‘I was talking to him the whole way round’: youngest competitor stuns on Badminton debut on home-bred

Gemma Redrup's avatar
By
Published In Features
vitali
Alice Casburn and Topspin jump through The Lake at the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials.
(Image credit: Nico Morgan)

The youngest competitor in the field at Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, this year is 20-year-old Alice Casburn, for whom this is also a Badminton debut. And what a debut she has had, having just one fence down in the final phase, finishing 19th overall.

Alice rides her mother Caroline’s 14-year-old gelding Topspin, who is a second generation home-bred. Riding is in Alice’s blood too, as Caroline (née Sizer) rode at the World Equestrian Games in 1994 and also rode at Badminton.

Gemma Redrup
Gemma Redrup
Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor

Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.