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.
Another busy day at Badminton is in the books as we inch closer to Saturday’s thrilling cross country test. But for now, it’s about keeping a lid on the energy and ekeing out the most relaxation one can accomplish with a 5*-fit event horse. Here’s a look at what’s been going on around the grounds through the lens of social media!
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.
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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!”
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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.
Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Abby Powell.
A popular fixture on the Area I calendar and perennially among the first late-summer Advanced offerings each year, Millbrook Horse Trials will sadly vacate its August 4-7 dates this year, the event announced on Wednesday.
“With great regret, the Board of Millbrook Horse Trials (“MHT”) announces the cancellation of this year’s event, which was scheduled to be held August 4-7 in Millbrook, N.Y. This will be a disappointment to many, especially in our own community of Millbrook. As the only Area I eventing competition that offers all levels, from local beginners to the very top international competitors, MHT is an important summer fixture for competitors and spectators.
Despite the effects of the Pandemic, last year’s event was particularly vibrant and well attended and we were expecting to expand on that this year. Unfortunately, however, we have not been able to come to a mutually acceptable agreement with one of the landowners on whom we rely to host the competition.
“The USEA has committed to assist Millbrook to make sure that this incredibly important event continues into the future,” said United States Eventing Association President Max Corcoran who grew up in USEA Area I. “We will work with the organizers of Millbrook to solve this and make sure that the event is viable.”
The Board of the Millbrook Horse Trials is grateful for the support we receive from sponsors, volunteers, officials, and many others each year. We are committed and hopeful that the Horse Trials will return to the eventing calendar for 2023.”
This is a developing story, and we’ll continue to provide updates on this news as they become available.
Some days, I think my role as a journalist in this sport is to chronicle its ups and downs, to chart its progress and its shortfalls, and to do my tiny little bit to help steer this party boat to safer harbours. Other days, I confront the truth of the matter: I’m here to make friends and then lose them again, quite rapidly, by taking the mick out of their carefully honed trot-up outfits. I’m not sure if anyone’s ever actually been blacklisted from horse inspections for repeated bad behaviour, but I’ve always been a pioneer in my field. Mostly because everyone else is very busy doing the important stuff.
The first horse inspection at Badminton Horse Trials tends to be something of a sedate affair as far as outfits are concerned — you get the odd outlier, sure, but for the most part, it’s a sea of ever-so-respectable tweeds, and somehow, everyone watching on is also in tweed, like we’re at some kind of odd woollens convention.
To those brave souls who buck the trend: I salute you. And now I’m going to be mean to you on the internet — but it’s all for a bit of fun and hey, there’s a new pair of Fairfax & Favor footwear on the line for the brave winner.
The Golden Chinch for WFH Chic
Hector Payne and Dynasty. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I think what has happened here is clear: Hector Payne has clocked on for his mid-morning Teams meeting, still wearing what he went to sleep in, with biscuit crumbs on his lap and, I don’t know, probably a housecat nestled in his chest hair or something. And then his manager has chirpily announced that “actually folks, I thought it would be nice if we switched our cameras on for our catch-up today!” and in a moment of enormous panic, poor Hec has had to chuck the cat aside, sweep the debris off his desk, and throw on something that would suggest he’s been prepared and professional all along. It’s business up top, #naplife down below. A professional Pooh Bear, if you will, except he’s (probably wisely) dispensed with the idea of full nudity from the waist down.
The Golden Chinch for Offshore Shenanigans
Emily Hamel and Corvett. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Why is the rum always gone, Emily Hamel? There’s something very Captain Jack Sparrow about this coat, but also, somehow, something very ‘Brooding Romantic Lead in a Period Drama’, as though she’s on her way to tell some hapless young lady that she can’t possibly marry her, because her mother is too embarrassing. Actually, this sounds like a fantastic crossover idea for a movie, so I’ll be patiently awaiting my cheque from Hollywood.
The Golden Chinch for Representing Women in STEM
Susie Berry and John the Bull. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I remember the hazy days of the early nineties, when all the Barbies on the shop shelves were clad in tooth-achingly pink tulle and those silly little stilettos that needled their way into your soul if you stepped on them on a playroom floor. Now, though, we’re a much more enlightened culture (well, sort of), and little girls have all sorts of brainy beauties to look up to. Chief among them is head researcher Susie Berry, who serves us up a look here that’s very ‘when you’ve got a trot-up at five and need to go dissect a few mouse hearts at seven.’ Yes, she looks like a solid ten, but more importantly, I’m pretty sure she might be about to cure cancer. As Paris Hilton would say, ‘that’s hot.’
The Golden Chinch for Service with a Smile
Ben Hobday and Shadow Man. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Le garçon would like to know if the table by the window will suit madame? A soupçon of caviar for the lady? A little tinkle-winkle of the Chablis? Perhaps a cocktail sausage to nibble on? Ben Hobday‘s got what you need, and in his pursuit of five (Michelin) stars, he’s laser-focused.
The Golden Chinch for Going Full Goth For Trot-Up
Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
“Emily’s at that very special age when a girl has only one thing on her mind.”
“Boys?”
“Homicide.”
Honestly, though, props to Emily for managing to meld equestrian chic with ‘about to marry Travis Barker’ vibes. I spend my life trying to do this and every day I’m appalled to discover that no one has yet bothered to make fun of me on the internet.
The Golden Chinch for Casual Reminders
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tamie Smith is a busy woman, and it’s only fair to expect that sometimes, in the madness of rushing from coast to coast and country to country, she sort of forgets where she’s going and what she’s doing. This very sharp dress is emblazoned with horsey paraphernalia, which is obviously serving as something of a visual aid for the Californian, who I suspect started filling her suitcase with shuttlecocks before one of her grooms stopped her in a panic and reminded her she was going to England to do the other kind of Badminton. Here, she helpfully shows the gathered media her horse, in case they forgot, too.
