed about it all, but he was much more with me when I rode him this morning. I got on him probably a bit too early up here and so, because he felt really focused and with me, I just ended up doing a lot of walk and practicing his halts [in the warm-up].”

That clearly paid off – the pair earned a 10 from judge Christian Landolt at C for their second halt, while the judges at H and B awarded them 9s for the same movement. But the audible reaction from today’s high-octane audience nearly cost them thereafter: “I’d done my halt and reinback and then went into canter, and I heard a gasp as I went into medium canter [when the halt score was revealed] – I thought, ‘am I not meant to be doing medium canter?! Where am I meant to be going?’ So then I didn’t ride my medium very well, because I thought ‘oh shit, I’ve gone wrong’ because of the gasp. I’m not used to getting 10s!”

Kitty and ‘Froggy’s’ trip to last year’s European Championships in Avenches proved an asset in their corner as they came face to face with packed grandstands in this afternoon’s session.

“It wasn’t like here, obviously, but there were some quite enthusiastic crowds [at Avenches], so it was good he got to see them,” she says. Her ride time, though, was directly after that of third-placed Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden, who had delivered an excellent test to a tumult of applause. “I waited for Mollie’s second clap and then went in thinking they’d be finished, and then they clapped as I went in. I thought ‘oh God!’, because that’s when he can go a bit short and have his eyes popping out of his head, but I gave him a little flexion left and right and did a little leg-yield, and he came straight back to me and really settled.”

From then on out, Kitty found she was able to be bold throughout her ride, giving the ground jury every excuse to reward her crisp transitions between and within the gaits.

“He just felt superb today when I was doing the test. It was the first time where it actually felt like I had so much time between each movement to prepare for the next, whereas normally we don’t have that kind of balance and that time. It all flowed nicely, and I could really ride him for every mark that he could give me at this point. I couldn’t be more thrilled with him.”

Mollie Summerland makes her Badminton debut an impressive one, delivering her best-ever five-star score with her Luhmühlen-winning partner, Charly van ter Heiden. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

While Kitty might have felt a touch of trepidation at vocal enthusiasm following Mollie Summerland‘s test with Charly van ter Heiden, Mollie herself felt an enormous wave of relief as she completed her test with the 13-year-old Hanoverian.

“I’ve found it quite tough since Luhmühlen,” she admits, referring to her fairytale win with the gelding in the German five-star last summer, where she led from pillar to post. “I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure, probably from myself, and a lot of expectation, and I’ve found it hard this year to get the balance right and enjoy the sport. I actually spoke to my sports psychologist this morning, because yesterday I was a very different person – I was probably a little bit introverted and quite emotional and worried. But today, my trainer Olivia Oakley has been here with me, holding my hand every step of the way.”

The 24-year-old’s Badminton debut is a very different kettle of fish to that Luhmühlen trip, which came during the height of continental travel restrictions and meant that she competed without Great Britain’s extensive team of support staff to hand, and none of her trainers or home team with her. This time, she has access to all of the above – but also carries the weight of knowing that this time around, the world knows her name.

That pressure reached its zenith ahead of her test, largely because of her notable prowess in this phase. Mollie also trains extensively with British dressage superstar Carl Hester, and freely admits that the first phase is her favourite – but meeting her own high standards can be a lofty challenge. Today, she rose to it, earning herself a 24.9 – her best-ever score at five-star, and good enough for third place at the end of the first day of competition here.

“I feel a bit shell-shocked – I really didn’t expect that, and I’ve never ridden in front of crowds like that,” she says, beaming through tears. “I’m just so proud of [Charly] — that horse deserves that score, and I’m just glad I didn’t let him down. I just couldn’t believe it; when I came out I kept asking my trainer if she was sure I hadn’t missed a change, because we actually couldn’t do any [in the warm-up], and he was excited in the atmosphere.”

