Walk the Badminton showjumping course
46 horses come forward to the final showjumping phase of the 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. One horse was withdrawn after the cross-country and one was withdrawn from the holding box at this morning’s vet inspection.
First-timer Emily Gilruth withdrew Topwood Beau and Horse & Hound blogger Simon Grieve unfortunately did not make it past the trot-up.
The showjumping course at a maximum height of 1.30m consists of 13 fences and 16 jumping efforts over a length of 555m. The time to beat is 89 seconds and riders need to keep up a pace of 375m per minute.
Fence 1
Badminton final scores
Height: 1.22m front rail and 1.25m back rail
Width: 1.30m
Approached on the left rein, this oxer is located right next to the crowd which could cause some distraction early on in the course
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Fence 2
Height: 1.28m
This upright is located at the end of a fairly tight 180-degree left-hand turn from fence one
Fence 3
Height: 1.26m front rail and 1.28m back rail
Width: 1.40m
There are seven non-jumping strides between fence two and this oxer which horses jump towards the crowd
Fence 4
Height: 1.26m front rail and 1.29m back rail
Width: 1.40m
This big oxer is approached on a right-handed turn going away from the collecting ring which may cause some horses to be a little backwards
Fence 5
Height: 1.29m
This upright rail is a forward five strides from fence four
Fence 6
Height: 1.27m front rail and 1.28m back rail
Width: 1.45m
This wide and very square oxer comes after a right-hand curve from fence five. Riders will also very much be thinking about the turn coming up to the next fence too
Fence 7ab
Height: 1.28m (first element) and 1.26m front rail and 1.28m back rail (second element)
Width: 1.40m (second element)
This double comes after quite a quick left-handed turn from fence six. It is an upright followed by two non-jumping strides to a wide oxer. There is a slight hummock in the ground on the second non-jumping stride in this double which could put horses off-balance
Fence 8
Height: 1.29m front rail and 1.30m back rail
Width: 1.45m
This fence is on a forward six stride related distance from the double. It is a maximum dimension oxer jumping towards the crowd
Fence 9
Height: 1.30m
This maximum height upright comes after a long left-handed turn from fence eight. It is situated slightly on an uphill slope
Fence 10abc
Height: 1.26m front rail and 1.28m back rail (first element), 1.28m (second element), 1.26m front rail and 1.29m back rail (third element)
Width: 1.35m (first element), 1.40m (final element)
This treble combination is approached on a related forward seven stride distance from fence nine. It is made up from an oxer, to an upright and finally a large oxer. Riders will be forced to attack this combination, which will prevent them from over-protecting the front end of their horses and therefore some errors may be forced. There is one non-jumping stride between the elements
Fence 11
Height: 1.28m
This very airy upright fence comes after a left-handed dog leg turn from the treble. It is jumped towards the crowd
Fence 12
Height: 1.28m
This Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing upright fence comes after a 180-degree right-handed turn from fence 11
Fence 13
Height: 1.28m front rail and 1.29m back rail
Width: 1.45m
The final fence is on an eight non-jumping stride right-hand curving related distance from fence 12. This square oxer is at maximum width and has a water tray underneath it. It is also located near to the collecting ring so horse and rider will need to concentrate fully right until the very end of the course
Take a look at the course plan
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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.