Badminton Revisited — An Anecdotal History

Julian Seaman, former Badminton competitor and the horse trials’ current press officer, is one of eventing’s most flamboyant characters, and there is plenty of his personality in this little book.

Launched in May to celebrate the event’s 60th anniversary, Badminton Revisited is a joyous bounce through the history of ‘the great event’, bringing together information on the course, organisation and competitors — successful and unsuccessful.

The best bits are undoubtedly Julian’s personal recollections. His years of striving to ride at Badminton remind us all how prestigious it is to compete here, wherever you finish, while his tales of his rounds lurch between triumph (finishing ninth in 1978) and hilarious horror (on his first attempt at the cross-country in 1977 he had a horse fall, was held on course and dealt with a loose dog — oh yes, and fell off in the show jumping).

There are probably more comprehensive factual histories of Badminton’s earlier years on sale, but for an entertaining, light-hearted read, peppered with fascinating facts and insights into the event’s backstage world, past and present, you can’t do much better than this.

• Badminton Revisited — An Anecdotal History by Julian Seaman
• Published by JR Books (ISBN 9781906779474)