Badminton: Saturday

The second day of the dressage at Badminton Horse Trials turned out to be a fantastic day of competition. Sadly though, before the dressage had even begun two horses were withdrawn, hot favourites Redesigned (Pippa Funnell) and Miners Frolic (Tina Cook). Both riders are obviously extremely disappointed, and we spectators are too - but I suppose that's the world of horses for you!

First to go was Vicky Brake with Looks Like Fun, scoring a perhaps disappointin 63.2, landing them in 76th place going into the cross country tomorrow. Also in the first section was 2010 winner Paul Tapner with his ride Kilfinnie II. They delivered an average score of 51.3, leaving them in equal 36th - perhaps not a score ready to defend his title. Other rides in the first section include first-timer Lucie McNicholl with Zeus of Rushall, scoring 55.8.

After the first break came Emily Baldwin with Drivetime, who gave a very impressive test scoring them 39.7 and into 5th place. Canadian rider Selena O'Hanlon gave a nice test on Colombo, leaving them in equal 10th with 43.3. Also to go in the second section was Andreas Ostholt (GER) with Franco Jeas, achieving a score of 44.5 to go in equal 15th.

After lunch came perhaps the most interesting of competition. Karen O'Conner arrived in the arena first with Mandiba, scoring a very respectable 44.5, in equal 15th with Andreas Ostholt. Then came the most outstanding ride of the day, belonging to Ruth Edge and Two Thyme. The pair gave an extremely impressive test that was a pleasure to watch, scoring them 33.3. This then put them into the lead above Laura Collett. Then came 2007 winner Lucinda Fredericks on her young - but very promising - Prada. They achieved a score of 46.2 to fit nicely into 20th place, a score no doubt Lucinda will be pleased with.

After the last break came perhaps the creme de la creme of competition. William Fox-Pitt was first up, with his second ride of Cool Mountain. With high expectations for the pair though, they achieved a somewhat disappointing score of 48.5, putting them into 31st position. Soon after came Nicola Wilson on the XC-machine Opposition Buzz. Not renowned for his dressage, Buzz often struggles to achieve marks better than 50, yet today exceeded all expectations by giving a beautiful test, scoring an impressive 44 and leaving them in 12th. Sure contenders for the top spot. Then came 2009 winner Oliver Townend on Ashdale Cruise Master. They too delivered an impressive test, with a score of 40.5 and 7th place going into the cross country. Next up was Piggy French on her relatively new ride, Jakata. They gave a fluent and extremely impressive test, which was reflected in the marks after they were awarded a 10 for the halt (the only 10 of the competition!). They achieved 36 and just nipped Laura Collett (36.5) into 2nd place. Then came Burghley 2010 winner Caroline Powell and Lenamore. Lenamore, despite being a veteran in the sport at 18, showed absolutely no signs of ageing and was rather too keen at times! Despite accidental changes and a few cheeky moments Caroline rode well to compose the test and they achieved 47.2 and into equal 24th. After Caroline came everyone's favourite - Mary King. Mary rode her second horse of the competition, Imperial Cavalier, and was clearly hoping for a better score than one given to Apache Sauce yesterday. And of course, she delivered, achieving a nice impressive test (despite a couple of mistakes), scoring 44.2 and into 13th. Last to go was the popular Mark Todd and NZB Land Vision. Toddy disappointed nobody by giving an impressive last test of the day and scoring 36.8 and into 4th - leaving the second day of dressage with a smile.

So, after the first phase of competition who seem to be in the running for the title?
Most definitely, Ruth Edge and Two Thyme. An experienced combination who are sure to prove themselves over the next couple of days. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they gained the top spot on Monday. Others include Piggy French, currently in 2nd and Mark Todd in 4th. Oliver Townend too has a decent chance, as well as Nicola Wilson and Mary King. The top 20 competitors is sure to change over the next day. Many of the combinations are inexperienced, of which may show across the challenging 4* course. But of course, only time will tell!

Badminton: Friday

After all 83 horses that were presented passing the first inspection, the first day of Dressage went underway.

Andrew Nicholson began the day on Avebury, delivering a respectable score of 47.2. This left him in 8th place after day 1. Georgie Spence was second to go with Birthday Night, yet had a difficult test leaving her with a score of 72.8, and is currently in second to last place. The most notable test of the day was most definitely 21 year old Laura Collett's on Rayef. Laura was 5th to go and set a score that the rest of the field were chasing for the rest of the day - to no avail. The Badminton first-timer achieved a highly impressive score of 36.5, leaving her well in the lead above German rider Marina Kohncke (39.8).

