The British leg of the FEI eventing Nations Cup series is moving north to Defender Bramham Horse Trials in West Yorkshire next year (10 to 14 June 2027).

The news was revealed in the wrap-up report from last week’s FEI Board meeting (30 June to 1 July), which took place in Switzerland.

The eventing Nations Cup is a team event run at short-format four-star level, featuring qualifiers in different countries and culminating in a long-format final at Boekelo in the Netherlands in the autumn. A team ticket for the LA28 Olympics will also be up for grabs at the 2027 eventing Nations Cup final.

The rules were rejigged ahead of this season – each of the five legs now act as qualifiers for the final (based on points collected at each leg), where teams will start on a clean slate. Previously, the series ran solely on a points system, meaning it was possible for winners to be decided before the final started.

Britain’s leg of the Nations Cup has had several homes over the years, most recently at Bicton Horse Trials, in Devon, in May. Chatsworth, in Derbyshire, held the 2023 edition, and before that, it ran at Houghton Hall in Norfolk.

Bramham Horse Trials event director Nicholas Pritchard told H&H that the fixture was “delighted to receive the news from the FEI that we’d been selected to host a qualifier”.

“Bramham is renowned for being a discovery ground for horse and rider combinations with star potential and the Nations Cup will add further impact to those credentials,” said Mr Pritchard.

“Add to that being part of a route to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games makes it incredibly exciting. France, Ireland, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Sweden and Italy are all regular visitors, and we’d love to see more flags making the trip to Bramham in 2027.”

He added: “To be chosen by the FEI is testament to the incredible group we have at Bramham who deliver a world-class event – from the home team who do the organisation, infrastructure and our showpiece cross country courses to our army of volunteers and loyal sponsors and partners, everyone plays a huge part.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access

Who’s made the cut for the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 eventing teams? Australia latest nation to announce nominated entries

Fresh look for eventing Nations Cup in 2026 to create more exciting finale

Meet Night Prowler, a little horse with a heart of a lion and all the scope in the world – who likes to enjoy a floral snack while going across country.

1st Class Images caught the moment Weasel, as he’s known to his friends, took advantage of his approach to the combination at fence 18abc of the Defender Bramham Horse Trials CCI4*-L last weekend to take a mouthful of the flowers dressing the fence.

Yvette Wheeler, who owns the 11-year-old ridden by Jack Mantel, told H&H that if ever there were a horse to be caught on camera like this, Weasel is the one.

“We didn’t realise how good the pictures were till we zoomed in,” she said. “David, Jack’s groom, said ‘I’m buying both those photos and framing them’, and we looked, and started laughing and said ‘Yes, that’s so Weasel’.”

Yvette said she bought the Irish-bred gelding for herself and another rider to share, a few years ago.

“I was going to do fun stuff and he was going to event him,” she said. “But the other person injured himself and couldn’t event him. And the fitter and weller Weasel got, the cheekier he got. I’m 57, 58 and he got to the point I’d come back from riding thinking ‘I’m glad I’m still on top’! He can spin, he can rear; he’d be ‘You’re not concentrating on me – wham’.

“I know Jack really well, I’ve had horses with him, so I asked if he’d take the ride and he said yes.”

Jack and Night Prowler started at BE100 level and worked their way up, completing their first four-star short at the end of last season. This was their first CCI4*-L, and they cleared all the cross-country jumps on the course – although the results don’t show this.

“He finished and we were washing him off and Jack wondered whether he’d caught a flag at the second-last fence,” Yvette said. “But it turned out there was a big bit in the middle of the fence that was about six feet high, and he’d jumped that, rather than the bit he was supposed to jump.

“The horse just locked on to that bit so we went from running to the finish saying ‘He’s just gone clear in his first four-star long’, ecstatic, to realising it was technical elimination. Jack had always said it’s a big ask for a little horse, but he just flew round.

“So we were gutted, walking round with sad faces, then we saw this picture and it just made us laugh, it couldn’t have been better in that situation.”

Yvette added that she and Jack were both delighted that Weasel did jump clear, albeit over a higher fence than he was supposed to.

“He’s so brave, he will take anything on, you just have to be careful where you aim him!” she said.

“He’s one of those horses when you’re at a competition everyone knows his name within three hours as it’s all ‘Weasel, can you not…?’!” she said. “He wants to grab your hood and pull you around; there’s no malice or nastiness, we all just laugh at him. It’s nice when they’ve got so much character.”

Yvette said she hopes the incident will have been caught on the official video, which she has ordered, and that a spectator might also possibly have caught it, as she would love to see that too.

The fence at which the photos were taken caused some issues and was removed late on cross-country day after the ground on take-off deteriorated, but Jack told H&H Night Prowler had no difficulty with it.

“It was the big skinny after the drop and a lot of horses made mistakes but he was super bold, stood off the skinny and went through the brush element,” he said. “The picture looks like he’s bitten a mouthful of flowers off as he went through.

“He’s orange, the flowers are orange and we had a Hyco numnah, a new sponsor to me, and their brand is orange as well, so it was all quite fitting!”

Jack said he and Weasel had a great round other than the second-last fence.

“Being very bold, he jumped the middle bit,” he said. “We were a bit gutted not to get the qualification but the horse is none the wiser – in his mind he jumped clear – and it did give us a smile to see those pictures as he’s quite a character.”

Jack said the horse was “a bit troubled” three years ago when he arrived.

“Yvette’s been brilliant and we’ve got him right,” he said. “He was doing one-stars less than three years ago and now he’s jumping round four-star long.

“He’s only 16.1hh and has always just done enough but the bigger and wider [it gets], he just keeps on going and he gave me a really good feeling. He’s jumped double clear all season and he’s only 11 so hopefully we can keep going up the grades.”

Jack said Weasel is also a very good showjumper; his plan for the immediate future is to compete in pure dressage.

“He is a little bit exuberant in his changes,” he said. “On Thursday, he was doing a lovely test, then he did do three large bucks, which was interesting! So, there’s a bit of homework to do on that, but he enjoys a party. Then we’ll probably do an OI somewhere, and then Burgham four-star, and probably the Scone four-star long, potentially Blenheim.”

“We’re thrilled with him,” Jack added. “And we’ve got the pictures for the wall.”

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also enjoy reading: 

Towel in a bowel: tiny filly undergoes surgery to remove unsuitable snack

Tea for two: mare strolls into racecourse canteen

Watch the video of four-year-old Rosamaria investigating the cakes on offer

Rider’s incredible save caught on camera: ‘I was determined not to fall off!’

