Which riders washed horses off in The Lake? Who wore a hat silk knitted by their 82-year-old mum? 11 things you might not know about this year’s Badminton Horse Trials
Aistis Vitkauskas and Commander VG
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Still not had enough of Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian? We’ve got some fun facts from the week for you…
1. This year’s Badminton was the first time William Fox-Pitt has ridden a mare at five-star level. He finished 14th with Amanda Gould’s Grafennacht.
Badminton final scores
3. And it wasn’t just Gemma who upped her fitness game, as her ride at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials, Jalapeno, also had meticulous preparation.
“No stone has been unturned with this horse’s prep,” explained Gemma, who finished sixth with Chris Stone’s 15-year-old mare. “She’s been swimming once a week, and galloping once a week since the middle of January, because I wanted a long, slow process.
“She is a long mare and so I have to be really careful she doesn’t get sore in her back and body. I’ve been working on her strength, keeping her happy and strong.”
5. Ros was one of two riders to complete Badminton Horse Trials with two horses – the other rider was Dan Jocelyn. Besides winning on Lordships Graffalo (Walter), Ros was also ninth with Kate James and Annie Makin’s 14-year-old mare, Pencos Crown Jewel (Jasmine).
What is even more remarkable is that Walter and Jasmine are half siblings as they are both out of the same mare; Cornish Queen, who is by Rock King. Walter’s sire is Grafenstolz, while Jasmine is by Jumbo.
“I have messed up here too many times with the most amazing horse, so I came here this year with the idea of having fun,” said Tom.
Pippa stated on Facebook after the event:
“One thing we are all guaranteed horses are great levellers. Having had such a great autumn last year, culminating in finishing eighth at Burghley and a really solid spring campaign with three good, bold runs, I really hoped Feale might have put his Badminton demons to rest. Oh, how wrong I was. Was I angry with him? No. Disappointed? Very. You can barely count on one hand the cross-country faults he has had throughout his career, but unbelievably three of them were up at that (excuse the swearing) f***ing pond. It just shows how good their memories are and I give him credit for that.
“He is a very good horse, but not all horses are Badminton horses. He has now made it quite clear that Badminton is not his venue (particularly if that pond is there!), so we will have a rethink.”
Pippa finished 10th with her other ride, Majas Hope.
8. Lithuania’s Aistis Vitkauskas finished 26th with his own and Mogens and Birgitte Kloeve-Mogensen’s Commander VG, and eagle-eyed spectators will have noticed Aistis was wearing a knitted hat cover across country.
“My 82-year-old mother knitted it for me 10 years ago and told me to wear it every time I went cross-country for good luck – so that’s what I’ve done!” explained Aistis.
You might also be interested in:
Meet Badminton’s special prize winners – from post-dressage climbers to a British-bred star
Mark Phillips: ‘Riding standards and horsemanship is in decline’
‘Emotional’ first Badminton completion for rider with horse who jumps out of his field over 1.60m fences
Update on diminished Badminton field after demanding cross-country
Ros Canter triumphs at Badminton with huge winning margin on ‘ultimate event horse’
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