The penultimate rider of the day, Will Rawlin and Ballycoog Breaker Boy, went into second place on the first day of Mars Badminton Horse Trials dressage (Thursday 7 May), with 29.3 penalties.
“All smiles,” said Will. “Even from Burghley last year, we’ve stepped it up again, and there’s still so much more in there.
“He was definitely keen in the canter and slightly grabbed hold of the bit, but he’s a very sensitive horse and can feel me, so if I kept myself relaxed, I’d like to think it followed through to him.
“It wasn’t perfect, there were a few things in there – but overall the picture and the feeling I had underneath me was fantastic.”
Badminton final scores
Will, whose home is 40 minutes from the event, has walked the Badminton cross-country course once and likes this year’s direction.
“It’s bloody huge – there are a few big, big fences,” he said. “Having done both ways now, I just feel [this direction] gets you in the rhythm and the flow better, and it seems really inviting. Everything’s there for the horses to jump.”
Will was clear about where he and the 14-year-old Ballycoog Breaker Boy now sit in the sport.
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“I would have been disappointed if I wasn’t in the top three today,” he said. “We’re at the stage now where we could start contesting those top positions.”
Alex Hua Tian: “I could have taken a few more risks”
Last to go, Alex Hua Tian and the experienced 16-year-old gelding Chicko went into eighth with 32.8 penalties.
“I’m really thrilled with Chicko – he’s such a tryer,” Alex said. “He isn’t the most talented in this phase, but he really goes in and tries to do his job, sometimes a little bit too hard.
“Today I really felt he was with me. He was trying hard, and he was relaxed enough. I’m a little bit annoyed at myself – I could have maybe taken a few more risks, had his ears a bit more up and just gone for it. But I’m happy.”
Alex has walked the cross-country course several times and last jumped the Holland Cooper Vicarage Vee in 2016 on Harbour Pilot – a fence several riders picked out as one of the most apprehension-inducing on Eric Winter’s track.
“It’s a nice track,” he said. “Obviously, the Vicarage Vee is in there – always intimidating. But I think Eric’s been quite kind and given us a few chances to jump across the ditch in a similar way before. But the bank is massive.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