‘Craziness’: judge struck off panel after ‘frivolous’ pose in photo

H&H eventing editor Pippa Roome rounds up what last week’s Yorkshire showcase means for the British and others hoping for a ticket to Aachen

And so, with Defender Bramham Horse Trials over, we take stock again on where we are with regards to eventing World Championship selection.

Let’s start with the easy part. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin’s win in the CCI4*-S surely confirms their place in the British team. They are unbeaten in their four runs this year, two of them at CCI4*-S in competitive company, and those results added to their championship record over the past two years must be enough to put them on the lorry to Aachen.

Beyond that, it’s more complicated and the question for many nations will have to be, “What are selectors willing to forgive?” Few combinations offer perfect form so it’s all about what errors can be overlooked or what known weaknesses they would prefer to take on.

Britain’s Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time were very impressive winning the CCI4*-L. A year ago, their victory gave them a straight path to the Europeans. But from there, it all went pear-shaped, with three falls. Bubby talked brilliantly at Bramham about reassessing, starting training with Andrew Nicholson and putting a new system into action. And she put the talk into action.

One good result doesn’t wipe out past problems. The selectors will have to decide if that’s really behind this pair and if they’re willing for the World Championships to be the next testing ground for that.

Bubby and “Finn” offer the ability to win an individual medal on their best form and that has to be attractive. The selection policy says places “may be used to provide championship experience”, which plays in their favour – both horse and rider are young and Bubby is a serious, well-supported professional with more young horses coming through and potentially decades of British team service ahead of her.

My hunch? I think Bubby has a real chance of a spot.

I don’t think CCI4*-L runner-up Selina Milnes is in the running; she is not on the World Class programme and, while she and Cooley Snapchat have had other good results, they don’t have a consistent body of form.

Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir, who were fifth? I think the 10-year-old mare is quite likely Yasmin’s next British team horse – and her great first-phase performance would be valuable at a championship – but I also think she’s still inexperienced and her few time-faults and single fence down at Bramham confirm that. They may well be among the nominated entries (nations can submit up to 15 at this first entry stage) but I don’t think they’ll be selected.

I didn’t mention Katie Magee, fifth at Badminton on Treworra, in my last selection piece and perhaps I should have. That result has to put her somewhere on the British selection radar, but she isn’t on the World Class programme and, much as eventing is a sport where athletes have longevity, as a rider who has come to five-star later (she’s 44), it’s harder to reconcile a rider with Katie’s profile with the “experience for the future” aspect of selection. Her seventh at Bramham on the beautiful Cushlas Indigo adds weight to Katie as a true top-level rider, but I don’t think she’s going to Aachen.

Ultimately, the Brits are lucky – there were no serious disappointments at Bramham from those in the running and with those who have played their hand already this spring, those who were at Bramham and Caroline Harris at Luhmühlen Horse Trials this week with D. Day, they are probably spoilt for choice.

If I’m forced to choose, I think the British squad will be Laura Collett (London 52), Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), Gemma Stevens (Flash Cooley) and Bubby Upton (Its Cooley Time), with Tom Jackson (United 36) and Harry Meade (Annaghmore Valoner) as first reserves.

Eventing World Championship selection: beyond the Brits

Bramham was more interesting for some other nations.

For Ireland, Aoife Clark was extremely impressive with her dressage score finish for fourth in the CCI4*-L on Full Monty De Lacense. They were a relatively new combination when they fell at the Europeans last year and this puts that firmly behind them.

Joseph Murphy has had three years away from the team scene, but Calmaro was 12th last time he made a squad appearance (2023 Europeans) and eighth in the huge CCI4*-S at Bramham must give him a chance.

Also for Ireland, Susie Berry looks to be building a good partnership with new ride Strangford (14th in the CCI4*-S) and Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis (17th in the CCI4*-S without being foot to the floor) consolidated their European team silver last year.

A run-out at the influential Defender combination for MGH Zabaione, the 2024 Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old champion, will have been frustrating for Padraig McCarthy. Would selectors prefer to take him on Pomp N Circumstance – who led last year’s team silver but had 20 jumping penalties across country at Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring – or will they pass him by completely?

New Zealand mixed good results – second in the CCI4*-S for Samantha Lissington, who bids for her championship debut on Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, and fifth for Jonelle Price, who surely confirmed her spot with Millstreet CCI4*-S winner Senor Crocodillo – with the curveball of a dressage lead but cross-country run-out for Jesse Campbell and Speedwell. Again, what will selectors forgive?

For the USA, Tamie Smith was well up after dressage in the CCI4*-S on Lillet 3, Kentucky winner at the same level, but misjudged her line to a corner and fell across country. Can the selectors look past that? Maybe. None of the USA’s developing riders were outstanding at Bramham to elbow her out and Wiltshire-based Tiana Coudray, third in the CCI4*-L on D’Artagnan, hasn’t been to a championship since London 2012 and isn’t part of their performance structure.

What’s next on eventing World Championship selection? Nations have to put in their nominated entries – up to 15 combinations – by 6 July and then their definite entries (the actual squad, bar injury or illness) by 27 July. While we expect some nations to announce squads before that deadline, there’s another month of speculation ahead…

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Who would you choose for the British eventing team at the Aachen World Championships? H&H’s Pippa Roome weighs in

How to watch Luhmühlen Horse Trials 2026 live from anywhere in the world

‘I never lost faith in him’: emotional Bubby Upton keeps her Bramham title after turbulent year

Tom McEwen cements his bid for World Championship selection with Bramham win

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

British five-star event rider Bubby Upton suffered serious spinal injuries in a fall in August 2023, an accident which could have left her unable to ride or even walk, and she had her third back surgery as a result last autumn.

Still only 27 years old, she has made an incredible comeback to the top-level of eventing – but few people see what goes into keeping her body functioning to allow her continued success.

During Defender Bramham Horse Trials last week, where Bubby Upton won the CCI4*-L for the second year in a row, she talked about having a third back surgery in November last year.

“The rod in my back had snapped in half in July,” she said, adding this didn’t make the second half of the season easy. “But it was almost a relief finding that out, because we couldn’t get on top of the pain and the symptoms that I was struggling with for a long time and that explained them.

“I’m so grateful to my incredible surgeon Dr Ivan Timofeev, who’s done all three surgeries. We didn’t actually want to do this surgery, but we weren’t left with a choice, because that was two consecutive years where the rod had snapped in half, despite having shortened it for the second year, because of just the sheer force that goes through it, I guess, with what we do as event riders.