The Golden Chinch for Midlife Crisis Dressing
Karl Slezak and Fernhill Wishes. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
The actual, official Best Dressed Gentleman winner delivers an outfit here that says “I just spunked my retirement fund on an Alfa Romeo, have scored myself a 21-year-old girlfriend, and actually, I might go steal a yacht and become some sort of Palm Beach pirate, because the world is burning and why not, quite frankly?” There’s a part of me that suspects that he might disappear to, say, London before cross-country day and return with a front tooth entirely encrusted with diamonds, which would be incongruous and unexpected, but also somehow feels right, deep in my soul.
In the late 90s, men reached a certain age and went a little bit weird in a Kevin-Spacey-in-American-Beauty sort of way; this version, as demonstrated by Karl Slezak, feels like it’s on a mission to single-handedly revive the word #YOLOand also maybe ‘groovy’, which I think I can get on board with. My hopes are high for the second horse inspection: Karl, as you are a proud Canadian, please consider channeling Celine Dion, circa her Las Vegas residency. Here all week if you need any styling tips.
Das Ist Eine Gut Golden Chinch, Ja?
Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati and DSP Cosma. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
One thing I love about Austria’s Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati is that she’s reliable. I just know, without any doubt in my mind, that every time I see her name on the running order I’ll also get to see a jolly good dirndl, and that means I’ll also get to smugly correct everyone around me who says “is she wearing lederhosen?” No, you silly, silly sausages; that’s what men wear, and they don’t wash those, so given the opportunity, it’s the women in their delightful Alps-y dirndls you want to be cavorting with.
Here’s a fun fact about dirndls: the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood was officially named an ambassador for them (yes, this is a thing, for some reason) after she said, and I quote: “I do not understand you Austrians. If every woman wore a dirndl, there would not be any more ugliness.” That sparked something of a dirndl renaissance in the country, and truly, as I write this in the middle of the night, I’m nearly teary-eyed with joy at the fact that there’s actually a use for this totally pointless information that’s been taking up room in my brain.
The Golden Chinch for Realising Mid-Jog That This is Her Circus and These Are Her Monkeys, Actually
Sofia Sjoborg and DHI Mighty Dwight. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
As Swedish rider Sofia Sjoborg appeared on the trot-up strip, the first reaction I had was to feel faintly soothed: “ahh,” I thought to myself, “if I stopped staying up until 1am writing kind of mean trot-up articles about people and just went to a therapist instead, this is what I imagine the sofa in their office would look like.” The downside of that line of thought is that by the time Sofia reached the turning point at the business end of the strip, I’d gone so far down the rabbit hole of pondering what I’d say to that therapist that I was actively coming to terms with the fact that my father never loved me, and then I forgot the really funny circus ringmaster joke I was going to make about this coat. Whoops.
The Golden Chinch Award for Hipster Restauranteuring
Like Ben Hobday before her, Bubby Upton also gives me the sense that I’m about to enjoy a jolly good dinner, except now I’m fairly certain I’m in the sort of restaurant that serves everything deconstructed and arranged piecemeal on anything but a plate. Like a slate, for example, or maybe a small shopping cart. There’s a soundtrack being piped in that’s nattily remixed Bossa nova classics with, say, Mumford and Sons. Being cool is very exhausting, I think.
And so I turn the hard work over to you, my dear readers. It’s an important vote you’re casting, to determine our winner, so think carefully and vote by Friday, May 6 at 5 p.m. BST. Whichever rider wins the popular vote will get a glorious pair of highly covetable Fairfax and Favor shoes, which is just about enough incentive to stop any of them from seeking me out for a little bout of fisticuffs, I think. (I hope.)
EN’s coverage of the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn more about Kentucky Performance Products and its wide array of supplements available for your horse.
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Click any link below to jump to that section. We’ll be adding more to this Ultimate Guide, including sponsor promos and some contests, this week!
We’ve waited since 2019, and Badminton Horse Trials is finally back. The iconic CCI5* competition, which began in 1949, is the second Rolex Grand Slam leg of 2022 — though the live leader, Michael Jung, isn’t entered — and arguably the sport’s most coveted prize. The dressage test will be FEI CCI5* B, the same used at Kentucky last week.
WHAT’S AT STAKE:
Most crucially? A shot at the highly-coveted Badminton trophy and a share of the £360,750 prize pot, which has been off-limits since 2019 due to the pandemic. But this is also a pivotal opportunity for riders to impress their respective selectors ahead of this September’s World Championships in Pratoni, Italy. Beyond that? There’s also a battle for FEI World Rankings points as the likes of the Price family and Pippa Funnell work to topple Oliver Townend from the number one slot.
THE LINE-UP:
Twelve nations will come forward to fight for the coveted Badminton title and its new-look trophy, including bumper entries from the US and France, a Canadian double-header, single entries from Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Italy, and a small but serious contingent for Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. In total, we’ve got 86 entries across 77 riders, and you can meet them all in our jam-packed form guide, which is in drawn order for maximum ease of use.
THE OFFICIALS:
There’s a truly top-notch cast of ground jury members on duty at Badminton. Switzerland’s Christian Landolt will serve as president of the ground jury, while Great Britain’s Anne-Marie Taylor and Finland’s Seppo Lainewill work alongside him.The FEI Technical Delegate for the week is Poland’s Marcin Konarski, assisted by Simon Grundyof Great Britain. The cross-country course will be designed by Eric Winter, who has been in charge of Saturday’s action since 2017. On Sunday, the remaining field will tackle a tough course on grass, designed by Phillip Bywater.
[Times are listed in local time as well as EST]
Wednesday, 4 May:
9.00 am – 4.15 pm (approx.) – Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Class – The Slaits
4.30 p.m. (11.30 a.m. EST): First horse inspection – North front Badminton House
8.30 a.m. (3.30 a.m. EST): Final horse inspection – North front Badminton House
11.30 a.m. (6.30 a.m. EST): First showjumping session
2.35 p.m. (9.35 a.m. EST): Parade of athletes
From 3.00 p.m. (10.00 a.m. EST): Final 20 to jump
4.15 p.m. (11.15 a.m. EST): Prizegiving
HOW TO FOLLOW:
For the first year, the BBC won’t be broadcasting Badminton — well, not in its entirety, anyway. You’ll be able to watch all the action, including trot-ups, by subscribing to Badminton TV for a one-off price of $20/£19.95. This gives you access to the livestream, wherever you are in the world, as well as nearly 100 hours of archive footage from prior events, peaks behind the scenes, course previews, and profiles. If you’re in Britain, you’ll need to turn to BBC2 to watch the final 10 competitors show jump live on Sunday afternoon.