After the first break came some riders hopeful to score a good mark, including Pippa Funnell on her first ride of Mirage D'Elle. Pippa achieved a score of 56.8, leaving her in equal 21st after day 1. Pippa will be hoping to challenge the top spot tomorrow with her promising Redesigned. Also in the second section was Mary King with the lively Apache Sauce. Mary was given a score of 55.5, leaving her in 20th position. Like Pippa, Mary will be hoping to achieve a higher score with her second ride of Imperial Cavalier tomorrow. William Fox-Pitt achieved a respectable score of 47.5 on Navigator, placing him in 9th. William too has a second ride tomorrow in Cool Mountain - and is a hot contender for the top spot. Gaining a score of 43.3 - and consequently 4th place - was German rider Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas.

After lunch we saw last year's leader after the dressage Kai Ruder with Les Prince Des Bois, scoring another decent score of 44.8 leaving him in 5th place. In addition, promising young rider Harry Meade scored a perhaps slightly disappointing score of 59.3, along with Gemma Tatterstall with King's Gem - scoring 58.3. A better score of 43.0 was given to Italian rider Susanna Bordone and Carrera, leaving them in 3rd place.

Then the final section of riders included Horse and Hound's blogger Ben Hobday, who was given a score of 61.0 on Upton's Who, perhaps slightly worse than he was hoping for - yet I am sure as a Badminton first-timer he is quite happy just to be continuing onto the exciting cross country on Sunday. James Robinson achieved a score of 52.3 on Comanche, along with Badminton first timer Flora Harris, who gained a respectable score of 52.8 on Law Choice - leaving her in 14th, one place behind James.

First to go tomorrow at 9am is Vicky Brake on Looks Like Fun, with second to go a first-timer Lucie McNicholl with Zeus of Rushall. Perhaps the tests to look out for will belong to:
Tina Cook and Miners Frolic at 11:54,
Ruth Edge and Two Thyme at 13:48,
William Fox-Pitt and Cool Mountain at 15:30,
Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz at 15:46,
Oliver Towend and Ashdale Cruise Master at 16:02,
Caroline Powell and Lenamore at 16:18,
Mary King and Imperial Cavalier at 16:26,
Lucy Wiegersma and Shaabrak at 16:34,
Pippa Funnell and Redesigned at 16:50 and
Mark Todd and NZB Land Vision finally at 16:58.

Good luck to all, I am sure tomorrow's scores will jumble the results table up a fair bit!

Tamarillo

The 2004 winner of Badminton will be officially retired from international competition on Monday.

Prior to the prizegiving at Badminton Horse Trials the 18 year old will parade in front of the crowd, with a presentation in his honour.

Tamarillo is perhaps one of the most successful event horses of his time, earning in total 1636 BE points. He is a much loved and adored horse, not only by the people close to him but also by the many eventing fans around the world. He will surely be applauded well on Monday.

A snapshot of Tamarillo's achievements:
- 1st Badminton 2004
- 1st Burghley 2008
- Silver Athens Olympics
- 2nd Badminton 2002 and 2005
- Individual Silver and Team Gold at the European Championships 2005
- Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games 2006
- Team Bronze at the World Championships 2002

Tamarillo is an example of the fantastic event horses we have here in the UK, and most definitely British Eventing would not have been the same without him. I'm sure we all wish him a happy and healthy retirement from international competition, and I know for sure I will be applauding for him at his presentation at Badminton on Monday.

Badminton: Updates

We're getting ever closer to the event, with the wait list being cut off at 6pm last night and the first Trot Up tomorrow. So, with the final list of accepted entries up, what changes are we looking at to the original plan?

Firstly, 2009 winner Oliver Townend is no longer the pathfinder after withdrawing Carousel Quest, ODT Master Rose and ODT Sonas Rovatio. This leaves him with the one ride, Ashdale Cruise Master. Instead, the job is given to Andrew Nicholson on a choice of three rides (one of which is yet to be withdrawn); Armada, Avebury and Nereo.

Seventeen horses have been accepted from the wait list in total after withdrawals, these include Aoife Clark and Vaguely North, 2007 winner Lucinda Fredericks and Prada, Lauren Shannon (Badminton first timer) with a second ride of Quixotic, Georgie Spence riding Birthday Night, Nick Gauntlett and Elektron and last to be accepted Swedish rider Dag Albert with Tubber Rebel, to name but a few.

