Classic Eventing Nation

Padraig McCarthy and Mr Chunky at Badminton 2018. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Welcome to cross-country day at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. With just over an hour to go until go time, we’re in that magic moment where everything is still just hopes and possibilities, the air is crackling with a nervous intensity that’s both stomach-clenching and totally intoxicating in equal measure.

But is there anything better? Whether you’re visiting the event in person or tuning into the live-stream, you’ll want to know all about the challenges our intrepid riders will be facing. As usual, we got you, boo – click here to read our jam-packed course preview. Then, keep scrolling to read some of the riders’ thoughts, reactions, and raw emotions about the ‘dynamic, thinking man’s course’ to come…

Course designer Eric Winter: “If you can have one thing in this job, it’s to progress the way we train horses. I like cross country to be about cross country. I just set the test – I hope everyone comes home safely, enjoys it, and learns something. You have to remember that you’re always learning.”

Team GB trainer Dickie Waygood: “Eric has put the capital B back in Badminton. There are seven or eight fences where there’s no longer route, but you have to decide whether to go left or right, which makes the riders think. You have to know your horse – it’s a psychological test.

Mark Todd: “It’s always a big bank up [at the Normandy Bank], but as long as they get their feet up there, they can fiddle over the brush.” On the Mirage Water corner complex at 17ABC and 18: “For God sake, [NZB Campino] is seventeen years old – if he can’t get over a ditch like that then there’s not a lot of hope!”

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Andrew Nicholson: “It’s challenging – Eric’s done a good job. I like the way he breaks up the rhythm in a good way, so you have to think. You have to sit there and ride it as it rides.”

Sarah Bullimore: “Eric’s been very clever with his options, and very clever with the stringing, too – he’s playing with the rider’s minds.”

Bill Levett: “It’s a bit less punchy than it has been in previous years, but that suits [Lassban Diamond Lift] – it’s only his first five-star.”

Jenny Caras: “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?! Oliver [Townend] told me to enjoy it while it lasts, try to make it as smooth as possible, and check each fence off as it comes. It’s just a dream come true – I always watched it as a kid and wanted to be here myself. It’ll take a lot of jumping, and it’s big, but it’s getting more doable the more I walk it.”

David Britnell: “I’m really happy with the course – it’s perfectly rideable. I’m nervously confident, because you’ve got to be.”

Kazu Tomoto: “William [Fox-Pitt] gives me a lot of advice. He always says, ‘nice fence, no problem!’ But to me it’s huge! [Tacoma d’Horset] is always trying so hard – she has a really good attitude. I hope she enjoys the cross-country.”

Laura Collett: “Random is the word I’d use – there’s a lot of fences we’ve never seen at this level. It’ll be real seat-of-the-pants stuff. There are some interesting distances where we won’t know how the horses will react as they jump through, like at the bank. But there’s no other feeling in the world like coming into the Badminton arena – you’ve got one last fence to jump, and you’ve just got to try not to miss.”

Emily Philp: “As long as I don’t make a mistake, we should put on a good show!”

Wills Oakden: “I used to build the cross-country course around my house when I was a kid – I had a blue duvet I’d use as a water jump, and I’d pretend to be legends like Andrew Nicholson. Now I’m walking the course with him.”

Kai Rüder: “It’s big, but my horse is a super jumper, so that’s why I brought him here. This is the first time I’m riding one of Eric’s courses, so there’s a lot of new things – but one thing is still the same. They’re still the biggest fences in the world.”

Nick Lucey: “It’s big, and it’s Badminton! I wasn’t expecting anything else. If things are going good we’ll push on. I’ve got my plan As, but in cross-country riding, you don’t always end up on your plan As. There’s lots of angles out there, and lots of thinking to be done.”

Woodge Fulton: “I’m excited I’m riding a Thoroughbred and a true cross-country horse. As wild as he is in dressage, I’ll be glad to put that behind us and use it. Good or bad, he’s always a bit wild. It’s a mentally exhausting course; even the galloping fences have a little angle or a bit of a downhill. The trakehner at 14 is the first breather since fence 2, and it’s a whopping great big trakehner!”