Mollie’s excellent test today wasn’t just a triumph over the pressure she’s felt – it was also a welcome return to the top for Charly, who sat out the rest of 2021 after post-event scans revealed he’d picked up a soft tissue injury at Luhmühlen.

“To have him back — that horse means the world to me; I’ve had him since he was a five-year-old,” she says. “I feel quite emotional about it! He’s my best friend, and so to ride in that arena together was a privilege.”

World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B bring a new outlook to their return to five-star. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum hold fourth place overnight, and best of today’s strong line-up of North American riders, with the very good 25.3 they earned in this morning’s session, while fellow pre-lunch competitors Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs and reigning champions Piggy March and Vanir Kamira sit in equal fifth on 25.7. New Zealand’s Amanda Pottinger and her ex-racehorse Just Kidding finish the day in seventh place on 25.9. (Missed it? You can catch up on the details of their rides in the lunch break report.)

That sizzling morning session does feel rather a long way away now, but let’s take a quick whiz back in time to revisit the superb efforts that filled much of the rest of the top ten in today’s competition.

Eighth overnight are our reigning World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B, who delivered a clear round between the boards to post a 26.4. They return to competition for 2022 — and for their first test at this level since the World Equestrian Games in 2018 — with a reinvigorated approach after a tricky 2021 season.

“I’ve done things a bit differently with him this year, and have been schooling and practicing the dressage a lot less than I’ve done before,” she explains. “I was a little bit nervous this morning that I hadn’t practiced my tests enough, but as soon as you get in there he’s like, head down, ‘off we go, Ros!’, so he’s great.”

‘Alby’s’ 2021 season saw the pair head to Tokyo as travelling reserves for the British team, which required Ros to carefully build the seventeen-year-old gelding to peak fitness. When they weren’t subsequently required to run at the Olympics, she briefly let him back down, before building him up again in preparation for September’s European Championships in Avenches. But that long build-up led to a hugely uncharacteristic couple of run-outs – a frustrating turn of events that was ultimately a strange sort of blessing in disguise for the pair.

“As we do over the winter, I thought a lot about him, and about our relationship together,” she explains. “I think it goes back further than the Olympic year with us: I missed a year due to being pregnant, and then Covid hit and the ‘Big Bs’, which he adores and lives for, and that build-up to two big events a year, all disappeared. Suddenly, we had to build up every month for a short-format, and I think as a result of the pressure of having had a year off, I probably over-trained in that period — so I very much wanted to get back to him loving the job again. He’s older and wiser and more laid-back at home, and so we’ve gone hacking [instead of schooling]. I’ve learned so much about him out hacking, about his balance, about bringing him off his forehand on the flat. He doesn’t forget how to do a flying change or a half-pass, and so I’m fairly confident that what I’ve done this year has been the right thing for the horse.”

“It was terrible at the time that I had the run-outs and I lost an individual medal [at the Europeans], but thankfully we still won the team medal and in hindsight, if I’d won an individual gold medal I wouldn’t have changed my system, and I’d have had a different horse coming into Badminton. We’re always learning as riders, and I definitely learned a lot from last year’s experience.”

European Champions Nicola Wilson and JL Dublin take an early spot in the top ten. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The rider who did go on to win the individual gold in that European Championships was Nicola Wilson and her now eleven-year-old Holsteiner JL Dublin, who began his five-star debut just a tenth of a penalty behind Ros and Alby on 26.5. That’s enough to see him finish the first day in ninth place.

“It’s his first time at this level, and he coped really well with the atmosphere in the main arena — and I was thrilled with his test,” says Nicola. “He had a little wobble in the second shoulder-in, which was costly, but on the whole I was delighted with his rideability, how he went, and how he expressed himself.”

That the ‘little wobble’ in their shoulder-in only saw their marks drop down to a 6.5 at the lowest is a testament to how consistent this horse has been: he won Bicton’s CCI4*-L and Hartpury’s CCI4*-S last season before heading to Avenches, where he put an exceptional 20.9 on the board and subsequently finished on it.