Yet, there are still a number of riders in the competition with more than the allowed two horses entered. It will be tomorrow at the first trot up when we find out who the riders are presenting. These include the ever-favourite, Mary King, who has entered Imperial Cavalier, Apache Sauce and King's Temptress. It is thought Mary will ride the former two horses and leave King's Temptress, yet this is yet to be confirmed. As well as Mary, the famous Mark Todd still has three entered into the competition, leaving him pick of Major Milestone, NZB Grass Valley and NZB Land Vision.

Other rider updates include William Fox-Pitt's withdrawal of Seacookie, leaving him with Navigator and Cool Mountain. In addition, Polly Stockton has withdrawn both Regulus and Westwood Mariner - leaving her with just Westwood Poser for the competition. Caroline Powell (2010 Burghley winner) has taken Mac Macdonald out of the event, leaving her with the popular grey Lenamore and Boston Two Tip.

This certainly changes things in the run up to the competition, but firm favourites for the title still stay more or less the same. Will it be everyone's favourite, Mary King, who takes the title for her third time? Will Caroline Powell have another 4* win after Burghley last year? Or will the break have done Pippa Funnell well and she be holding up the trophy on Monday afternoon? Only time will tell!

Badminton: Hints and tips for the spectator.

We, of course, aren't all lucky enough to be competing at Badminton next weekend, yet hundreds of thousands of us will be filing through the entrance as spectators. With hundreds of shops to please the shopaholic, five days of both top and grassroots eventing and the promise of a fantastic day out whatever your interest, Badminton really does offer it all. So, how will one make the most out of their day?

Firstly, as I've mentioned in a previous post; the fences to watch (if you aren't keen on walking the entire course for the whole day!) are as follows;

• The Lake (although I am sure this goes without saying, after Tina Cook's dunking last year I am sure the Lake may take another rider this year!)


• The Quarry (rated 10/10 for difficulty by Andrew Hoy in Horse and Hound this week, at the end of the course this may prove a challenging face)


• Sunken Lane (upped this year in difficulty it seems, which no doubt will catch someone out)


• Huntsman's Close (always a tricky fence, rated 9/10 by Andrew Hoy in H&H)


• and surprisingly, the Colt Pond. (the direct route may prove the less popular option)

Also look out for the Shogun Hollow, the Hexagon Hedge and The Farmyard (an underestimated fence last year).

If you're a keen shopper, be sure to purchase this week's Horse and Hound. In the middle of the issue is 30 vouchers to save money in the shopping village, ranging from a FREE Antares breast plate to £200 off any Activo-Med Magnetic and Massage rug.

If you're a newbie spectator to Badminton this year be sure to be prepared. This year's weather forecast may be good but sturdy boots may be a necessity - especially on Cross Country and Show Jumping days when the ground has been churned up over the past four days. If the weather is fine wellies may not be needed - as we all know how hard the ground is at the moment! Yet substantial footwear round the 6.5km course is a must!

At lunch time queues for food are pretty long - so I do recommend taking a picnic! (or planning your lunchtime accordingly). If you can bare to steal yourself away from the Cross Country action on the Sunday I advise retiring to your car for a spot of lunch as again, the picnic areas get rather busy with 250,000 spectators eating at the same time!

I hope for fine weather (last year's wasn't quite so preferable, I remember a lot of numb fingers and sporting the 'drowned rat' look!), and looking at the forecast I am sure it will come. Hopefully the ground has been looked after accordingly and that we won't have another 2007 scenario (22 competitors withdrawing due to the hard conditions). I look forward to the 21st!

Badminton: The first timers

Every year Badminton welcomes fresh new riders to the event, and 2011 is no exception. This year we have a number of first-timers hoping to do well:

Ben Hobday, the 22 year old star of Horse and Hound's online blog. Riding his Badminton ride, Uptons Who, Ben achieved young rider team gold and individual bronze in 2008, and is most definitely a potential successful rider for the future. He runs his very own enterprise 'The Shadow Stud', producing young prospective event horses.

Laura Collett, 21 years of age. Laura completed her first 4* event at Burghley last year with Ginger May Killinghurst, and is bringing Rayef to Badminton this year. An established 3* horse, he has been brought through the rankings by Laura herself since 2006. Laura has some exceptional up and coming horses that will surely give her some fantastic results this season and in the future.

Lauren Shannon, who will be riding the 13 year old Zero Flight after their successful 4* debut at Burghley last year, finishing in a very respectable 12th. Lauren was a gold medallist young rider back in 2006 and is looking a very promising rider for the future. Not only this, but Lauren has successfully managed to qualify Quixotic - who was originally placed on the waiting list.

Lucie McNichol, 25. Riding the 11 year old Zeus of Rushall she has achieved very promising results at 3* events such as Blenheim, Hartpury and Bramham, and is on form to have a good ride round Badminton this year.