If you’re following along at home (or heck, even if you are attending this year, you lucky duck, you can sign up for the free EN Daily Digest for Badminton here. We’ll start sending this newsletter out each evening in the U.S. beginning Tuesday, May 3. Inside you’ll find all of our coverage from each day + opportunities to win prizes, so you don’t want to miss out!
Good morning and welcome to the first day of Badminton Horse Trials, presented by MARS Equestrian! It’s going to be a wonderful day of dressage competition as we’ll see the first half of the 83-combination field today in front of the judging panel of Christian Landolt, Anne-Marie Taylor, and Seppo Laine.
You can view full ride times here. We’ll see some notable rides today to get things going in full swing, and we’ll also see a good bit of our North American representatives today. Here are some notable times:
11.18 a.m. BST/6.16 a.m. EST – Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby 37.8
11.26 a.m. BST/6.26 a.m. EST – Phillip Dutton and Z 33.2
11.42 a.m. BST/6.42 a.m. EST – Tamie Smith and Mai Baum 25.6
12.06 p.m. BST/7.06 a.m. EST – Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan 35.4
3.48 p.m. BST/10.48 a.m. EST – Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way 39.0
4.44 p.m. BST/11.44 a.m. EST – Matt Flynn and Wizzerd 35.8
Refresh this page frequently for updates from day one, and don’t forget you can also tune in live or on demand yourself by picking up the Badminton TV pass. It’s just $20 or £19.95 and is good for an entire year from the day of purchase, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on all the action yourself.
Thanks for following along with us!
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12:07 p.m. EST: A really nice test from Hazel, who often dips under 30 or at least obtains a low 30s mark for the most part. That wraps up dressage for day one, and it’ll still be Tom McEwen who leads the way on his score of 23.4. The top 10 are quite competitive and we’ve still got plenty of heavy hitters yet to come tomorrow, so expect this board to look different tomorrow. Tilly will be along with her report later, and I’m wrapping up the quotes from the U.S. riders for a round-up to come so stay tuned for much more from Badminton. Thanks for following along with me this early morning! You can catch up on full scores here and see ride times for Friday here.
12:04 p.m. EST: Willingapark Clifford is another older horse, 17 this year, and he’s showing that experience in his workmanlike manner in the ring today.
GIF via Badminton TV.
12:01 p.m. EST: And we’ll wrap up day one with another 5* winner, Australia’s Hazel Shannon with her Adelaide winner Willingapark Clifford. They’ve won the Australian 5* three times and also competed at Kentucky in 2019. Hazel’s based with Kevin McNab in England these days as she looks to make a bid for the Aussies’ high performance squad.
12:00 p.m. EST: A 34.4 for Reve du Rouet, who says we actually got his age wrong and he’s 8, not 18.
GIF via Badminton TV.
11:52 a.m. EST: Next up we’ll see Sarah Bullimore, coming off a weekend in Kentucky with Corouet, riding her longtime partner Reve du Rouet. Reve du Rouet is among the more experienced horses in the field; he’s making his 17th start at the 5* level here this weekend. Fun fact: this horse did his very first 5* at Kentucky back in 2014, where he finished 13th.
11:49 a.m. EST: Well some tension is going to hold this pair back from earning a PB here today, but they’ll bee keen to move on the jumping phases. Wizzerd shows off some fancy footwork to make the first flying change happen and hops his way through the second. The changes on the diagonal score a bit stronger. Our final Americans of the day will take a score of 35.8 into cross country. Just two more to see before the end of the first day of dressage!
GIF via Badminton TV.
11:43 a.m. EST: Next in for the Americans will be Matt Flynn and Wizzerd. Matt’s spent a good bit of time in Europe over the last year, rerouting to Montelibretti and Pratoni in Italy after an unfortunate parting of ways at Boekelo. This is a horse who I think we’re just waiting to see have his day; Matt’s a supremely empathetic and quiet rider and the horse just screams traditional event horse in his type and way of going. I’d love to see them squeeze out a low-30s or even a high-20s score today.
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11:38 a.m. EST: Big fan of James’ quiet hands and Milchem Eclipse’s obedient way of going. They aren’t earning the highest marks from the judges, but consistency is the picture here as they go into the walk work.
11:33 a.m. EST: Big smiles from Alice as she finishes her test, which was quite solid and should make her happy as a starting point. We’ve just got a few more to see today, and it’ll be British rider James Rushbrooke next in to make his debut with Milchem Eclipse. This is another one we won’t see challenging the leaders, but they’ll be good for a solid mid-30s mark if they can put all the pieces together.
11:28 a.m. EST: Next we’ll see Alice Casburn and Topspin — at just 20 years old Alice is our youngest rider this weekend, and her partner is a homebred. It’s quite a cool story, according to Tilly’s notes in our Form Guide, as Alice’s mother Caroline actually competed at this level with Topspin’s grandsire as well as dam. Alice and Topspin have only had international experience since 2018, but they’ve got a strong record as they head into their Badminton debut. This won’t be a pair to challenge the leaderboard on the flat, but you can anticipate a solid low-to-mid-30s mark for them to work off of.
11:27 a.m. EST: I tell you, we’re getting enough 7s and 7.5s on this test that we may yet see Classic Moet squeak in with fairly strong score here — especially when you consider the fact she’s a good bet to finish on whatever she starts with. Tension in the canter work will keep them from challenging their best score, but a 31.4 is a great starting point to work from!
GIF via Badminton TV.