Tom Rowland: “We’re going to give it our best – I’ve been told there’s no disgrace in failing courageously.”

Tim Price: “We’ve got really good going, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a walk in the park. Mine are scopey and brave, so we’ll ride to plan and try to have a good time.

Piggy French: “The bank is the sort of question that, if you were out hunting, you’d just kick and hang on. But in eventing, you need to think about the jumps still to come and try to always build their confidence. The course certainly gets the cogs whirring. I think the rain, to be honest, has just done the ground good –  they’re short, sharp showers and haven’t gone on too long. It’s rained in the evening, so horses haven’t run on it and made it deep. I’m certainly not confident about it, but I’ve got a few more plans in my head! The higher you are, the more pressure you put on yourself.”

Tom Crisp: “The ground is good, and it can cope with the rain – there aren’t many let up fences out there; really, from the start, it’s a dynamic track.”

Tina Cook: “With Star Witness, I kick to go faster and I stop kicking to slow down – he’s fast and he’s Thoroughbred, but he’s actually quite lazy. Billy the Red isn’t as fast and can find things to spook at, but I’m really optimistic. There’s lots of places where, if you’re not paying attention, you can have a run-out, so you have to stay focused and positive.”

William Fox-Pitt: “I’m hoping it’s not going to be a dressage show, because the world and his wife is on a 31 – they might as well just give everyone a 31 and get on with it! There are a few firm bits out there; we could do with a bit of rain.”

Pippa Funnell: “[Billy Walk On] has had a lot of mileage, but it’s his first one at this level – so many people do their first ones at Pau or Luhmühlen now, and he could have gone there, but I’m not getting any younger and his owners weren’t dreaming of Germany. I’m just going to try to give him a good experience – I’m well aware that it can go wrong, and you have to give them another try. He’s a scopey horse, but it’s not just about that – it’s the technicality, combined with the scope required, and the confidence they need.”

Nicky Hill: “I’m not having a heart attack, so that’s got to be a good sign for my first one! It’s amazing to be here – I’ve watch it for so long.”

Oliver Townend: ““The aim will be to get [Cillnabradden Evo] home. I’ve been quite hungry for quite a long time to have him here, so it’d be nice if he put his best foot forward. [Ballaghmor Class] has been here, he’s been to Burghley twice, and so he’s battle-hardened, and he’s a lot stronger both physically, but especially mentally. We’d had no spring season last year [when he finished fifth], and we did a lot on the gallops at home, but nothing does it for them like a good event. This spring, he’s had a good run at Burnham Market, where he ran away with me up the hill [and won the CCI4*-S], and he’s feeling great. We’d have more hope for him this weekend.”

Kitty King: “Last time I was here was nine years ago, and it’s changed so much since then – but I walk it every year, so I maybe don’t see it as much.”

Joseph Murphy: “I don’t come here for the dressage, but he’s such a good horse in the other phases. I’m struggling to come to terms with the course this year – it’s a different feel, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a test for the riders more than the horses.”

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“I get up early every morning, I’m a dreamer – and this is the stuff of dreams. Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class confirm the one-two. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It’s not often you set a new record dressage score at one of the world’s most prestigious competitions. It’s also not often you make history by putting up an unprecedented one-two at one of the world’s most prestigious competitions. But for Oliver Townend, who’s well-established in the business of breaking records this season, it’s just par for the course – and why shouldn’t you get it all done at once?

When Oliver delivered the lowest-ever Badminton dressage score of 19.7 yesterday, riding Cillnabradden Evo, we thought we might have seen the very best of what he could do in this phase. We were, of course, blissfully incorrect. Today, he came forward in the final session with his 2017 Burghley winner Ballaghmor Class and, in putting a 21.1 on the board, he did something that no one has ever done before: he took the top two spots going into cross-country. (We’ve seen another Badminton one-two before, albeit not a dressage one – Ian Stark finished in the top two positions in 1988, riding Glenburnie and Sir Wattie.)