This is the first of Nicola’s two debutant horses this week, and also the first time we’ve seen Badminton use the draw to decide the order of multiple-horse riders: previously, those with two entered could choose the order in which they went, but this year, it’s assigned at random. (The exception to the rule, of course, is those riders who enter more than two horses with the intention of withdrawing all but two, who are then given multiple spots at the start and finish of the list and can tactically withdraw in order to get the intended runners in their preferred order.) In Nicola’s case, given the choice, she’d have preferred to bring JL Dublin out for Friday’s session: “I probably would have ridden him second, but it really doesn’t matter — if you do a good test you’ll be marked well, hopefully!”

Pippa Funnell’s impressive Billy Walk On jointly rounds out the top ten. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Two further Brits round out the top ten in equal tenth place on 28.5, and between them, they represent a formidable cross-section of the country’s elite competitors: Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On line up for the living legends and experienced five-star horses of the sport, while Emily King and Valmy Biats represent the young guns and debutant horses.

It’s been a busy enough week for Pippa by anyone’s standards — after riding two horses to very good results at Kentucky, she hopped on the packed Sunday evening flight from Lexington back to England, where she dived headlong into the final preparations for Badminton with another two entrants. That meant fine-tuning the flatwork with her horses, who had been schooled in her absence by her stable staff.

“[Billy Walk On] is a very big horse, and I have a fantastic team at home of very little people — they’re all five foot, or five foot one maximum,” says Pippa. “Lily Wilson’s done the most incredible job with them, keeping them ticking over and hacking, but he’s big and gets quite strung out and that’s meant I’ve had to work quite hard in closing him up again, so I don’t think that being away necessarily helped in the preparation. But that’s more to do with the FEI and trying to persuade them to change calendars so we can have a week between the five-stars!”

Though we’ve seen Billy Walk On deliver low 20s scores at this level, his test today looked plenty polished in the circumstances, with just one frustrating moment in the second change when he dropped behind the leg and spooked through the movement, earning costly 4s and a 3.

Emily King and Valmy Biats join Pippa and Billy Walk On in equal tenth place after day one of dressage. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Emily King, too, had a wobble in the second flying change, which earned her two 5s and a 4 with Valmy Biats, and was the only real fault in an otherwise mature test for the first-time five-star horse.

“He’s come on so much in the dressage over the last couple of years,” says Emily, who campaigns the horse with the support of the Event Horse Owners Syndicate, a racing-inspired micro syndicate service that allows fans of the sport increased access to the sport via ‘their’ horse and rider. “I’ve only had him for two years, and when he came to me he couldn’t physically do flying changes, and now he’s coming in and doing all of them. Give him another year and I think he’ll be mega, so for where he’s at, I was seriously pleased.”

This was Valmy’s first time in a real pressure cooker of an atmosphere but this, too, posed little issue for the French gelding: “He coped very well — he’s quite a hot, tense sort of horse with a lot of power that quite easily goes straight out the front door, so it’s just about containing it in a relaxed way. I thought he went in there and felt like he did in the warm-up, which was lovely because I didn’t have to adapt too much.”

The second half of the field comes forward tomorrow to attempt to smash the incredibly high standard we’ve seen throughout today’s competition – and there’s plenty of heavy hitters in the line-up, including Olympic medallists Laura Collett and London 52, Bubby Upton and Cola, Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, and plenty more besides. We’ll also see another, smaller batch of our North American (and US-based) contingent, the first group of whom we caught up with earlier today. To check out the times in full, click here.

We’ll be back with plenty more from Badminton — until then, Go Eventing!

The top ten at the end of Thursday’s dressage at Badminton.

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We’ve got an excellent contingent of American, Canadian and American-based Australian riders tackling Badminton this week, which means we’ve got plenty to catch up on after the majority of them rode their dressage tests today. It’s either a first time or a return for the first time in many years for these riders, so the palpable energy has been gratitude to be here — mixed with a bit of good-natured tolerance of the first bit of competition!

