Badminton Horse Trials date change puts pressure on accommodation
Beds are going quickly for the rapidly approaching Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (21-25 April) with many hotels already fully booked over the Easter weekend.
There are fewer rooms available this year, as some private houses are not offering B&B due to the clash with Easter. But don’t despair if you haven’t booked a place to stay yet, as there are still a small number of vacant rooms in the area.
Many smaller businesses fear the clash will result in a fall in revenue.
Judy McCavana, owner of The Old King William, told H&H: “Bookings and enquiries are down on last year. Our regular group of three ladies aren’t coming this year due to the clash with Easter. They have young children and see Badminton as a grown-up girly weekend away without the children. It is horrendous scheduling.”
Badminton final scores
Local B&B Staddlestones is fully booked, but owner Ann King is also disappointed by the clash: “There are always weddings on the Easter weekend so we are fully booked, but the same goes for the Badminton weekend so it is normally two bites of the cherry for us financially. Not this year though, I hope this won’t happen again.”
However regular Badminton visitor Alex Gambrill, 28, is pleased with the dates: “With Badminton on Easter weekend this year we won’t have to use any annual leave from work, or miss any of the dressage.
“I suspect traffic on the way there will be heavier on the Thursday evening/Friday morning with most people heading west like us… but our Land Rover doesn’t go that fast anyway!
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“If Badminton were to fall on Easter weekend again I would be pleased. I expect it will add to the festival atmosphere in the campsite!”
REMINDER: Cross-country takes place on Sunday 24 April.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