Owning the establishment: Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

But it’s not all records and glamour: “Normally I’m struggling away with a set of mirrors and the floodlights on, but that’s just what we do,” he explained. “I don’t actually have a dressage trainer, embarrassingly – I have the set of mirrors, and I have some DVDs, so you could say I’m pretty close with Carl Hester. That’s not me coming out, by the way!”

Oliver also relies on the help of his friend, manager, and business partner Karyn Schuter: “I trust her implicitly – you can see her speaking to me down a microphone, but you wouldn’t always want to hear what she’s saying! She’s my best mate and she always lets me know how the other riders are looking and whether we’re looking good.”

Although overnight leader Cillnabradden Evo is a bit of a riskier proposition across the country, Oliver is quick to acknowledge and own this fact. And, despite the horse failing to complete his debut five-star at Pau last year, Oliver considers the trip to France a positive one – it was, as he termed it, a ‘fact-finding mission’, and until the late wobble that ended their day, those discoveries certainly looked positive.

“The aim will be to get him home. I’ve been quite hungry for quite a long time to have him here, so it’d be nice if he put his best foot forward,” said Oliver. “[Ballaghmor Class] has been here, he’s been to Burghley twice, and so he’s battle-hardened, and he’s a lot stronger both physically, but especially mentally. We’d had no spring season last year [when he finished fifth], and we did a lot on the gallops at home, but nothing does it for them like a good event. This spring, he’s had a good run at Burnham Market, where he ran away with me up the hill [and won the CCI4*-S], and he’s feeling great. We’d have more hope for him this weekend.”

Those hopes have already proven to be well-rooted in realistic expectation – although Ballaghmor Class didn’t match his five-star personal best of 20.8 today, his test was arguably more refined than last year’s. Just a bobble in the final flying change dropped his mark slightly, and he was ultimately awarded a score of 21.1.

Who’d have guessed it? Oliver Townend accepts his enviable fate with typical Yorkshire humour. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“The night before last, I said to myself ’19, 19, 19′, and I just kept going over my test and drilling it. I didn’t think about it as much last night – maybe I should have,” he laughed. “I made one cock-up, which was a bit of a situation that he threw at me coming into the flying change, but we’re always happy to dream, and so far the dream’s coming true. If I went back in now, I could knock another three marks off, and he has the ability to come back and knock five off [in the future], but it’s all about keeping him relaxed so I can do a bit more and then a bit more. The thing about Badminton is that you have to do three clear rounds in three phases, but the more you push, the bigger the risk.”

“It’s a very good start, and I’m over the moon with both the horses – I have to keep myself under wraps because I get a quite emotional, and it’s not good for my image,” quipped Oliver. “People expect so much [from Ballaghmor Class], but they forget that he won Burghley [in 2017] as a novice. He’s beautiful to ride, and his work ethic fits into our system very well. There are plenty who don’t give you what these two have. Some people think of us as an eventing factory, but we know these horses inside out, more than anyone in the world – and the horses don’t lie.”

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser remain Oliver’s closest competitors, sitting in third place overnight on their score of 24.7. Just behind them in fourth is Piggy French, whose test with Vanir Kamira earned a 26.

Pippa Funnell performs in the final session, giving her five-star debutante Billy Walk On a promising start to his competition. Photo by Nico Morgan Media. 

Pippa Funnell made a late entry onto the leaderboard with her homebred Billy Walk On, who makes his five-star debut here. The ten-year-old son of Billy Mexico has been a consistent mid-20s performer, but has never been faced with an atmosphere like this – but today, he turned the extra energy into positive pizazz, only showing a glimpse of the fire inside once he’d finished his test.

“I’m really delighted; he’s been brilliant for me. I’ve been so amazed by him this week, but so worried about overdoing it,” said Pippa, who was ably supporting from the mixed zone by her great friend Tina Cook, whose young son Harry was nonplussed by the hubbub surrounding ‘Auntie Pipsy’.