On Friday we’ll see the remainder of the North Americans ride as follows:

9:38 a.m. BST / 4:38 a.m. EST: Dom Schramm (AUS) and Bolytair B
9:46 a.m. BST / 4:46 a.m. EST: Karl Slezak (CAN) and Fernhill Wishes
10:18 a.m. BST / 5:18 a.m. EST: Mike Winter (CAN) and El Mundo
2:56 p.m. BST / 11:56 a.m. EST: Emily Hamel (USA) and Corvett

Mike Winter’s daughter Amelia, who runs the Team Canada Instagram page, will be doing a takeover of our @goeventing story tomorrow — be sure to follow along!

Now, let’s catch up with the U.S. riders who rode today as they passed through the mixed zone:

Tamie Smith pats Mai Baum after a solid and competitive test. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum 25.6 – 4th

On her dressage test today: “I was really pleased with him – he’s been on on fire all week and he was just really with me. He got a little bit overwhelmed by the crowd but held it together.”

“On grass you don’t get the same kind of pushing power you’d get in the arena, and he wouldn’t be experienced with that. He’s never made me nervous going into dressage before, and I yesterday I was slightly like, ‘oooh — this isn’t what I’m used to!’ But he’s never been this fit and ready to go, and I was really pleased with everything. He could have maybe gone a little bit more forward, but when I went to ask for that he broke to canter, so I just played it a little bit safe there.”

On her plan for Friday’s “day off”: “I’ll probably take him out for a little gallop and we’ll jump school, but [I’ll mostly be] walking the course and studying my lines to be prepared for Saturday.”

On the decision to bring Mai Baum to Badminton: “He did Kentucky last year and…I feel like he’s the best horse in the world. He’s just an unbelievable creature, so I want to be at the best event in the world with him. It’s not every day you have a horse to take to Badminton, and I feel like I do — so I could have played it safe and gone to Kentucky but, you know, neither one of us have 30 years ahead of us. So we’re ready!”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Phillip Dutton and Z 33.2 – 24th

On his dressage test: “Well, I’m pleased with where we’re at because yesterday with the [Grassroots Championship] cross country going, he was all confused and was pretty wound up. And so that’s carried over a bit to today. I was just trying to sit there and keep him as quiet as I could, so it could have been a lot worse. In hindsight, I wish I found a better place to work him yesterday. But anyway, it’s all great experience, and we’re just so grateful to be here.”

On Z’s attitude and work ethic: “He’s a bit of a workaholic and loves to work. But he does overthink it a bit — at home he’s really quiet, but at the shows he can be a bit of a handful. But lately, he’s figured out in the dressage to be quiet, and then I don’t care so much if he gets wound up on the cross country day. That’s why it got a bit confusing for him yesterday, I think because he saw all the horses galloping around. He came out of the stall shaking in anticipation as he thought he was going cross country. So I’ve worked him a lot and spent some time trying to get through to him that he doesn’t need to worry about cross country yet.”

On the decision to bring Z to Badminton (Phillip has not competed here himself since 2003): “Obviously this is arguably the best event in the world and, I don’t know, I’m not getting any younger. So I’d like to experience it again. And this is the right horse for it, and all the owners decided to be a part of it as well.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan 35.4 – 31st

On her test today: It’s not what I was hoping for. He’s been getting better and better in the dressage each time he’s run a five-star, so we’ve been sort of slowly creeping marks down, but dressage is just not his strength. He gets a little exuberant and quite tense. So this was not quite what I had hoped for. He got a 33 at Luhmühlen last year but, you know, he’s just been a lot more keyed up this week, really feeling the atmosphere.”