11:19 a.m. EST: 2018 Badminton winners Classic Moet and Jonelle Price, who also competed at Kentucky with McClaren last weekend, will now do their test. This wouldn’t be the strongest phase for “Molly” but we already know she’s an all-out cross country machine who eats big tracks for breakfast. Classic Moet has earned a sub-30 score before, in fact a 27.6 was the score she started on in 2018, but she’s more likely to go low-to-mid-30s in this phase.
11:18 a.m. EST: A really lovely test for Emily, who receives a 9 on her final halt and salute. A 28.5 puts her into equal tenth with Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On — once more showing the absolute depth competing here at Badminton this weekend. All scores in the top 10 are sub-30.
11:14 a.m. EST: A strong, accurate shoulder-in early on for Emily and Valmy Biats. She’s trending with 7s and 7.5s for a lot of these movements.
GIF via Badminton TV.
11:11 a.m. EST: We’ll now see Emily King, who this weekend rides Valmy Biats, in his first start at the 5* level. This is a French-bred horse that’s quite capable on the flat, and he’s partnered with a very talented dressage rider in Emily.
11:10 a.m. EST: Felicity really goes for it in her extended canter and while the flying changes wouldn’t be this horse’s strongest suit she still earned some strong marks for some of her movements. They earn a 32.7, just under one point higher than their Bicton score but still considerably lower than their first attempt at this level, a 37.8 at Pau in 2019.
GIF via Badminton TV.
11:04 a.m. EST: A little bit of sass from Creevagh Silver de Haar keeps this pair from scoring overly competitively, but they’ll take a solid score of 35.5 into cross country. It won’t be a shabby score to have if they can jump around clear. Next in will be Felicity Collins with RSH Contend OR, the horse she’s produced herself and has found multiple successes in the junior ranks with. They were top-10 at the Bicton 5* last year, where they earned a 31.9 on the flat.
10:57 a.m. EST: Next in are Fiona Kashel and Creevagh Silver de Haar, a pair making their 5* debut at Badminton this weekend.
10:55 a.m. EST: Will and Mama’s Magic Way score a 39.0, a little higher than what we’re used to seeing here but there’s still a lot to do and Mason’s one who could certainly jump a fast clear on Saturday. I’m loving the team spirit among the North American (and honorary North American, Mr. Schramm) contingent this week:
Tamie Smith gives Will a post-ride pep talk. GIF via Badminton TV.
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10:53 a.m. EST: Will is doing well to manage the tension here, having to ride conservatively but still asking for what he can in the canter work. I apologize for not having any GIFs of this ride, my live stream is freezing a bit so the quality isn’t great at the moment.
10:50 a.m. EST: This is the first time Will’s competed at Badminton since 2005, when he finished 22nd with the great Antigua. He was a bit sudden in his first halt, but he’s beginning to ride through a little more as we go into the lateral work. “Mason” is looking fit to run on Saturday!
10:47 a.m. EST: We’ll next see our penultimate U.S. pair for today, Will Faudree with Jennifer Mosing/Sterling Silver Stables’ Mama’s Magic Way. This is a horse Will knows quite well at this point, and he’s poised to have a cracking weekend after two solid 5* completions in America. Hector earns a 33.9 which he should be properly pleased with!
10:45 a.m. EST: The changes have gotten stronger as we go for this pair, but a bit of tension otherwise showing up throughout. I’d probably put them into the mid-high 30s which is about what their average has been in international competition.
10:40 a.m. EST: We’re back underway with Hector Payne and Dynasty. Hector is a former rider for William Fox-Pitt and has inherited much of William’s trademark quietness in the saddle as a result. This is the third 5* for Dynasty, and Hector will be looking to improve on a 28th place at Pau in 2020. A 34.4 was their mark at Pau, so we’ll see if they shave a few points off today.
10:20 a.m. EST: We now go into our final coffee break of the day and will resume at 3:40 BST / 10:40 EST with Hector Payne and Dynasty. Will Faudree will also be in the final group at 10:48 a.m. EST, as will Matt Flynn with Wizzerd at 11:44 a.m. EST.
K, so it’s time for the fun stuff now, right? — Vendredi Biats, probably. GIF via Badminton TV.
10:18 a.m. EST: Two 9s on the final halt and salute for Kitty King, who absolutely delivered a beautiful test with Vendredi Biats. This should be one to perhaps challenge that top 5 position on the board! And it does: a 24.8 puts them ahead of Mollie and into second, inching closer to Tom McEwen’s score of 23.4.
GIF via Badminton TV.
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10:11 a.m. EST: Now we’ll see one more before a short break, and that’ll be Kitty King with Vendredi Biats, who first debuted at this level at Badminton in 2019. This is another pair more than capable of a competitive score in the 20s.
10:10 a.m. EST: A 25.1 and 8s across the board for the collective Harmony mark. That’s good enough to put Mollie into second ahead of Tamie Smith, I’ll eat my words now!
10:09 a.m. EST: This test should score pretty nicely — it won’t challenge Tom or Tamie but she should go top 10 with a mid-high 20s mark.
10:08 a.m. EST: Really nice changes on this horse, again some of the better changes we’ve seen today. He’s one that stays consistently uphill in the bridle and responds properly to Mollie’s leg by coming up into his withers.
10:06 a.m. EST: This is a lovely, workmanlike horse that also has fantastic gaits that are accentuated by his ability to relax. He’s earned 7.5s across the board for his extended work, some of the better walk work we’ve seen thus far.
A look at Charly Van Ter Heiden’s reinback. GIF via Badminton TV.
10:04 a.m. EST: Next up are the very exciting Luhmühlen winners, Mollie Summerland and Charly Van Ter Heiden. You may remember this pair as the star of Tilly’s Luhmühlen Tour Diaries, which have since been nominated for an American Horse Publications Equine Media Award.
10:03 a.m. EST: Sofia earns a 10 on her halt before the reinback and ends up with a 29.6 to go into the top 10. Nicely done!
9:58 a.m. EST: We’ll now see Sweden’s Sofia Sjoborg with DHI Mighty Dwight, who will look to build on their 5* debut at Pau in 2021 this weekend.
