We are staring down the barrel of the busiest two week period of the entire year here on Eventing Nation and I couldn’t be more excited. Starting tomorrow, we have 4* action in 10 of the next 11 days if you include the jogs. Samantha is already on scene at Badders and we’ll have all of her coverage throughout the weekend as well as daily updates on the competition and links to all of the other great coverage. Sit back, buckle your seat belt, put your tray in the upright takeoff position, and get ready for some great eventing.
I’m working on getting the complete information on where we can watch Badminton online, but I can say for sure that it will be broadcast on FEI TV Saturday and Sunday, and word is that it will also be the BBC Sports website, although it’s possible that could include regional or time exceptions. I will have more details about the BBC Sports online broadcasting as soon as possible.
The entry list to Badminton was closed today. Only 17 horses needed to be added this year from the waitlist, and the last pair to get in was Sweden’s Dag Albert and Tubber Rebel, a pair that we love here on EN. Badminton is an early chance to get qualified for the Olympics so it’s a great feeling to make it into the field.
As a few specific entry notes, Oli decided to take only Ashdale Cruise Master and withdrew Carousel Quest, ODT Master Rose, and Sonas Rovatio yesterday. The riders with more than two horse are still allowed to declare which horses they will ride–they have until the jog to decide. Andrew Nicholson has Avebury, Nereo, and Armada entered, William has chosen Cool Mountain and Seacookie, Mark Todd will take Major Mileston and NZB Land Vision, and Mary King has Apache Sauce, Imperial Cavalier, and Kings Temptress entered. [Horse and Hound]
The Grassroots Championship on Wednesday:
On the same day that all of the 4* competitors are moving into Badminton, the Grassroots Championships finished up day 1 of their competition this afternoon on the Badminton grounds. For reference, BE100 class jumps are 100 cm tall, so the equivalent of about training level in the US. There is a great range of competitors, from 15 year-olds to professionals in other fields, such as corporate financier Frances Davies who leads the BE90 (90cm) division. Beccy Philips and Vamiro lead the BE 100 division. [Full Day 1 Results, Badminton Blog]
H&H Grassroots Guest Video Blogger Marie Ewen:
William is excited for Badminton:
I want to give a big thanks in advance to everyone at Badminton, the Badminton blog, and especially our good friend Dominic for keeping us updated and connected to everything we need for our Badminton coverage, including the photos on this post. Badminton does an absolutely fantastic job getting information to fans from all over the world and that makes things much more fun for all of us on EN. The jog starts tomorrow. Go eventing.