“I basically don’t have the structures any more to hold up my spinal column – without the metal, I was never meant to be able to function. So we’re now relying on full muscle strength. So it’s pilates and the gym to focus in on those muscles that will hopefully allow me to do this for longer.”

Bubby’s surgery at the end of 2024 – her comeback season – set her well back and necessitated a long recovery period. This time, the surgery was quickly a positive for her.

“I have genuinely felt like a new person since my last surgery,” she said. “I feel nearly back to the Bubby that I was pre-accident. I’m now riding nine, 10, 11 horses a day, pain-free, and it’s the first time in two-and-a-half years that I’m on no painkillers, so it’s amazing.”

Bubby Upton on her recovery: the mental game

Unsurprisingly, talking about her accident and comeback is emotional for Bubby.

“It’s been a hell of a journey,” she said. “The horses are what got me through it. There was a long period where riding was out the picture, we were focusing on walking again and getting basic life back, but I guess probably subconsciously I never lost hope and faith in getting back on a horse again and that gave me more strength than I can ever do justice to in words.

“I never thought I’d be back competing at the top of the sport and I’d accepted that, but riding again was enough for me at that point. And then I guess when I got back on the goalposts just kept moving and before I knew it, I was starting the season at Poplar Park, and then I was back at Badminton eight months after the accident.

“It was just truly the most humbling experience of my life. It put everything into perspective, or a totally different perspective. How I see things now is totally different. I always thought I was pretty tough and strong, but you realise what you’re capable of in those moments when you’ve got to fight that extra bit.”

The fact the injury happened in a freak accident away from a competition has helped Bubby mentally with getting back to eventing.

“If it had been competing, it probably would have been a totally different challenge to overcome, but I was able to separate it from the sport in terms of the competing,” she said.

“I’m nowhere near as brave on young ones as I used to be anymore. I used to get on any horse and think that I was pretty invincible, which I proved I am not, so I’m much more careful on quirky youngsters now, but apart from that, it hasn’t affected me at all.

“It’s just demonstrated to me that inner strength that I have and reaffirmed – not that I needed it reaffirmed – the love that I have for what I do.”

Bubby also talked about how her horses helped her when she was first home after her accident.

“When I came to see them in my electric scooter, they were just so gentle with me. They kind of balanced their heads on me and I just felt like they knew and they were just that crutch that I needed at that time,” she said.

“Just seeing them gave me that strength to fight and be back for them. Horses are just there for you whenever you need them and they’re not judgmental and are loyal as hell.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘I never lost faith in him’: emotional Bubby Upton keeps her Bramham title after turbulent year

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

Bubby Upton shares her insight on adapting your riding as horses change over time

‘It was like learning to ride again, but I never lost faith’: Bubby Upton on her ongoing recovery from serious injury

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Bubby Upton topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results in the CCI4*-L class this afternoon (14 June), making an emotional return to form with Its Cooley Time after a series of falls since the pair won this class last year.

“I won this last year and subconsciously thought the world was my oyster, but I really believe and hope that now it is,” said Bubby.

She continued, tearfully: “I’ve never lost faith or belief in him, it was just a question of tweaking a few tiny little things and not losing faith in the fact that so much of it was so good.

“When a few times on the bounce, it goes wrong, it’s quite easy to lose faith in the whole system. Thank God I’m surrounded by such amazing people. We just made a few small tweaks here and there and I really feel like this past year has been the making of us.”

Bubby and the 11-year-old grey, owned by his rider, Susan de Zulueta, Hilary Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, Jane Dear and Susie Holland-Bosworth, had just 0.9 of a penalty in hand when they went in to showjump today but put in a very assured clear in the time.

“Like I’ve said before, what a freak. He jumps like a jumper, goes across country like a point-to- pointer and flicks his toes like a dressage horse. You can’t really ask for more.

“As I’ve also said before, the line is thin with him [because he is such sensitive horse so things can easily go wrong], but I genuinely wouldn’t want to be sat on another horse coming to the last day – maybe apart from Cannavaro,” said Bubby, referring to her 2021 under-25 national champion.

“The pair of them are just extraordinary and they make my job so easy, so it’s a pure joy and privilege to go in with that pressure on a horse like him.”

Bramham Horse Trials results: clears on the podium

Selina Milnes also showjumped clear to keep second, with just 0.8 of a time-penalty, on the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat.

“He is a really good jumper — he’s only ever had one rail at a long format, at Pau last year – so I was quite confident going in,” she said.

The more dramatic part of the day for Selina was the final horse inspection. She and her team trotted the horse up last night and he was fine, but this morning after she had ridden him – and with her farrier brother Greig and vet husband Scott having left – he suddenly went lame.

“I think he literally just stood on a stone and there were no farriers here, but we grabbed Rich Taylor, who’s from our area, from the coffee queue to help us get the shoe off. He had some bruising on the inside of his heel and they padded it all out and he’s good now,” she said.

The horse had the shoe off and back on within an hour before the trot-up and was sent to the holding box, but passed on re-inspection.

Wiltshire-based US rider Tiana Coudray put in a fault-free round, just three seconds over the time, to move up from fourth to third with Annabelle James, Kyrle Arscot and her own 12-year-old grey D’Artagnan.

Tiana said: “He’s the most gorgeous animal through and through. Like all of mine, we picked him up through Facebook and didn’t know what he was going to be. He was a big, weak baby – rising eight but he had done very, very little, and he’s just been the most incredible horse.

“His temperament is unmatched. He’s got a heart the size of the world and if he ever makes a mistake, it’s only because he didn’t know the answer. He’s so honest and so, so generous. This spring, the strength is coming and the trajectory he’s been on has been stratospheric.

“He was amazing three weeks ago at Belsay, which is the first time we’ve really felt the pieces were all starting to be there. Anything could have happened this week, but I’ve got so much faith in him, I know he’s going to give me absolutely everything he can and because his body’s stronger now, he can just give me so much more.”

Yasmin Ingham dropped two places in the Bramham Horse Trials results, finishing fifth on Gypsie Du Loir, who knocked the second part of the double at six with her hind legs. Four faults for Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo also cost them two spots and they wound up seventh.

Clears elevated Tom McEwen and Quintus from ninth to sixth and Ireland’s Aoife Clark and Full Monty De Lacense from eighth to fourth, the only pair to finish on their dressage score.

“I took over the ride in March last year and he is very, very sensitive horse – he’s so kind and gentle and genuine, but he is a real worrier and that’s partly why I’ve got him, because Jonelle Price thought he would be better suited to smaller yard,” said Aoife, who was on the silver medal-winning team at last year’s Europeans with the horse but had a fall across country.

