Elite amateur rider Lucy Latta put in a super Mars Badminton Horse Trials dressage test as the first into the arena after lunch on day one (Thursday 7 May).
Irish rider Lucy and the Crampton family’s RCA Patron Saint were the runners up here in 2024 on their Badminton debut and they bettered their score then by nearly five marks today to pull in a 31.8. They sit third behind leaders Bubby Upton and Cola and Georgie Goss with Feloupe.
“He gave me everything he had in there. He was really rideable and handled the atmosphere well, so I’m really pleased,” said Lucy Latta, who rode in a double bridle in the Badminton dressage.
“I’ve ridden him in a double for a couple of years. He’s quite a big horse and I’m quite a small person, so it just helps keep him soft if he gets a bit worried in the atmosphere. But he really held his cool today.
“This is his third five-star now, so he’s getting more comfortable and familiar with these big stadium arenas.”
Flying changes are the downfall of many pairs in eventing dressage, but Lucy and RCA Patron Saint excelled in their first three changes, just having issues in the final one to earn three fours from the judges, in stark contrast to the three eights they pulled in for their second change.
Lucy said: “He’s really capable and has some lovely changes in him. It’s just about the quality of the canter. Towards the end of the test, I slightly lost him a little bit, so the change was off the aid and a little bit late. But he was super for the rest of them and very rideable, so I’m thrilled.”
The 29-year-old rider has recently started a short career break, having worked in marketing for a drinks company.
She said: “It’s only for probably a short time. This guy is 15 now so he won’t last forever, so I just wanted to take a little bit of time to enjoy a few more five-stars with him, fingers crossed. I intend to go back to my career as well.”
Lucy knows making it to a five-star is a fragile process because after their success here in 2024, Lucy and “Paddy” missed Burghley Horse Trials that year because the horse had colic on arrival and then also had to withdraw from Badminton last year when “Paddy” cut himself at home in the build up. The pair completed Burghley last year in 22nd, having had a late run-out across country.
Britain’s Kylie Roddy was the second-best of this first session after lunch, scoring 32.9 to pop into sixth with Anne and Colin Fox’s SRS Kan Do. She was pleased with “George” and just blamed herself for trying to over straighten the shoulder on the final centreline.
“Each year they come here, they know what they’re coming for – he was wild at Kelsall and I had to get off and take my spurs off in the warm-up for the dressage,” said Kylie.
“But when you’re actually at one of these big ones, you can get enough riding into them and that’s where they start to become more and more rideable with the athleticism and able to show the things that the horses need to provide to be top level athletes. He feels better than ever.”
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