9:53 a.m. EST: Lots to like here, despite some tension in the canter and walk work but this pair came here to jump. They should be about mid-pack for now and will look to climb from there.
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9:52 a.m. EST: The first changes come a bit undone for Carjatan; Christoph actually came to a half after his second to regroup. He’s not quite getting the brilliant marks his trot work was getting, but he’ll make up some ground with some solid marks on his extended canter and his stretching circle.
9:50 a.m. EST: Quite a few 8s and 9s earned in the trot work for Christoph and Carjatan S, who’s a very big, expressive mover with plenty of suspension. I’m a big fan of Christoph’s style here, allowing the horse to take the contact up and forward rather than pulling him down to meet the hand. He’s lost a few marks on the walk work, earning as low as a 2 for his medium walk from Anne-Marie Taylor at B, but he’ll likely be able to climb back with some quality canter work.
9:45 a.m. EST: Tom was really able to ride Possible Mission into the bridle, earning some good marks despite some bobbles. A 34.2 will fit right about in line with this pair’s averages. Next in will be Christoph Wahler, our sole German rider this weekend, with Carjatan S. This pair were runners-up at Luhmühlen in 2021 and are one to watch as a potential spoiler to be on that podium if they’re able to jump clear and fast.
9:39 a.m. EST: A great effort from Helen and My Ernie, and now we’ll see Tom Rowland with Possible Mission come down centerline.
9:32 a.m. EST: Next to see and a very warm welcome back to this level for Helen Wilson, who rides the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding My Ernie for his first start at the 5* level.
9:29 a.m. EST: Once again, the flying changes are holding a score back from being more competitive but a lot to like about this test from Ben. I think this one will be really fun to watch on Saturday — he just looks like he’s ready to devour a big, open track like what awaits. A 30.7 puts them into the top 10 for now.
Shadow Man says “lemme at ’em!!”. GIF via Badminton TV.
9:25 a.m. EST: One of Ben’s claims to fame as a rider is his penchant for Clydesdale crosses, but this week he’s partnered with the Belgian Warmblood that’s a bit leaner than some of his past partners. This is a horse that’s spent a good part of the season thus far in the show jumping ring, and he’s definitely capable of squeezing into the 20s in this phase of competition.
9:22 a.m. EST: Arianna scores a 37.4 to go even with Sarah and Woodcourt Garrison, keeping about in line if maybe a shade higher than her average at this level. This pair knows each other like the back of hand and hoof and should be fun to watch on Saturday. Next in will be Ben Hobday with Shadow Man, another horse making his debut at the level this weekend.
GIF via Badminton TV.
9:16 a.m. EST: Sarah and Woodcourt Garrison score a 37.4, which trends in line with their averages in international competition. Next to see will be Italian combination Arianna Schivo and Quefira de l’Ormeau, who competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio as well as the 2018 World Equestrian Games in North Carolina and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo together.
9:13 a.m. EST: Woodcourt Garrison doesn’t quite want to let the neck go and stretch down in the canter circle, losing a few marks. And quite a spread on the marks for the final halt: a 7.5 from Seppo Laine at H and a 5.0 from Anne-Marie Taylor at B.
9:11 a.m. EST: This is another thing I really appreciate about the new collective mark for Harmony. You’ll remember there have been collective marks in the past for rider position and horse gaits, which caused a lot of favor toward the bigger-moving horses when a horse that isn’t fancy couldn’t be rewarded as well for obedience. The Harmony collective mark is intended to emphasize a proper relationship between horse and rider, meaning even a rider on a less flashy horse can make up ground on the Mai Baums of the world with good communication with its rider.
9:10 a.m. EST: Sarah’s really come in going for it, asking Woodcourt Garrison for a big, forward step. Alex Bragg, joining John Kyle in the booth, says this test does favor the big movers while also testing accuracy. The best tests we’ve seen are those that are asking for the bigger step without losing balance, and Sarah’s accomplishing this so far. It wouldn’t be the fanciest horse in the field, but he’s listening well as we go into the walk work.
9:06 a.m. EST: A 32.7 puts Cathal into 12th at the moment. Next we’ll see another horse making his 5* debut, Sarah Ennis’ Woodcourt Garrison. And though this may be the technical 5* debut for this horse, he’s not short on experience: he’s been around the European Championships as well as the Olympics in Tokyo with Sarah, representing Ireland.
9:03 a.m. EST: A very type-y British-bred horse, this Barrichello, who is 13 this year. He’s gotten some good marks but Cathal’s riding through a bit of tension and trying to coax as much relaxation and throughness as he can. That work pays off as the gelding stretches down and forward to the bridle on the stretching circle. They won’t quite challenge the leaders with this bit — the changes in particular need some development — but it’s a solid first effort on this very technical 5* test B.
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8:56 a.m. EST: Welcome back! I’m feeling much more bright-eyed after a caffeine infusion during the break and ready to tackle the afternoon session of rides at Badminton. We’ve still got two more U.S. riders to see this afternoon — Will Faudree (Mama’s Magic Way) and Matt Flynn (Wizzerd). They’ll come forward later, but first it’s Ireland’s Cathal Daniels who will ride Barrichello, a horse making his 5* debut this weekend.
7:30 a.m. EST: And that’s all to see as we go into a lunch break! We’ll be back in this live updates thread at 9 a.m. EST with Cathal Daniels and Barrichello the first to see after the break. Here’s a look at your top 10 after the morning session — live scores can be found here.
7:30 a.m. EST: Amanda’s 25.9 will be good enough for top 5 heading into the lunch break! What a cool little horse — showing us all that the OTTB CAN do dressage!
GIF via Badminton TV.
7:29 a.m. EST: I hope Amanda’s quite pleased with this test, what a trier this horse is! She looks absolutely thrilled and even earns a 9 on her final halt and salute. Well done!
7:25 a.m. EST: Just for fun, here’s Fusaichi Pegasus winning the 2000 Kentucky Derby:
7:23 a.m. EST: Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding will be the next to see. A fun fact: Just Kidding is a racebred horse by the American Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. I also now feel supremely old as Just Kidding is 16 and I can vividly remember watching Fusaichi Pegasus during his racing years.