“This week is the most together we’ve felt. He really suits me, because he’s all blood, he’s so fast-thinking and agile, but it takes a bit of time to cement a partnership. I think the winter was important – we just did loads of hacking and a winter of me just being his human and him settling into his work was key.”

Lizzie Baugh finished eighth on Piltown Concorde, Alex Bragg ninth on Jaeger Master – a horse he has worked hard on to change his balance and way of going – and Yasmin Ingham had another horse in the top 10 with Goliath Du Loir landing 10th.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

‘He deserved this – he’s done everything for me’: veteran home-bred superstar helps rider to under-25 national title

Two title contenders held and one leaves competition at Bramham final trot-up

Tom McEwen cements his bid for World Championship selection with Bramham win

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Two title contenders were sent to the holding box and one has left the competition at the Defender Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up this morning (14 June).

New Zealand’s Caroline Powell was third overnight after a clear inside the time on Chris Mann’s 2024 Mars Badminton Horse Trials winner Greenacres Special Cavalier, but she withdrew after being held.

The Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat, second after cross-country, another who recorded a clear inside the time yesterday, was also sent to the holding box but rider Selina Milnes re-presented and Cooley Snapchat passed on re-inspection.

Thirty-two horses came before the ground jury of Swedish president Christina Klingspor, New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie and Britain’s Les Smith, with the sun making an appearance after a week of wet and grey weather at the Yorkshire event.

Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up: two withdrawn before inspection

Two competitors withdrew before the Bramham Horse Trials final horse trot-up. Ireland’s Jim Newsam pulled out Carole Hawthorne’s Tullybee Louis, who lay 25th after a jumping clear with 28.8 time-faults.

Britain’s Tom Rowland was the other competitor who did not present at the inspection, with Jo Handman’s LB Mettaphor. They had 40 jumping penalties across country yesterday – at the skinny box in the water at the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond (fence 7c) and the triple brush arrowhead in the water at fence 19c – and 24 time-faults to sit 33rd overnight.

The first pair of horses down the strip raised a laugh – Rupert Batting’s two rides are obviously devoted to each other and whinnied and fidgeted when they were separated, leading commentator John Kyle to joke that Rupert would now present Coombeland Talisman’s “fwiend” Coombeland Semilly.

The showjumping for this CCI4*-L class starts at 1pm today. Defending champion Bubby Upton will be last into the arena, with Its Cooley Time, and she is unlikely to start with a fence in hand as the five riders behind her are all within four penalties. This pair showjumped clear to win the same section here at Bramham last year.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

‘He deserved this – he’s done everything for me’: veteran home-bred superstar helps rider to under-25 national title

Tom McEwen cements his bid for World Championship selection with Bramham win

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Tom McEwen surely confirmed his World Championship berth in the British squad when he topped the CCI4*-S results at Defender Bramham Horse Trials today (13 June).

Only one pair made the time over Andrew Heffernan’s cross-country track, but Tom kept the lead he seized with a showjumping clear when he came home with 2.8 time-faults on Deirdre Johnston and James and Jo Lambert’s JL Dublin. The pair were team gold medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and European individual bronze medallists last year.

Tom said: “I thought he was epic this morning – jumped really, really well, really smooth. Then cross-country, obviously we had a good bit of gap [in scores, to the rest of the field] – which is not a bad thing around a course that I think was very technical and plenty to do – and I thought he was brilliant again.

“The ground was amazing and the fences were brilliant – especially the Defender combination [at fences 6ab and seven, pictured above] – I thought that was a really good combination and hopefully it was a good prep for maybe being selected.”

Bramham Horse Trials results: Lissington makes her move

Once Tom had posted his score, only New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington, another with her eye on the worlds, could beat him – and she had to go inside the time to do so. She and Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, who had been third after showjumping, ultimately finished two seconds over the 6min 57sec optimum to end up second.

“It all came up really fast – I thought it was a really tough track and for us it was mostly about having a good performance to put our best foot forward for selection,” said Samantha.

“So when I finished that second to last combination, I was thinking ‘okay, take a pull’, just to make sure of the last few fences. To come home in second was a bonus, but I was just really stoked with the performance as a whole.”

Samantha bought the horse as a five-year-old with her first ever owner, Pip McCarroll.

“It’s been a real journey up to five-star level and hopefully fingers crossed we might get the opportunity to go take him to a World Championships,” she said. “He’s 15 now and he’s put up with all of my young rider years of making mistakes and going again and being genuine, so I owe him a lot of credit for my career.”

Sam Ecroyd and the 11-year-old Bloomfield Manuscript, owned by Joe and Kate Walls and Tricia and Rob Sargent, were the only pair who made the time and they finished third.

A year off

“People keep telling me that I’m fast, but it’s pretty easy on him – he’s quick, economical, doesn’t pull. He’s just a really good cross-country horse,” said Sam of the 11-year-old, who had last year off as a result of having a bone chip taken out of his leg; a small swelling appeared on his leg in a “weird place” after Burnham Market.

Another New Zealand World Championship hopeful, Jesse Campbell, conceded his dressage lead in this class when he and Speedwell had the final part of the treble, the penultimate fence, down in the showjumping.

He dropped to fifth at that stage, but cascaded further down the leaderboard when he had a drive-by at the skinny box hedge in the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond (fence 9c).

Kitty King was third after dressage and rose to second with a showjumping clear on her new ride Renkum Jitterbug, but she was one of a number of riders to have a run-out at the Defender combination (fences 6ab and seven), a skinny brush box followed by a turn to two angled brush shoulders on three or four strides. She then retired.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

World Championship hopefuls battle at Bramham – and rider who broke arm six weeks ago leads under-25s

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Alice Casburn took the national under-25 title in the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results today (13 June).

The 24-year-old piloted her mother Caroline’s home-bred 18-year-old Topspin to a showjumping clear and one of the fastest cross-country rounds today, finishing with just four time-faults to rocket up the leaderboard. She was sixth in the overall CCI4*-S placings.

It was a fabulous result for these long-term partners, who had already won young rider team gold and individual bronze and finished in the top 10 at Defender Burghley Horse Trials four times.

“He just keeps digging and keeps getting better and he has come out feeling so well this year,” said Alice.

“Mum and I actually had our first little fall-out at the start of the year, because I had in my head that he was 18, and Mum was saying, ‘Look, are you riding by the number or are you riding by what you’re riding?’ I thought about it for a minute, thought, ‘I’m riding by the number’ and actually, he’s come out so well – the flatwork has improved and when I went into the showjumping, he was spooking at everything and having a great time.