On the atmosphere at Badminton today: “My horses haven’t had a whole lot of opportunity to see crowds. You know, in the last couple years, there were no spectators at Luhmühlen and no spectators at Kentucky last year. So I mean, I did go to Aachen, but that’s later in the season, so they’ve been out a few times — so this is a lot. I mean, at least for mine, this is the first time he’s been in front of the crowds this year.”

On Eric Winter’s cross country course: “It looks really, really fantastic. It’s good to see it’s a different type of track than I’ve seen before, but I think it’ll suit my horse. Lots of big jumps and lots of galloping to do so I think it’ll be right up our alley. He’s got a massive stride and a huge jump and he just loves to run and take things on. So I think that this will be great for him. You know, last year was a bit of a learning year for both of us and that we went to Luhmühlen and then we went to Aachen and did sort of the twisty or more technical tracks just to gain mileage. But yes, I think this is back to old time, cross country roots of running and jumping. So I’m excited to get out there.”

Matt Flynn and Wizzerd. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Matt Flynn and Wizzerd 35.8 – 33rd

On his test: “You always wish there could be a bit better. So I guess that’s the biggest thing but I’m happy with him for today and there’s always room for strong improvement.”

On the cross country course: “Yes, that’s impressive. So that’s really something, and just the magnitude of the atmosphere and the decoration and it’s definitely not a dressage show. There’s a lot of work to do this week.

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby 37.8 – 39th

On her test today: “This is not his phase, I will admit. I went in there and thought, ‘oh’, like he got that feeling like he was going to absolutely blow a top. But he was really good. I’ve never felt him that tense and still ride that sort of okay in the test. So I mean, I know everybody’s got their own standard for what they’re looking for here. I brought a jumping horse, not a dressage one, and I’m happy with him. He’s a good horse and the dressage is hard for him. He’s really long, so it’s made him nervous because it’s physically hard for him. But I’ve been riding this horse for ten years, and this is actually my tenth five-star, so I know him really well. I know not to get my hopes up about this phase — and that’s why I bring him here, so that we can hopefully climb our way up.”

“When they’re 16, they are who they are, and if I come in here thinking I’m going to lay it down on the flat — that’s not fair to him. I’ve got to accept him for who he is. Now I do expect him to lay it down in the jumping, so we’re going to go out there with some expectation.”

Her thoughts on the cross country: “I don’t know what to think. It’s big! You need a horse that turns really well, that’s my takeaway. And you really need to know where you’re going. I think people who have never been here before, like myself, have a bit of a disadvantage. So I’m going to walk it like seven times if I can stand it! I found Burghley super confusing when I first went there. This is less confusing — you sort of do the cross country courses like a big circle around the property. It’s flat, you can see all your points of reference.”

On the decision to come here to Badminton: “By the end, I’ll be thinking this is the most fun thing I’ve ever done but for now I’m like, ‘what was I thinking coming here, I should have gone to Kentucky!’….This horse has afforded me the luxury of going to big events. He’s taken me to Burghley, taken me to Kentucky. He’s taken me all over the place. And like, I was like, you know what? I better go [to Badminton] just so I can figure it out with the horse I know really well. And a horse I know it doesn’t matter if the jumps are the biggest things you’ve ever seen. He doesn’t care about that.”

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way 39.0 – 41st

On Mama’s Magic Way’s dressage test: “He stayed rideable-ish in there. I was getting run off with everywhere, but he’s so talented. It’s just getting his mind in the right spot. We wish we could just do our dressage at home and then just send videos in for them to judge! I was hoping they would start doing that with COVID. My EquiRatings would have gone way up! But it’s not a dressage competition — Saturday is the big test. The score is disappointing, but I was happy that we didn’t have any complete blowout meltdowns.”

On the decision to bring Mama’s Magic Way here: “I did Badminton 17 years ago. It was the last year it was long format, and I’ve always wanted to come back. And although I’ve had horses at the five-star level in the past 17 years, it always never kind of fit in and this year, you know, Jennifer Mosing who owns him said let’s go to Badminton, so here we are.”