Billy Walk On waits until he’s finished to add some interpretive dance moves. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Billy Walk On’s test followed a quick change in bitting, which saw Pippa swap from a French-link fulmer snaffle to a double-jointed loose ring.

“He was getting lighter and lighter in the warm-up, and I thought I’d lost it, but I had a quick bit change and got it into my head that I had to ride bravely and just get on with it. As soon as he was in the white boards it was like he said, ‘oh, I know where I am now.’ He’s had a lot of mileage, but it’s his first one at this level – so many people do their first ones at Pau or Luhmühlen now, and he could have gone there, but I’m not getting any younger and his owners weren’t dreaming of Germany. I’m just going to try to give him a good experience – I’m well aware that it can go wrong, and you have to give them another try. He’s a scopey horse, but it’s not just about that – it’s the technicality, combined with the scope required, and the confidence they need.”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats will start cross-country in sixth place tomorrow, while Millie Dumas and Artistiek will be the highest-placed Badminton first-timers at this early stage in seventh. Laura Collett and Mr Bass lie eighth, followed by Chris Burton and Graf Liberty, while Andrew Nicholson and Swallow Springs round out the top ten.

Billy the Red shows off a much-improved level of relaxation with Tina Cook. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Late tests from Tina Cook and Billy the Red and Chris Burton and Cooley Lands both produced scores of 28.1 for shared eleventh place.

Billy the Red, who suffered from blowups in this phase last season, looked much reformed: “You have to pick your times when you halt – he’s a sharp horse, and will be wiggly even when he’s twenty years old,” said Tina. “Last year, I had time off and he had time off, and I think we’re back on track now. I’m really pleased with him; he had a great attitude and was relaxed. I let him down in the canter, and I could have done a lot more, but I’m used to having to sit very quietly on him.”

Cooley Lands takes his education on a step with Chris Burton. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Chris Burton’s young entry Cooley Lands went to the World Equestrian Games in Tryon last year, where he underwent a learning curve at the influential boat in the water, but this is his first five-star.

“I think he’s showing a lot of promise – he’s green enough and we don’t even know each other that well,” said Chris, who only rides the horse at competitions, while owner Kate Walls does all of the day-to-day work. “He’s a pretty cool little horse, I must say – he’s blood, and he really moves.”

Izzy Taylor and Springpower make bold moves in the first phase. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Izzy Taylor‘s second ride and five-star debutante Springpower posted a 29.2 to move into equal thirteenth with William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire. Although Springpower can be naughty in the ring, he was on best behaviour for the majority of his test, showing off an incredibly impressive medium trot.

“I’m very pleased with him,” said Izzy. “He’s a very young horse, and to come here on Friday afternoon, I was a little bit nervous. It fell apart at the end, but I hope that with more time, it’ll come together. He’s got the movement, and he loves a crowd, so hopefully he’ll be a superstar.”

Germany’s Kai Rüder and Colani Sunrise sit in equal fifteenth on a score of 30.1, shared with Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy.

Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack get the ball rolling at Badminton. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Our final US rider of the day knew that she wasn’t coming to win the first phase, and Woodge Fulton was all smiles after her test with Captain Jack, despite a final mark of 51.5 after some difficult moments in the ring. This will be the combination’s fourth five-star together, and they’ve proven reliable and gutsy across the country – a boon to Woodge’s fledgling career.

“Dressage definitely isn’t our strong suit, so I knew it’d be a lot of atmosphere for him, but it’s very exciting,” said Woodge, who has based herself with Dirk Schrade in Germany this spring. “I’ve been so lucky to receive [the Wilton Fair] grant from some wonderful donors, which gave us the chance to come oversea. You can’t tell today, but Dirk has been a huge help to us.”