“I felt like he deserved this more than me – he’s done everything for me, from the bottom all the way to the top, and I’m very, very grateful and lucky to have him.”

Alice now has the first under-25 World Championships, at Millstreet in late July, in her sights. Mars Badminton Horse Trials has never suited Topspin so she had already decided at the end of last year not to take him back there and when the under-25 worlds, at CCI4*-S, came on to the horizon, it made sense to make her Bramham debut.

Alice said: “I know that horse inside out. Kylie Roddy said to me on the way down to the cross-country, ‘You know him more than anyone’ and I really needed that today, because I definitely felt the pressure this morning with the thought of Millsteet. You never know but I’d like to think we’d be in with a squeak of going.”

A last hurrah at Defender Burghley Horse Trials beckons for September, either way.

Bramham Horse Trials under-25 results: veterans dominate

Cerys Macaulay, 24, landed second on another 18-year-old, Kananaskis, owned by her boyfriend Richard Coney – who won junior and young rider medals and went five-star on the horse before Cerys took over the ride – and his mother Wendy. She initially took on Kananaskis with the aim of rehabbing him after some injuries and has built from there.

“We didn’t expect him to come back eventing, let alone keep go up the levels,” she said. “It took a while in our first season to get comfortable with each other but I feel like we know each other well now. He tries very hard for me.”

Tom Bird landed third on his own, his mother Fran and Helen Kerry’s Lenny.

Barnie Brotherton led this under-25 division after dressage, having broken his arm six weeks ago, but he and DHI King Nelson had a run-out at the open corner at fence 13b, which caused a good number of problems in the CCI4*-S.

Defending champions Tom Woodward and Low Moor Lucky were second after dressage, but Tom withdrew the 19-year-old after four faults in the showjumping.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘The track was challenging enough without that curve ball’: Bubby Upton holds Bramham lead despite tack malfunction

World Championship hopefuls battle at Bramham – and rider who broke arm six weeks ago leads under-25s

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Bubby Upton has retained her dressage lead in the CCI4*-L after the Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country action today (13 June).

Defending champions Bubby and Its Cooley Time – owned by his rider, Susan de Zulueta, Hilary Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, Jane Dear and Susie Holland-Bosworth – had 3.6 time-faults. But Bubby punched the air as she crossed the finishing line, consolidating her comeback to form with this grey after three falls in the past year.

Bubby Upton had to contend with her martingale breaking at fence three on the Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course, not ideal as “Finn” naturally has a very high head carriage. On a galloping stretch between fences she managed to lean down and grab the loose part and tie it around her breastplate so at least it wasn’t flapping between the horse’s legs.

“He’s not the easiest horse to ride cross-country on a normal day and the martingale is a pretty key piece of equipment for him, just keeping his head a bit lower, otherwise it is quite literally in my face, and he’s not really looking at what’s going on in front of him,” said Bubby.

“The track alone was challenging enough, without that extra curve ball thrown in. I didn’t realise for a bit what had happened but his head position was constantly changing – it was like having a completely different horse under me.

“I had to take extra time at everything, but even if I wasn’t able to put him on perfect lines, thank God he oozes talent as that got us out of a few situations today. I can’t fault him in terms of his talent, his mentality. He just never gives up – he’s such a fighter.”

Bubby sits just 0.1 of a penalty ahead of Selina Milnes and the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat, whose clear inside the time today moved them up from fifth after dressage to second overnight.

“I didn’t know how fit he was as I haven’t had a run since the start of May, but the girls at home have done an amazing job,” said Selina, who is coming back from breaking her ribs just before the start of the season and then triggering them again a second time the Monday after Mars Badminton Horse Trials.

“He’s been here twice before so we know he does cope with the hills and he was gunning the whole way round. He didn’t miss a beat,” she added.

A fault-free round also meant a rise of three places for the 2024 Badminton winners, Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier.

“She is opinionated, but she has dropped the bridle a bit this year, which makes it easier for me,” said Caroline.

Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir recorded 5.6 time-faults, which dropped them from second after dressage to fourth, while 3.2 time-penalties meant Wiltshire-based US combination Tiana Coudray and D’Artagnan slipped just one spot to fifth.

Katie Magee was the first of four to make the time today, on British intermediate champion Cushlas Indigo, and was rewarded with a rise from equal 13th to sixth.

New-look Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course

It was a pity that those watching on screens were unable to get a full view of how course-designer Andrew Heffernan’s reworked cross-country track rode, because the coverage of this class was sparse, with a very limited number of fences shown due to technical issues.

However, from what could be gleaned, the course appeared to work out well in general, with a good spread of problems and positive reactions from riders.

“It was a bit different to ride compared to the last 30 years that I’ve been coming here, but I think Andy builds amazing tracks – the fences had beautiful profiles and the horses can read the questions,” said Caroline Powell.

The Defender combination at fences 5ab and six, a narrow brush oxer followed by a right-hand turn to two angled brush shoulders, was the first influential fence. The fact horses ran into the intense section of the course in the park bowl, where most of the crowds gather, early on the new route was perhaps a factor here.

This early problem was soon followed by the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond (fence 7abc and 8ab), which consisted of a log bounce in, then a skinny box hedge in the water and a step to bird bounce out.

MCS Maverick, third after dressage with Piggy March, ran too free here and ended up on an awkward stride at the step, stumbling up it and stopping at the bird.

The usually strong cross-country combination of Isabelle Cook and Cymoon “F” Z also came unstuck here when they were a long way off the skinny in the water and the horse floundered on landing, resulting in a fall for the promising young rider.

Fence 16ab, the Coopers Marquees Corners – two open right-handed corners around a blind left-hand bend – also caused their fair share of penalties. Gemma Stevens and Chilli King, who had been 10th after dressage, were among those who faulted here.

The second element of the straight route through the water at fence 18abc, the triple brush arrowhead, was taken out of the course two-thirds of the way through the competition for safety reasons, because the ground on take-off was degrading. Those who had jumped the fence before it was removed from the course all had their time reduced by two seconds (so 0.8 of a time-penalty was taken off their initial score).

Ibble Watson and Aristoteles S J, eighth following the first phase, had three run-outs at this fence before it was taken out and Daisy Berkeley retired in this area after 20 penalties at the second pond, at 19ab, with Diese Du Figuier, who had been seventh after dressage.

Four combinations came home inside the 10min 2sec optimum time – Katie Magee (Cushlas Indigo, sixth), Selina Milnes (Cooley Snapchat, second), Caroline Powell (Greenacres Special Cavalier, third) and Aoife Clark (Full Monty De Lacense, ninth).