On returning to Badminton for the first time since the great Antigua: “It’s fun to be back. I was 23 when I was here last and now I’m 40 — Antigua is the horse that gave me a career, and I did my first Badminton on him, my first Burghley on him, my first Pan American team, my first World Equestrian Games. So that horse was so many firsts, and I unfortunately lost him last year at the age of 34. He looked a million bucks ’til the day he died.”

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Tom McEwen leaves nothing on the table in Toledo de Kerser’s canter work, which earns him an early lead. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Long gone are the days of easing into Badminton week with a batch of mid-30s marks on Thursday morning: today’s first batch of competitors was so flush with major names and heavy-hitters that the gauntlet was thrown down almost from the word go. We hadn’t yet seen ten o’clock before Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser B (Diamant de Semilly x Ariane du Prieure II), British individual silver and team gold medallists at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, delivered a very nearly flawless test to put a 23.4 on the scoreboard.

But while the ground jury presented a nearly unified front throughout many of the day’s subsequent tests, there was actually a fairly significant discrepancy in Tom’s marks, which precluded the 2019 Pau CCI5* victors from creeping even lower towards the 20 cusp. While Christian Landolt, judging from C, and Seppo Laine, in situ at H, both rewarded Tom and Toledo with a percentage score in the high 70s, Anne-Marie Taylor at B proved harder to impress: she gave them a 73.7, putting them lower in her estimations than several other combinations.

“I’m not sure where she’s coming from,” laughs Tom. “He was amazing. It’s a shame he didn’t do that test in Tokyo, because that would have made our life a lot easier!”

Tom earned the first 10 of the day after delivering an extended canter transition that was bold, balanced, and showed the full scope of the rangy Selle Français gelding’s stride. For the packed stands full of keen eventing fans, the performance will have come as little surprise; the pair come into this week’s competition as one of the odds-on favourites to take the win here. But even Olympic medallists have weak points, and Toledo’s has often been the walk. Today’s test, which is the same we saw in action last week at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, features a lengthy and influential walk section, throughout which the pair’s scores dipped to between 5.5 and 6.5.

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser set the standard for the days to come. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

There are a few things that you can generally count on with Tom and Toledo, though: first, that they’re reliably excellent in the other two gaits, which makes them consistently competitive on the flat, and second, that they’re not likely to be ruffled by the scores as they happen, whether they’re very high or trending lower.

“I couldn’t see the screen [during the extended canter], which was probably no bad thing,” he says. “I had no idea where [the marks] were going; I was just going through my process.”

That process has been influenced in large part by dressage supremo Ferdi Eilberg, with whom Tom has long trained: “Ferdi’s been brilliant with him this week, and so he’s super relaxed and super keen – and he’s got a bit fresh with all the people [around] again, so that’s been really lovely to see.”

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum go into second place after a small mistake early in their test. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

A number of the competitors in this week’s field are fresh — well, relatively speaking, anyway — off the plane from Kentucky last week, which can be both a blessing and a curse: those competitors have the undeniable advantage of having gotten their eye in over five-star fences already, but on the flip side, the hop from country to country means that those all-important final few rides have been completed with another rider aboard. California’s Tamie Smith is one such rider: she was able to keep Mai Baum (Loredano 2 x Ramira, by Rike) at Kentucky with her through last Wednesday, giving them a valuable chance to train together in a competition setting, but since he landed on UK soil, it’s been up to fellow US rider Avery Klunick to keep the 16-year-old gelding ticking over. That’s no small amount of pressure for either rider to contend with – both Tamie and Avery alike are achingly aware of the gelding’s ability to throw down a leading test in this field, and equally aware of how little it takes to tip the balance and put a chink the armour.

“That’s a little nerve-wracking for me, but luckily she did a great job and didn’t ruin him or anything,” jokes Tamie, who sits second at the lunch break on a respectable score of 25.3. “I actually think it’s good, because the pressure is kind of let off of them.”