7:21 a.m. EST: Some really nice work for Esib and Soladoun, who worked through a bit of tension to produce some great moments. She looks pleased with big pats for the 15-year-old Thoroughbred who should absolutely relish the cross country on Saturday.
GIF via Badminton TV.
7:16 a.m. EST: I know my live updates are just absolutely RIVETING, but you definitely want to snag a Badminton TV pass to watch live and on-demand all weekend. The stream has been working wonderfully this morning, and the commentary from John Kyle and his various guests is always a treat; I know I learn a lot each time I listen. You can purchase your pass for the weekend here.
7:13 a.m. EST: A 35.4 will be the starting mark for Ariel and Leamore Master Plan, who is looking raring to go and attack that Eric Winter track on Saturday. We’ll next see Ireland’s Esib Power with Soladoun, returning to this level for the first time since 2018.
Pats for “Simon” from Erik Duvander after Ariel’s test. GIF via Badminton TV.
7:11 a.m. EST: Ariel’s lost some marks in her walk work and flying changes; Leamore Master Plan is a bit busy in the mouth and listening well but just not giving us tons of expression as she rides through any tension she feels. Again, this is one we should anticipate gaining ground as we get into the jumping phases. Riding is very much an art of riding the horse on the day, and Ariel would be one of the more empathetic riders we see here in the U.S.
7:07 a.m. EST: Ariel has been around the world already with Leamore Master Plan, having done three 5* events that include a third place at Pau and a 10th at Burghley. Dressage wouldn’t be their absolute favorite phase, but they’re absolutely capable of slotting in under the 30 marker.
Leamore Master Plan stretches into the early extended trot. GIF via Badminton TV.
7:05 a.m. EST: A 33.3 will put Rose and EG Michaelangelo into 13th early on, very respectable for their first attempt at this level! This pair has nary a cross country penalty on their international record.
Quite obsessed with the very kissable snip on EG Michaelangelo’s nose. GIF via Badminton TV.
7:05 a.m. EST: Rose will lose a few points here in the flying changes, but honestly this has been a great test especially for a debut in the big stadium. The atmosphere didn’t seem to bother this pair. We’ll next see another American pair, Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan.
7:00 a.m. EST: Rose is a product of Pony Club, and she’s been building this partnership with the 11-year-old EG Michaelangelo since the Irish gelding by Chellthago Z was five. This is a pair who’s consistently trended in the low-to-mid-30s in this phase and look to be on their way to at least keeping in with that pattern, if not improving it, today.
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6:56 a.m. EST: Those changes will have held this pair back from a superbly competitive mark, but again this will be a pair looking to gain some ground come Saturday. They’ll take a 35.9 into the next phase of competition. Next up will be Britain’s Rose Nesbitt with EG Michaelangelo, making their 5* debut.
6:54 a.m. EST: Austin gets a bell during his canter work to signify and error of course. He’s having to work hard to coax these changes out of Colarado Blue, who bless him is definitely more of a jumping horse than a dressage horse.
6:53 a.m. EST: Here we are with some scores: Phillip scores a 33.2 with Z, and Lillian earns a 37.8 for 12th and 14th, respectively. These are both horses who will make up ground in the jumping phases.
6:50 a.m. EST: I’m still not seeing a score for Lillian or Phillip, but I’ll keep you updated! We’ll now move on to Irish Olympian Austin O’Connor with Colorado Blue. This horse got the call up for Tokyo and went on to finish individually in the top 15. His barn name is “Salty” and I was truthfully hoping there was a fun story there, but Austin says it’s just the name he came to the stables with and it stuck.
6:48 a.m. EST: The stretching canter circle is the lowest scored movement for Tamie and Mai Baum, earning a couple 6.5s. But it’s a very strong test, one we’ve come to anticipate here. A 25.6 will go into second — hey, it’s not the record maybe some were hoping for but Tamie isn’t here to win the dressage. She’s here to do much more than that, and she’s put herself into a good position to be competitive.
GIF via Badminton TV.
6:47 a.m. EST: Lots of 9s now coming in, for the halt, rein-back and now some of the canter work.
GIF via Badminton TV.
6:45 a.m. EST: Tamie’s scoring a bit stronger in her walk work than current leader Tom McEwen was with Toledo de Kerser.
6:43 a.m. EST: Ah, Mai Baum just breaks into canter for a step in his first half-pass to the left after scoring 9s on his early movements.
6:42 a.m. EST: Oliver Townend set the 5* score record with Cillnabradden Evo in 2019 at this event, scoring a 19.7. This horse could be one to beat this record.
6:41 a.m. EST: A 33.7 for Bundy and Tresca NZPH. We will next see one of the more hotly anticipated pairs this weekend: Americans Tamie Smith and Mai Baum.
6:37 a.m. EST: A score update! Piggy March goes into equal second on a 25.7, tied with Oliver and Swallow Springs. No score yet for Lillian or Phillip.
6:35 a.m. EST: Angela Tucker shares a memory of competing Phillip’s horse, True Blue Girdwood, around an Open Intermediate when Phillip came over to base with her one year. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on some score updates and we are next seeing New Zealand’s Bundy Philpott and Tresca NZPH. This is Bundy’s first Badminton since 2007.
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6:31 a.m. EST: Phillip will lose a few marks on loss of connection here in the canter, but this would be one of the more forward and flowing tests this horse has done and he gets a big pat at his final halt. I don’t think this will be the top score we’ve seen from this pair but they’ll certainly be doing their best to finish on whatever mark they start on.
GIF via Badminton TV.
6:29 a.m. EST: Not quite square or immobile in the halt, followed by some tension in the reinback. Now into the canter work, and we’ll see if we can pick up some more marks here. Phillip’s worked hard with this horse over the years, particularly on his flying changes.
6:27 a.m. EST: Z is one you can anticipate going into a sub-30 mark if Phillip can keep him focused and relaxed, which he seems to be accomplishing so far. A little trip in his left 8-meter circle into the shoulder-in, but he’s looking quite loose over his topline if perhaps a touch unsteady in the bridle.