“I’m satisfied, but not over the moon,” summed up course-designer Andrew Heffernan.

Andrew said he thought the new route basically worked and explained he wanted to eliminate the downhill start, which has contributed to some early falls here, and take out the pull to the finish so the track was less punishing on the run home.

“The idea of this event is to get horses ready for five-star and the good rounds were very good. I will tweak it for next year – I thought it could be more flowing.”

Andy said it was a positive that fewer horses made the time this year than last – “it made it more of a competition” – but that while the track had been on the soft side last year, this year it was a little too strong.

Fifty went to post in the CCI4*-L today, with 34 (68%) finishing and 25 (50%) jumping clears.

Sadly, Charlie Foxtrot, owned by Michael and Sophie Payne and ridden by David Doel, suffered a “fatal cardiovascular catastrophe” around fence 22.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

World Championship hopefuls battle at Bramham – and rider who broke arm six weeks ago leads under-25s

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

A horse has sadly died during the cross-country at Defender Bramham Horse Trials today (13 June).

Charlie Foxtrot, owned by Michael and Sophie Payne and ridden by David Doel, was contesting the CCI4*-L class. A statement from the event said he “unfortunately suffered a fatal cardiovascular catastrophe on the cross-country course around fence 22”.

The statement about Charlie Foxtrot continued: “Veterinary personnel were on the scene immediately but unfortunately nothing could be done to save the horse. The rider was uninjured.

“Our sincere condolences are with David and his connections.”

Charlie Foxtrot, an 11-year-old by Voss out of a mare called Cha Cha Cha Z (by Corrado II), started his career with Katie Magee, joining Hector Payne in the middle of 2022 when he was at novice level.

Hector, the son of the horse’s owners Michael and Sophie Payne, took the horse up to four-star but felt he might suit another rider better, so he joined David Doel during the 2024 season.

David and Charlie Foxtrot had had a number of good placings, including second in an intermediate at Poplar Park in March 2025, two ninths in open intermediates and 11th in the advanced at Cirencester this spring. They contested the British intermediate championships at Hartpury last summer, finishing 16th.

On their previous run, they completed the CCI4*-S at Belsay with a 37.1 dressage, four jumping and two time-faults in the showjumping and a steady clear across country with 18.4 time-penalties.

Charlie Foxtrot was tackling his second CCI4*-L at Bramham, having completed at the level on his debut at Boekelo last year, with a jumping clear across country.

David and Charlie Foxtrot had kicked off their Bramham Horse Trials campaign with a dressage score of 39.4.

A fence was taken out of the CCI4*-L course near the end of the class, but this was unrelated to Charlie Foxtrot’s death – the second element of fence 18 was removed because the ground had deteriorated on take-off.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

World Championship hopefuls battle at Bramham – and rider who broke arm six weeks ago leads under-25s

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

World Championship hopefuls dominate at the top of the Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage leaderboard for the CCI4*-S class, with Jesse Campbell first and Tom McEwen second.

Jesse and Speedwell – owned by Karen Coumbe and Deborah Strang, mother of Jesse’s late wife Georgie, who previously rode the horse – scored 25.5 to take the lead soon after lunch.

“It’s not often you can get the work you do at home out of the horse in the arena and he really gave me that. Bar one mistake, everything else just felt really rock solid and I could place him where I wanted, and he was soft around my leg. It was cool,” said the New Zealand rider.

Elaborating on his Bramham Horse Trials dressage error, Jesse Campbell said: “Because he was feeling great, I went for a little bit of a bigger step in my half-pass and he just broke into canter. I probably should have waited, got the balance and then gone. But he actually recovered it really quickly.”

Jesse said he has worked on the 12-year-old horse’s confidence.

“We’ve always known he’s a fantastically talented horse, but he needs to believe it as well,” he said.

Jesse said New Zealand high performance manager Jock Paget had told him he needed to do a long-format competition early in the year to be in the running for the World Championships in Aachen in August, so he went to Strzegom in April, which he won.

“I thought maybe Luhmühlen Horse Trials four-star short would be the thing, but when he won at Strzegom I thought I wanted to come to Bramham, which is a little bit busier and has the arena on grass – it mimics more what the World Championships is going to be like,” he said.

Tom McEwen had similar thoughts in bringing the Lamberts’ and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin here, after his European individual bronze last year and win at Kronenberg CCI4*-S in March. The British pair scored 26.8 to sit second.

“I thought he was fantastic. I’m absolutely delighted with him,” Tom said. “He loves performing in front of people, so the more people that came, the better he got.

“I thought that was a really, really nice test, so I am super disappointed with the mark. I looked up every time at seven, 7.5 and I was thinking ‘What do you guys actually want?’ The judges have obviously stuck to their grouping and that’s what they stayed at. But I’ve ridden two tests, on two different horses, so to know the difference between mine – I think they are a little bit out, which is a shame.”

Kitty King holds third on the late Elizabeth Golby’s 10-year-old Renkum Jitterbug, a new ride for her this year, having scored 27.7 today.

Samantha Lissington, another hoping for a World Championship call-up for New Zealand, sits fourth with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ on 29.2, with last night’s leader, Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian (Manjushri) fifth on 29.4.

US pair in sixth after Bramham Horse Trials dressage

There was much anticipation around the first test this morning, as US rider Tamie Smith and her Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI4*-S winner Lillet 3 took to the arena. This pair, too, are front runners for selection for the World Championships for their nation.

“I was hoping for exactly what she was – maybe I was hoping for a better score, but it’s hard to be first in and they’re judging strong, and I think that’s great. I think the standard needs to be high,” said Tamie, whose test, which scored 30 for sixth overnight, was only marred by the mare stepping backwards in her final halt.

Tamie has been riding Lillet 3 for about 18 months after she started her career with Germany’s Andreas Dibowski.

“She’s a real trier, but she can be both very sweet and really moody and opinionated. She tells you exactly how she feels at all times,” said Tamie.

Brotherton leads under-25 championship at Bramham

Barnie Brotherton heads the under-25 championship in seventh place overall in this class, with his mother Naomi’s DHI King Nelson, scoring 30.2.

“I was not expecting as good a test as that because I haven’t had much prep,” said Barnie, who broke his arm six weeks ago today when a horse he was feeding in the field kicked him.

“It turned around and double-barrelled out at my head, I put my arm up in the way and it luckily got my arm instead,” said Barnie.

The 23-year-old started riding again, just on DHI King Nelson, two weeks ago and is wearing a splint on his arm this week.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Young stars including a clone lead the way after first day of Bramham dressage

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Yasmin Ingham sits second after the Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage in the CCI4*-L class, having scored 24.8 today.