Just one minor blip stopped them making a serious bid for the lead – ‘Lexus’ broke into a canter in the first trot half-pass, and though the mistake was infinitesimally brief, it was enough to see them earn 4s for that movement. Elsewhere, though, the black gelding delivered his characteristic flowing, correct work and Tamie, who spent her teenage years learning aboard Grand Prix dressage schoolmasters while riding with Martina Stimmel, left nothing to chance in the ring. For Lexus, whose only other test on grass was his Aachen test of last season, Badminton’s capacious turf arena provided an unfamiliar challenge in a phase that comes very naturally to him.

“On grass you don’t get the same kind of pushing power you’d get in the arena, and he wouldn’t be experienced with that,” Tamie says. “He’s never made me nervous going into dressage before, and I yesterday I was slightly like, ‘oooh — this isn’t what I’m used to!’ But he’s never been this fit and ready to go, and I was really pleased with everything. He could have maybe gone a little bit more forward, but when I went to ask for that he broke to canter, so I just played it a little bit safe there.”

His high level of fitness played a part in that — but equally influential was the huge, buzzy atmosphere in the arena, which is famously spooky when filled to capacity.

“He’s been on fire all week, and he was really with me; he did get a little bit overwhelmed by the crowd, but he held it together. It’s quite an atmosphere in there, even though it’s Thursday, which is normally a bit quieter,” she says. But that buzz is all part of the Badminton experience, which Tamie is relishing with her horse of a lifetime: “He did Kentucky last year and I feel like he’s the best horse in the world. He’s just an unbelievable creature, and I want to be at the best event in the world with him. It’s not every day you have a horse to take to Badminton and I feel like I do. I could have played it safe and gone to Kentucky, but neither one of us has thirty years ahead of us, so I feel like we’re ready!”

Oliver Townend makes a positive impression with relatively new ride Swallow Springs to sit equal third at the lunch break. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It’s never a surprise to see World Number One Oliver Townend at the business end of the leaderboard here, but only the most committed of eventing fans will have recognised his first ride of the week, who sits equal third on 25.7 at this early stage. The fourteen-year-old Swallow Springs (Chillout x Kilila, by Cult Hero) was previously campaigned to this level by Oliver’s longtime friend Andrew Nicholson, who handed the reins to Oliver just before Blenheim in September before announcing his own retirement from upper-level competition. This is far from the first horse Oliver has inherited from the Kiwi, who won this event in 2017 with Nereo, but it’s arguably the most competitive — and the most experienced. That doesn’t always make for an easy transition from rider to rider, but in their short tenure together, Oliver and ‘Chill’ have finished tenth in their debut at Blenheim CCI4*-L and won on their Badminton prep run at Burnham Market CCI4*-S last month. Their joint debut in Badminton’s main arena belied the brevity of their partnership: their test was a true ‘clear round’, never dipping below a 6.5 (and even those were notable only by their scarcity).

“The boss is pleased; he said he couldn’t have done any better himself, so that was handy,” says Oliver with a laugh. “He’s a new horse, and we’re only just getting to know each other, but he’s an old professional. Sometimes it’s more difficult with the old professionals, but he went in and did his job. He’s basically a full Thoroughbred and not built for dressage, but he’s getting better and better.”

The gelding, who was fifth here in 2019 with Andrew aboard, has one particular quality that has ingratiated him to the Yorkshireman: his ineffable well of try. “He’s a professional, and he comes out and works every day, which I obviously love,” says Oliver. “I think that’s a trait that you get with most top horses — they know their job, and they come out and do their job for you, and it’s a pleasure working with professionals like that.”

Reigning champions Piggy March and Vanir Kamira return with a bang to defend their title. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

This week has been a long time coming for Piggy March and Vanir Kamira (Camiro de Haar Z x Fair Caledonian, by Dixi), who have held the Badminton title since their win here back in 2019. ‘Tillybean’ was just coming into her prime then as a fourteen-year-old, and now returns as a seasoned, though relatively low-mileage, seventeen-year-old. It certainly didn’t look as though she’d gathered any moss through that wait, though, when she delivered a tidy test for equal third and 25.7 this morning.