6:26 a.m. EST: The score page appears to be down at the moment, so we’re still waiting on Piggy’s scores and will update you as soon as possible. We now move into our next U.S. rider, Phillip Dutton and his Tokyo partner, Z.
6:23 a.m. EST: Angela Tucker says she gets the feeling LCC Barnaby is a cross country machine, and she’d be correct: he’s one you’ll want to watch come Saturday!
LCC Barnaby works through his flying change. GIF via Badminton TV.
6:22 a.m. EST: Lillian’s riding conservatively here; LCC Barnaby is a workmanlike guy who wants to do the right thing and stay connected.
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6:18 a.m. EST: This is a first visit to Badminton for this pair, who won’t threaten the leaders on the first day but who can certainly lay down a textbook cross country ride. Lillian is a very popular coach here in the U.S., and her efficient way of going on cross country is something to watch and pick up a few tips from.
6:17 a.m. EST: Always love to have a judge’s perspective in the commentary box, and Angela Tucker now joins John Kyle in the booth. Piggy looks pleased with the efforts of her big mare, and we now get to our very first American rider: Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby.
6:10 a.m. EST: And welcome back, we’re now getting underway with our second session and it’s Piggy March coming forward with Vanir Kamira, who won Badminton’s last run in 2019.
5:48 a.m. EST: A break in the extended trot and some other small mistakes will keep this test from being the most competitive, but he looks pleased nonetheless — he’ll go into 10th on a 33.6. We’ll now move into a 20 minute break and will see 2019 Badminton winners Piggy March and Vanir Kamira next at 6:10 a.m. EST. Live scores can be found here, and here’s a look at the early top five:
5:41 a.m. EST: A 28.5 is good for early fifth place, not quite the lowest we’ve seen from Billy Walk On, who is 13 this year, but we’ll also see Pippa back tomorrow with 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street. Next up before our first coffee break of the day will be Australia’s Bill Levett with Lassban Diamond Lift, who finished 15th at Badminton in 2019. Fun fact, Lassban Diamond Lift’s barn name is Sparkles so, that’s fun.
5:39 a.m. EST: Our third 10 of the day comes out for Pippa’s final halt and salute, this time from Christina Landoldt!
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5:34 a.m. EST: Next we’ll see Rolex Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell with one of my absolute favorite horses, Billy Walk On. This horse was second at the pop-up Bicton 5* last year and will be looking to finish strongly this weekend after withdrawing during the last go in 2019.
5:33 a.m. EST: A 25.7, which bests the 27.8 earned at this event in 2019 by Swallow Springs with Andrew Nicholson. We’re just a handful in and already quite bunched at the top of the leaderboard!
5:31 a.m. EST: A 7, 8, and 9 for Oliver on his final halt and salute, who looks pleased with this effort from the 14-year-old Irish horse by Chillout.
GIF via Badminton TV.
5:26 a.m. EST: Swallow Springs would be one you’d look for a sub-30 score (honestly, I feel like a sub-30 will be more the norm this weekend than not), and Oliver’s trending in the upper 20s/low 30s at the moment as we go into the canter work. You also remember that this is a relatively new partnership, so surely the best is even yet to come as they continue to solidify.
5:24 a.m. EST: Ros waits for her score, which will feature one 10 from Seppo Leine: it’s a 26.4 and good to sneak ahead of Nicola Wilson into second. We’ll now see Oliver Townend with his first ride, former Andrew Nicholson ride Swallow Springs. This is the first 5* for this partnership.
5:21 a.m. EST: TBH, I’m mostly envious of Ros’ skill gathering the double reins up after the stretching circle at the canter. A severely underrated skill.
5:19 a.m. EST: Ros rides for a strong extended canter, which comes quite early in this 5* test B, so you’d better have your horse on the aids and straight right away.
GIF via Badminton TV.
5:17 a.m. EST: Told you this field is the strongest we’ve seen in recent history: we now move from the European Champion to the World Champion, Ros Canter and Allstar B, winners of the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.
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5:15 a.m. EST: Nicole will be pleased with this first 5* test for her partner, who scored a 20.9 at Europeans in Avenches last year, but a few points left on the board will keep them away from repeating that. Not to worry, though — they still earn a 26.6 to be quite competitive, a very strong score particularly for a debut.
5:14 a.m. EST: Very impressed with the strong crowd gathered for this first morning dressage session – I think it’s safe to say the fans are happy to have Badminton back!
5:08 a.m. EST: William, a 14-time 5* winner, earns a 31.4 with Oratorio to go into early second place. We’ll see him return tomorrow with Little Fire. Without that early error, he would’ve notched in just below the 30 mark. We’ll next see Nicola Wilson with the first of two rides, the 5* debutant and reigning European Champion JL Dublin.
5:06 a.m. EST: A touch quiet for William and Oratorio, which is causing their scores to trend a bit lower than what we’ve seen this horse earn before. His personal best at the 5* level is a 27, earned at the pop-up 5* at Bicton in 2021.
5:04 a.m. EST: Pats from a happy Tom after earning a personal best with Toledo de Kerser:
GIF via Badminton TV.
5:01 a.m. EST: Joseph Murphy scores a 31.5 with Cesar V, and we’ll now see William Fox-Pitt with the first of his two rides, Oratorio. Harry Meade has helped prep William’s horses this spring after he took a tumble earlier in the spring that kept him out of the saddle. Oratorio has jumped clear around Badminton in the past. And a bummer early on as he’s picked up an error in his test, turning the wrong way after the initial centerline. That’ll be two penalty points added.
4:59 a.m. EST: Tom will likely want a few points back in his walk work and the first flying change, but we also saw a healthy number of 8s and 9s coming in and fully anticipate a top score: a 23.4 is the provisional, which would be a personal best for Tom at this level.
4:58 a.m. EST: We’ve got a 10, ladies and gents! A 10 on the extended canter from judge at H Seppo Laine.