The British rider has returned to the Yorkshire venue with the promising 10-year-old Gypsie Du Loir, owned by Janette Chinn and the Sue Davies Fund, 12 months after winning the CCI4*-S class here.

“She’s such an exciting horse and it’s even more special because I’ve had her since she was five, so we’ve gone on the journey together and she’s just getting better and better each year,” said Yasmin.

“I’m still not entirely happy with that – the late flying change at the end was super frustrating and that’s been her weakness in her dressage. We’re just trying to get that nailed, so I think we’ll be doing some more homework, but the rest of the test felt really fluent and she just carries herself so beautifully.

“She’s got a real natural cadence about her and her presence in general is quite attractive, so she’s a pleasure to ride.”

A narrow margin at the top after Bramham Horse Trials dressage

Yasmin is second to last year’s CCI4*-L winners Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time, who are 0.6 of a mark ahead.

Last night’s leader Piggy March holds third with MCS Maverick on 26.4, with US rider Tiana Coudray and D’Artagnan fourth (27.4) and Selina Milnes on Cooley Snapchat, another pair who performed yesterday, in fifth (27.9).

Caroline Powell’s test today with 2024 Mars Badminton Horse Trials winner Greenacres Special Cavalier, owned by Chris Mann, has allowed her to slot into sixth on 29.

“She got a bit nervous in the trot, but the canter was beautiful. She never scores great marks for the walk because she’s so long, but we know what she is and what she does, so we’re chuffed with her,” said the New Zealand rider.

Caroline said she hasn’t had a smooth build-up to a three-day with the mare in a long time, including this one.

She explained: “Every time you think you’ve got a straight run, there’s a great big, bendy turn in the way, and you’ve just got to rethink what you’re doing and change things. I’m this age and I’m still learning how to get horses to three days – it’s never, never easy, is it?

“The main aim for this week is to finish, because I think it’s very important for her mentally to actually come and get through and go home very happy.”

Riders are in agreement that Andrew Heffernan’s reworked cross-country track offers a serious test so tomorrow should be an exciting day of action.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Bramham leader Bubby Upton on today’s test, her new cross-country system after recent falls and her latest back surgery

‘We’re cementing a partnership’ – Piggy March leads Bramham on horse who won here with Pippa Funnell

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Bubby Upton has set herself up to defend her CCI4*-L title by taking the lead in the Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage this afternoon (12 June).

Bubby and the athletic grey Its Cooley Time punched in a mark of 24.2, topped by a 10 from Swedish ground jury president Christina Klingspor at C for her final centre line and halt.

“I think I had him in the best place I’ve ever had him in before a test,” Bubby Upton told H&H after her Bramham Horse Trials dressage. “I made a mistake in my test at Kronenberg and at Belsay, so I was determined not to do that today.

“He’s an unbelievable horse in all three phases and it really is just about making sure that I have him in the right place because he is so sharp and so sensitive, so the line is very thin between unbelievable and not so good, but I was thrilled with how he performed in there.

“Something crashed in the middle of my test because I heard a huge racket and in my last half-pass, I could feel him try to blow underneath me, and I was like, ‘No, we’ve literally got three more movements to go.’

“So the last two movements sadly were a bit disrupted by that, because he just lifted up in his frame and became quite tense, but we managed to navigate our way through them, as opposed to riding it like the rest of the test felt like I could, but he did absolutely nothing wrong. He was pretty much perfection today.”

Bubby Upton: “We’ve gone back to the drawing board”

Bubby has not had an easy ride with the 11-year-old – who belongs to his rider, Susan de Zulueta, Hilary Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, Jane Dear and Susie Holland-Bosworth – since their win here last year; they had falls at the European Championships and Pau last autumn and Kronenberg in March.

Bubby explained: “I described him last year here as a freak of nature and he really is that, but now he’s so much more experienced, what used to back him off in terms of greenness doesn’t any more. So that’s run me into trouble in the past. I have ridden him too generically, like my other horses, which has created mistakes on my part.”

After Kronenberg, Bubby started training with Andrew Nicholson.

She said. “The mistakes I had at the end of last year were me finding out things with him – like at the end of a five-star, he still had as much reaction and engine as at the start and I’d never had a horse like that before, so that was me learning on the job. Kronenberg was disappointing because it was more a flaw in my system.

“We’ve gone back to the drawing board, stripped everything back and adapted my system because he’s like no other horse in the world in the way he goes – he’s a complete freak in terms of his talent but he’s also really sensitive, with an unbelievably high head carriage.

“I put the new system into action at Belsay and training before here, so I’m really confident with what I need to do – now I’ve just got to go and do it.”

How a third back surgery has helped

Bubby suffered serious spinal injuries in a fall in August 2023 and had her third surgery as a result in November last year, because the rod in her back had snapped in half in July.

“It was almost a relief finding that out because we couldn’t get on top of the pain and the symptoms I was struggling with and that explained why,” she said.

“So I have genuinely felt like a new person since my last surgery – I feel nearly back to the Bubby that I was pre-accident. I’m now riding nine, 10, 11 horses a day, pain-free, and it’s the first time in two and a half years that I’m on no painkillers. As always, I’m so grateful to my incredible surgeon, Dr Ivan Timofeev.”

Bubby no longer has the structures in her back that would usually hold up the spinal column.

“Without the metal, I was never meant to be able to function, so we’re now relying on muscle strength, so in Pilates and the gym, I’m just really focusing on the muscles that will hopefully allow me to do this for longer,” she said.

Bubby has 0.6 of a penalty lead over Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir, with yesterday’s leader Piggy March and MCS Maverick in third.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘We’re cementing a partnership’ – Piggy March leads Bramham on horse who won here with Pippa Funnell

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Alex Bragg hopes a change in training and warm-up will give his Bramham ride Jaeger Master the chance to shine

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Alex Hua Tian holds first place in the CCI4*-S after the first day of Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage.

Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex, who is always strong in this phase, scored 29.4 with his own nine-year-old Manjushri, known as Buddy.

“He’s always been a pretty competitive horse, but he’s green still at four-star,” said Alex Hua Tian after his Bramham Horse Trials dressage. “He ran a couple of four-stars last year and this is only his second run this year.

“I’m very happy with him – he got a bit behind my leg in there so there’s more to come, but he’s very scopey and exciting.

“I’ve had a little walk around the cross-country and it’s big enough out there, so he’s going to have to be quite brave on Saturday.