Ex-racehorse Captain Jack was never intended to be a top level horse – in fact, he was bought to give Woodge experience up to the three-star (formerly two-star) level, but: “he just kept moving up – we did a two-star and a four-star in the same year! I’m excited that I’m riding a Thoroughbred and a true cross-country horse here – as wild as he is in dressage, I’ll be glad to put today behind us and use it tomorrow. I didn’t come in expecting to beat Oliver – I prepared for, and expected, this. We’ll put him away and give him lots of carrots now, and then it’s all eyes on tomorrow. I’m looking forward to Sunday afternoon, when I can take it all in and hopefully think about what we’ve done.”

That’s all for us from the dressage here at Badminton – tomorrow, we’ll be moving onto the biggest test, as we take to Eric Winter’s formidable course. Stay tuned for a closer look at the challenge to come.

The final leaderboard at the conclusion of dressage.

#MMBHT: Website, Entries, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Course Preview, EN’s Form Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter

The 2019 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Badminton? Head to Voltaire Design on Stand 253 on Somerset Way and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching girth, stirrup leathers, and saddlepad – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Laura Collett and Mr Bass deliver the goods to be the best of the Friday morning session. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It feels like we’ve been waiting for years for the remarkable Mr Bass to make his Badminton debut. Last year, he broke our hearts when he was withdrawn at the eleventh hour, but this year, the frequent FOD-er has finally made his first strides onto the world’s biggest stage with rider Laura Collett. And what strides they were – though Laura is arguably one of the best dressage performers on the circuit, it’s the horse’s most difficult phase. Nonetheless, they posted a 27.6 – over two points better than the mark he finished on at his five-star debut, where he was second. Today, it’s been good enough for provisional sixth.

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“He’s built like a wheelbarrow, so getting him to come up is difficult, but he’s come on so much,” said a beaming Laura. “I’m delighted with him; he tried so hard, bless him, and he doesn’t find dressage easy. But I wouldn’t change what I’m sat on here for the world. I thought he’d be okay in there because he loves an atmosphere, but I’m annoyed with my first change – I can’t afford to make mistakes like that on him, so it was costly.”

Andrew Nicholson and Swallow Springs impress in the first phase. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Andrew Nicholson‘s Swallow Springs was, like Mr Bass, enormously impressive in his five-star debut – he finished on his dressage score at Burghley last year to end up third overall. Today, ‘Chill’ showed just how much he’s grown up over the winter, with much improved balance and flow throughout his test. For the notoriously tricky twelve-year-old, this is a coup – in the past, Andrew has joked that the horse only ever thinks about when he’s getting his lunch, and when he might decide to dump him.

“He gets better all the time, and he’s still quite young,” said Andrew. “But he feels stronger now, and I’m very pleased with him.”

Will Furlong and Collien P 2 produce the goods. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Young gun Will Furlong delivered a result beyond his 23 years today, posting a score of 30.2 with the occasionally tempestuous mare Collien P 2. This is a personal best at the level for this pair, who competed at Badminton last season and finished their year at Pau.

“I was very early to go, and there’s a lot of good people to come, but I’m mostly happy about the score,” said Will. “She stayed a lot more rideable than she has done in the past. There’s more to come there, but the pleasing thing was that there were no obvious mistakes. Before, she’d get some really good marks and then some fours, so I’m pleased with her consistency.”

This season marks a return to form for the mare, who jumped clear around Badminton in 2018 but then saw her season marred by a minor injury at her next competition at Haras du Pin. There, she studded herself on her belly and was withdrawn from the competition after cross-country, disrupting her schedule and forcing Will to withdraw from Burghley. Instead, they rerouted to Pau, but retired on course: “We went to Pau a bit unprepared. It’s been quite a long journey, and we’ve really gone back to basics, but I’m hoping I learned from my mistake last year. I’m inexperienced as much as she is, and unfortunately you have to make the mistakes to learn from them.”

Mark Todd and NZB Campino sit just outside of the top ten. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“I’ve spent the week in Hong Kong getting up at 2 a.m. – I’m not too sure what time zone I’m in!” Mark Todd might be feeling the after-effects of some recent frequent flying, but he didn’t show it in the ring – he and NZB Campino posted a 30.6 to sit 11th provisionally.