4:57 a.m. EST: Toledo de Kerser wouldn’t be one you’d peg to have tension in the ring and while he’s looking a bit more tense in the walk he’ll be able to make up some points in the canter work.
4:55 a.m. EST: Already a couple of 9s on the board for the first few movements.
4:53 a.m. EST: Padraig goes into the very early lead with a 31.7 aboard Fallulah. Now we’ll see one of the first heavy hitters in Tokyo partners Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser. This will be one you can fairly expect to go into the 20s and could easily also be one you could see at the top of the board come Sunday.
4:47 a.m. EST: Now we’ll move on to our first Irish pair, Joseph Murphy and Cesar V. Joseph is fresh from Kentucky, where he competed Calmaro in the 5* and finished in the top 10. Cesar V is 14 this year and makes his 5* debut at Badminton this weekend.
4:45 a.m. EST: You can find live scores at this link. Kirsty’s is the first to hit the board: a 32.8 that will be a strong score to be on if they can jump clear on Saturday.
4:42 a.m. EST: A really nice job managing the excitement for Padraig, who brought Fallulah to her 5* debut at Pau in 2021.
4:36 a.m. EST: A really nice test to get us started from Kirsty. John Kyle mentions that Christian Landholdt spent some time watching the 5* test ridden in Kentucky to help himself prepare for judging this weekend. Pretty cool! Next to see will be Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy and Fallulah.
4:32 a.m. EST: Classic VI gets a bit wonky in the reinback and hits the rail, but we’re safely into the canter work and Kirsty’s doing a wonderful job of keeping the mare’s focus on her. Nice changes — a bit of anticipation but she’s being obedient.
4:29 a.m. EST: And we are underway with the first to see, Kirsty Chabert and the 13-year-old British Sport Horse, Classic VI.
Maxime Livio and Vitorio du Montet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Honestly, I don’t know how riders who compete in both Kentucky and Badminton are even remotely alive. I didn’t do anything except absorb the action from last weekend and I’m still reeling. I honestly can’t imagine being able to set aside all your worries about Badminton and focus on performing at Kentucky, much less the physical demands of riding at that level competently two weeks in a row. I need a nap just thinking about it.
Want to stay in the loop with Badminton Horse Trials? We’re sending our Daily Digest each evening this week with the latest news, information and stories from Badminton. It’s free to sign up + there are opportunities to win items from our new #goeventing merchandise line each day! Sign up here.
You can also join the Eventing Nation league in your Equiratings Eventing Manager app — pick your team and play against your fellow eventing nerds, what could be more fun?? EN merch to the league winner when the dust settles! Download the app here — our league code is EQYLJD.
Nine months after several incidents and accidents marred the equestrian disciplines of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, a study group from the French National Assembly (the lower house of the French Parliament), makes 46 recommendations for making Paris 2024 the Olympic Games of Equine Welfare. There is a long section on equipment, which includes banning combination bits, draw reins and the use of elevator bits in conjunction with martingales. They want standardised checks of noseband tightness using the ISES taper gauge at the nasal plane, and they call for a ban of hyperflexion anywhere on the Games grounds, acknowledging it refers to any head and neck posture where the nose is behind the vertical. [French Parliament Recommendations on Horse Welfare for Paris 2024]
It was a bittersweet weekend at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event for Canadian eventer Lisa Marie Fergusson. Riding Honor Me, the pair were the top Canadian entry in the CCI5*-L, finishing 19th. But it had been a difficult road to this event, a testament to this rider’s grit and determination. In December her mother, Bonnie, had a heart attack and Lisa had to be with her in the hospital for a month. Leslie Law took over keeping Tali going, and when her mother passed on Good Friday, she was able to ride him a handful of times before going to Kentucky. [Love, Loss, and Honor]
Trot-up time in England just hits a little different, doesn’t it? Whether it’s the fashion, the crowds, or the fact that Badminton House looms large nearly everywhere you go on site, it’s got a full-on traditional feel.
Our first phase is down and we’re getting set for dressage tomorrow — but first, we still have a Golden Chinch to give out! Stay tuned for our famous Golden Chinch Jog Awards coming your way later on. In the meantime, enjoy some shots from a beautiful May day.
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Alex Bragg and King of the Mill. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Arthur Duffort and Toronto d’Aurois. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Becky Heappey and DHI Babette K. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Cathal Daniels and Barrichello. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Cedric Lyard and Unum de’Or. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Clare Abbott and Jewelent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Harry Meade and Away Cruising. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
James Rushbrooke and Milchem Eclipse. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Jean Lou Bigot and Utrillo du Halage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Joris Vanspringel and Creator GS. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Kylie Roddy and SRS Kan Do. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Lauren Innes and Global Fision M. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Libby Seed and Heartbreaker Star Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Maxime Livio and Vitorio du Montet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Maxime Livio and Vitorio du Montet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Mike Winter and El Mundo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Pippa Funnell’s Billy Walk On. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sammi Birch and Finduss PFB. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sarah Way and Dassett Cooley Dun. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Selina Milnes and Iron. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Alice Casburn and Topspin II. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Arianna Schivo and Quefira de l’Ormeau. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Arthur Chabert and Goldsmiths Imber. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Cyrielle Lefevre and Armanjo Serosah. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Emily Hamel and Corvett. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Emily Hamel and Corvett. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Esib Power and Soladoun. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Felicity Collins and RSH Contend OR. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Gireg Le Goz and Aisprit de La Loge. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Harry Meade and Away Cruising. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Helen Wilson and My Ernie. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Karl Slezak and Fernhill Wishes. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Joseph Murphy and Cesar V. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Kristy Chabert and Classic VI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Kitty King and Vendredi Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Lauren Innes and Global Fision. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Matt Flynn and Wizzerd. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Nicola Wilson and Erano M. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Padraig McCarthy and Fallulah. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Piggy March and Vanir Kamira. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Ros Canter and Allstar B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Rose Nesbitt and EG Michaelangelo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sarah Ennis and Woodcourt Garrison. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Will Faudree and Mama’s Magic Way. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Tom Carlile and Zanzibar VIlla Rose. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
