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Dressage disappointment for high-flying amateur at Badminton as jumps prove a distraction

Martha Terry Martha Terry

    • Amateur rider Lauren Innes endured a torrid time in the dressage ring at Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, after Global Fision M spied the cross-country fences in the main arena.

    Lauren rode with the utmost tact and composure to keep “Flipper” inside the white boards after he jumped out of the first halt like he was in the startbox. She did persevere to the end of the test, with isolated movements scoring good marks despite the lack of focus, to score 46.4.

    “I am disappointed because he has worked so well this week, and I’ve kept him much calmer than last year,” says Lauren, who posted 41.4 on her debut test here in 2022. “He freaked out when he went into the arena, and I just had to do everything I could to get through the test.

    “Once he gets that adrenaline, you can’t get through to him. When you go into the arena, you see the cross-country fences, and he’s saying, ‘I know they’re jumps’.”

    ‘I hope it keeps raining’

    But with the rain falling incessantly, the dressage placings may be immaterial. While many riders will be hoping for the floodgates to shut, Lauren is enjoying the downpours.

    “I hope it keeps raining so I can zoom up the leaderboard,” says Lauren, who works as an accountant for KPMG. “I know he’ll jump out of the mud and keep galloping. There is lots to jump – it’s very intense at the back end of the course, with a long uphill slog at the end. Horses will need to be fit.”

    Having jumped double clear at Badminton Horse Trials last year, also after underperforming in the first phase, Lauren Innes has been working on a dressage regime to keep Flipper settled. He has scored sub-30 twice at four-star – there’s no shortage of talent.

    “I work him somewhere really quiet and then put him back in the stable for a nap, hopefully then he’ll be calm for the five minutes he needs to be,” she says. “Usually that happens but today it didn’t. It’s very frustrating because he can do it, but the early season out on grass is always difficult for him.

    “After Badminton I might focus on the European events where the dressage is on a surface because that will suit him better. But obviously Badminton is Badminton and when you’ve got a horse like him, you have to come here for the experience.”

    Lauren rides under the New Zealand flag here, having changed nationality from British last April.

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    Martha Terry
    Martha Terry

    H&H features editor
    Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on dogs of all shapes and sizes. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs, one a street dog from Gambia who was abandoned at three weeks old. Now, her constant companion, whether by her feet at her desk or walking cross-country courses, is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
    Martha Terry

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