Other notable first timers include; Joy Dawes riding Finnisterre, Flora Harris riding Law Choice, Fiona Hobby riding the grey Roma M.L., Alice Pearson with Beau Bear, Sarah Stretton with Lazy Acres Skip On and many more.

I would like to personally wish them the best of luck for both Badminton and the future, as all appear to have heaps of potential as top event riders and I am sure will all go far in the sport.

One week until Badminton: Fences to watch out for.

The cross country day at Badminton attracts quarter of a million spectators from all over the world, all hoping for a fantastic day of sporting activity - and this year will be no exception. Yet, after watching the video of the course walk I am sure that this year's course will not fail to impress.

As usual, the course has been reversed from last year's - with the Quarry at the end of the course and the Lancer Village at the beginning. This also means that the testing Lake will be towards the end, perhaps giving even more of a challenge to those who's horses are feeling the strain of the 6.5 kilometre long course. This year, the lake entails the traditional Mitsubishi Pickups, then a willow wave, with a sharp left-hand turn over another willow wave into the lake. The direct route then consists of a jump up and a bounce out over another wave, which may prove a strong obstacle.

One of the strongest fences to watch this year though, in my opinion, would be the Sunken Lane. Consisting of a large open rail upright jumping straight down into the ditch, then straight into a jump up the ditch and then to a large spread. This will easily cause a few issues and may even catch out the most experienced of riders, not only due to its technicality but also its size. Hugh Thomas has provided a brilliant fence that will be sure to test the riders in every way.

Other notable fences include the HS1 Farmyard - the reverse of last year's, which caught out many (for example Alex Hua Tian and Mary King), and is sure to do the same for this year. In addition, the Huntsman's Close will also prove to be a testing fence. Starting with a jump over the white gates in, followed by an imposing log, before a sharp right-hand turn into two new brush fences at bounce distance - all on a curving line. So late on in the course it will surely be a challenging fence to those horses now beginning to tire.

Obviously, each fence may cause issues of its own - with the course requiring both boldness and accuracy in equal measures. Hopefully the weather will hold off for the day and it will prove to not only be a fantastic rider event, but also for the spectators.

One week until Badminton: Contenders for the top spot.

With one week until everyone's favourite event, who should we all be looking out for?

The entries for this year's event are possibly one of the best we've ever had. With Pippa Funnell making her Badminton comeback - six years after her 3rd win on Primmore's Pride and three years since her last Badminton run - she'll surely be in hot contention with her up and coming 10 year old, Redesigned, not to mention the mare Mirage d'Elle, who appears to be full of potential. Pippa is popular within the Eventing fans and all will be hoping for her to do well this year.

We've also got the ever-popular Mary King originally entering three horses into the competition; Apache Sauce, Imperial Cavalier and King's Temptress. All three are proven 4* horses and will all be in top contention for the number one spot. Mary hasn't won Badminton for eleven years, despite riding near enough every year - so we are all expecting her to come back even more competitive this year, no doubt still with her famous smile across her face.

When regarding contention for the top spot we of course cannot rule out the almightily successful William Fox-Pitt. William originally entered five horses this year, but since has withdrawn Idalgo and Macchiato to leave him with Seacookie (2nd at Burghley 2010), Cool Mountain (2nd at Kentucky 2010) and Navigator (2nd at Pau 2010). With these three horses William is surely in top contention for the 2011 title, and the crowd will definitely be supporting him the whole way.

Other riders tipped for the title include New Zealand's Caroline Powell on Burghley 2010 winner Lenamore. The 17-year old grey may be a veteran in the sport now, but is showing no signs of ageing. With a flawless jumping technique the popular horse is always a contender for the Badminton title, yet could this year be his year?

And of course we cannot forget our reigning champion Paul Tapner, returning this year with Kilfinnie II. Perhaps not one of the most well-known of horses at Badminton, yet gave a smooth clear round the Cross Country last year and if they can improve on last year's dressage score could easily climb up the scoreboard to a top spot.

I couldn't possibly predict any sort of result, as we often do get surprised! (Let me give the example of 2008; Clayton Fredericks coming a cropper at the Hexagon Hedge, Ruth Edge in the lake and both Pippa Funnell and Andrew Hoy falling at the Huntsman's Close). Yet other names up for contention could include 2009 winner Oliver Townend, Tina Cook, Ruth Edge, Nicola Wilson and Andrew Nicholson.

It is certainly looking to be another fantastic few days of Eventing at this year's Badminton.