“That’s sort of a normal test for him – he can do some funny things in there and get a bit funny in the contact,” said Mark. Both Mark and the horse have undergone rather a change of pace in the lead-up to Badminton – Mark’s recent foray back into racehorse training has taken him to Australia and Hong Kong, while ‘Kinky’ has largely been ridden by head girl Jess Wilson in the interim. 22-year-old Brazilian eventer Rafael Losano is based at Mark’s Badgerstown stables, and was afforded the rare privilege of running the experienced horse in an Open Intermediate section at Gatcombe, where he finished fifteenth. Grand Prix dressage rider Charlie Hutton, too, has been conscripted in to fine-tune the horse’s flatwork.

“It all feels pretty much the same, although the stirrups are longer than I’m used to now,” laughed Mark. “But he’s a good old boy, and as long as I don’t do anything too stupid, he’ll be fine. But having only done one or two intermediates this spring, it’s all looking big.”

After a tense start, Fernhill Fortitude settles for his longtime partner Jenny Caras to score 36.9. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It’s been an exciting morning for debutantes, too: five Badminton first-timers put scores on the board and came back happy with their results. The first of those was our first US rider, Jenny Caras, who rides her fifteen-year-old Fernhill Fortitude. They scored 36.9, putting them in equal 39th at this early stage of the competition. Their scores were slightly marred by a tricky start to the test, which saw ‘Forty’ shy and react to the electric atmosphere, with several early breaks into canter. After those first few moments, though, he settled into a pleasant, consistently-marked test.

“He was a little tricky in places, but I was happy with how he handled the atmosphere,” said Jenny, who is enjoying her second competitive trip to the United Kingdom. This time, she’s based herself at Oliver Townend’s Gadlas Farm, and she’s been soaking up the opportunity to learn from the best. “I couldn’t think of a better place to be based – he’s so supportive. It’s great being there; everyone on that yard works so hard, and what a role model he is. He’s told me to enjoy [Badminton] while it lasts, to try to make it as smooth as possible, and to check off each fence as it comes.”

Jenny and Forty have gained some five-star experience on home turf at Kentucky, but both found the atmosphere here quite different: “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it! When we did the arena walk I said that it didn’t seem that atmospheric, but when you get in there and the crowds are so close, it’s a big atmosphere.”

Kazuma Tomoto and Tacoma d’Horset put the first score on the board for Japan this week. Photo by Nico Morgan.

Another notable debutante this week is Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto, who has been based with William Fox-Pitt for the past couple of seasons. He and Tacoma d’Horset put a 32.1 on the board for equal 23rd.

“It’s amazing in there – it’s like a movie! I was like a tourist sight-seeing,” he laughed. Kazu has been walking the course with William who, at 6’5, has a slightly different perspective on the fence dimensions. “He always says, ‘nice fence, no problem’ – but to me it’s huge!”

This afternoon’s session features a plethora of heavy-hitters – we’ll be bringing you a full report later today. In the meantime, here are the tests to tune in for…

• 14.32 p.m. BST/9.32 a.m. EST: Kai Rüder and Colani Sunrise
• 15.48 p.m. BST/10.48 a.m. EST: Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy
• 15.56 p.m. BST/10.56 a.m. EST: Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class
• 16.20 p.m. BST/11.20 a.m. EST: William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio II
• 16.36 p.m. BST/11.36 a.m. EST: Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On

Don’t miss our second American rider of the day, too – Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack will head down the centreline at 15.12 p.m. BST/10.12 a.m. EST.

xoxo, Eventing Gossip Girl.

The leaderboard after Friday morning’s session.

#MMBHT: Website, Entries, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Course Preview, EN’s Form Guide, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter

The 2019 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Badminton? Head to Voltaire Design on Stand 253 on Somerset Way and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching girth, stirrup leathers, and saddlepad – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.