“I’ll definitely take it — I don’t want to go in and try again,” laughs Piggy, who was pleasantly surprised to find that her test had looked, perhaps, better than it felt.

“She’s been pretty lively since she’s been here, and I’ve been slightly panicking that she remembers 2019 too well! The last time I went in the main arena I milked it for all I could, and went around 20 million times in the lap of honour, yelling like a crazy thing. And we obviously haven’t been anywhere for two years that has this sort of buzz, but she’s a good old girl and she’s pretty professional. I do forget that, when I’m scratching around warm-ups thinking ‘this isn’t good enough’. She’s just hard, and there’s definitely a couple of wobbles — she shuffled at the beginning of her extended trot and had a little bit of a loss of rhythm, but I head a gunshot go off at the same time so I don’t know whether she was thinking about the same thing. But I think we were accurate enough — a swear word never entered my mind!”

For a horse like this, the Big Bs — Badminton and Burghley — are the be-all and end-all, and waiting for them to return has been something of a prolonged heartbreak for Piggy. Now, though, it’s time to make up for all they’ve missed, and all that they’ve dealt with in the lead-up.

“We’ve been excited all year — it’s just good to be here. We’ve had a rubbish couple of weeks,” says Piggy, referring to her sister-in-law Caroline March’s recent accident at Burnham Market, and her own late withdrawal of Brookfield Inocent. “It’s felt like there’s lots of black clouds — that’s the sport; you’re up and down. It’s just felt like quite an emotional rollercoaster the last two weeks, and we sort of thought, ‘ugh, we need another month to regroup’. But the moment you drive in the gates, it’s just cool — it’s what we do it for. We’ve spent a lot of time at home regrouping and waiting for something to come along, and maybe sometimes you do just need the kick up the arse, like ‘come on then, you silly old cow’.”

Kiwi combination Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding put up a great fight for the ex-racehorse contingent to sit fifth at the lunch break. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The top five is rounded out by New Zealander Amanda Pottinger, daughter of Olympian Tinks Pottinger, who delivered an excellent 25.9 with her ex-racehorse Just Kidding. The two-time New Zealand open Champions have made two previous starts at five-star, both at the Adelaide in Australia, where they’ve finished second and fourth. Their scores in Southern Hemisphere events have also been formidable, including a 21.2 in a CCI4*-L at Puhinui — but Badminton is a whole ‘nother stage and a serious challenge for a sharp horse. In that enviably relaxed Kiwi way, though, they settled right in in the main arena, delivering far and away their best-ever five-star test.

“That was way above my expectations,” says Amanda, who has previously scored in the mid-30s as this level. “I was hoping for a sub-30, but nowhere near 25! But I knew he had this test in him, and we’ve been working on it, and I’m just stoked to finally be able to pull it off. We knew it was there, and to get it on the first day at Badminton is unbelievable.”

Amanda, who’s been basing in Wiltshire, England in the lead-up to Badminton, picked the gelding up as a bargain-basement racehorse reject, but he didn’t start out that way: he was sold for $100,000 as a yearling, and is a son of the 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. That means that Saturday’s tough track should work in his favour – and Amanda, who had mentally prepared herself for a climb up the leaderboard, puts herself in a brilliant position to try to retain a spot at the upper end of the leaderboard.

“These guys are bred for Saturday, and not really bred for this phase. He’s always been a beautiful looking horse and a beautiful moving horse for a Thoroughbred, and he really does want to please, so we’ve always known he had it in him — it’s just been about working out the best way to get him where he’s happy and can do his job,” she says.

We’ll be back this afternoon with a full report from today’s proceedings — until then, Go Eventing!

The top ten after the morning session at Badminton.

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