“Bramham is Bramham – it’s an iconic event. He’s a big, galloping, bold horse naturally so I think the track will really suit him. He’s here for development and education and if we can be competitive at the same time, that’d be amazing.”

Gemma Stevens holds second on Chris and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning clone, Chilli Morning IV, who sits one mark behind Alex and Manjushri. The chestnut, another nine-year-old, put in a great test aside from a light-hearted buck in his final change, which had Gemma laughing.

“That was fun – I actually enjoyed doing dressage, even though it’s raining,” said Gemma, who is known for not being a fan of wet, cold weather.

“He’s just lovely to ride – you can literally ride every movement, every blade of grass, and he’s so bendy, so you can really get lovely flexion and prepare him for every movement, because he’s so with you and he’s not tense.

“He’s not worried about any sort of atmosphere, he likes it, and because I’ve had him from the beginning and he’s never really missed any work, he’s had consistent training, so he’s very confident. Apart from one cheeky change at the end, which I don’t mind, he was so good everywhere else.”

Kitty King holds third on 31.6 with 14-year-old Cristal Fontaine, a horse she now owns having previously ridden him for Alex Wakeley.

“The owner decided that he wanted to move on, so he’s now mine,” she said. “I’d never sell him, because he’s not very saleable – he’s not the nicest on the ground and he’s had his few niggles, so I’m looking for anyone who’d like to become involved in the sport with a high-level horse.

“He’s been very consistent at four-star – he’s barely been out the top 10 and if there are some people who want to join in with the journey and pay towards some of his running costs with me, that would be the dream. But if not, I’m just going to be enjoying him as my horse with no pressure.”

Of the grey’s test today, Kitty said: “He did lots of nice work and then he did his normal trick of when he hits the centre line, he thinks he should be stopping. He’s reasonably lazy so as soon as you go and do anything away from home up the centre line, he’s ‘Halt, halt, halt’ and you’re ‘Get going’, so he blew a few movements.

“But when we were going forward, he did some lovely work, so there’s lots to be pleased with, and he hasn’t been at this level for a long time. The atmosphere certainly didn’t get to him, so that’s always good to know, with no arena familiarisation, so he’s very straightforward in that respect.”

Cerys Macaulay holds the lead in the under-25 national championship and ninth place overall in this class, on Wendy and Richard Coney’s Kananaskis.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

‘We’re cementing a partnership’ – Piggy March leads Bramham on horse who won here with Pippa Funnell

Alex Bragg hopes a change in training and warm-up will give his Bramham ride Jaeger Master the chance to shine

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Piggy March holds the lead in the CCI4*-L after the first day of Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage, riding MCS Maverick, who won this class in 2023 with Pippa Funnell.

“I was worried about the umbrellas and he definitely wasn’t quite what he was outside in there. He’s bright – but he was very rideable and – apart from the walk, which is cautious, and I don’t know if my pirouettes were active enough – he was good,” said Piggy.

The pair were eighth in the CCI4*-S at Bramham last year, when “Eric” was a very new ride for Piggy. They then went to Defender Burghley Horse Trials, where they had a couple of issues across country and ended up being eliminated.

“I want to go back to Burghley, because Burghley was terrible. I just rode him badly. I didn’t know him, I didn’t have a plan when I walked the course, I just wasn’t with him,” said Piggy.

“Badminton comes so quick, especially if you have a wet spring and you don’t get the runs, so I thought I want to do what’s right for me and the horse as a partnership – but I would really like to go back to Burghley.

“He’s a real galloping horse and it could suit him. He’s got all the quality there, it’s just finding the key, and there’s not a lot of places you can go and practise for Burghley, but Bramham definitely is one.

“It’s just cementing a partnership, actually having a plan of how to ride him. I’m still figuring that out and I’ve managed to get four or five runs in this year. I’m not there yet, but I feel like I’m getting to know him.

“If I go everywhere at third gear, he’s beautiful and I have a lovely time. But we’ve got to get up to speed and it’s a work in progress.

“I’m in my own little bubble and I’m just interested in where I’m at with him – whether that means I go zooming around and trying to get the time, or I’m just still putting bits together, I don’t know. Every day is a learning day with him.”

Piggy March on her Bramham Horse Trials dressage preparation

Having had quite a difficult preparation for the first phase here last year, Piggy alternated short periods of work with giving MCS Maverick breaks with his head down this time.

“He likes to put his head low – he stretches his back, he really breathes,” she said. “It’s just switching him on, switching him off, switching him on, switching him off, so he gets a bit bored of me. I’d like him to be bored of me. He’s still a weak horse so you can overwork his body.”

Selina Milnes led at lunchtime and held second at the end of the day on the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat, who was the 2023 CCI4*-S winner here.

“He was really good – he was actually so rideable, I could probably have done with a little bit more energy in the trot work,” said Selina, who scored 27.9 to Piggy and Eric’s 26.4.

The 12-year-old has had an interrupted spring as Selina fell off and broke two ribs just before the start of the season. This meant the horse missed some work so she withdrew from Mars Badminton Horse Trials.

“Then he went really well at Thoresby, he won the advanced at Cirencester and he was due to go to Belsay, and then I managed to fall off a youngster and do my ribs again,” she said.

“So these guys [my team] have literally kept him ticking over and he hasn’t really done a lot. I had a real course last week – I had a dressage lesson and went jumping and had a cross-country school, but he knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he?”

Badminton re-route for Berkeley

Daisy Berkeley holds third on her own, her mother Caroline Dick and Camilla Case’s Diese Du Figuier, who has been re-routed here after she pulled up at Mars Badminton Horse Trials.

“Obviously, Badminton was disappointing, but I’d agreed with the owners beforehand that if we had an early 20, we were not going to carry on, because once you’re out of the running, it’s a pretty hideous course to be riding around when you’ve lost your competitive spirit.

“So we always were going to re-route here if that was an issue, because we all love Bramham so much and it would have been a bit gutting not to be here,” said Daisy, adding that you arrive at Bramham and feel like you’re at the best event in the world.

“I did initially enter for the short, just because I thought that was just the easy, lazy option. I suddenly thought, ‘Come on, it would fit in better with my plan for the rest of the year if I went long here’. Then we’ll do another long again in the autumn, hopefully.”

The pair scored 29.5 today.

“I like riding in the rain, so, actually, I was very happy that we had this day of drizzle. It just makes life a bit easier. It keeps everyone’s heads down and moisturises my ancient dry eyes,” said Daisy.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with him in there. He was really obedient, got both his changes. He ‘fell over’ in the last halt, but he halted square, at least, so that was good. To be in the 20s is always nice.

“I know there’s going to be some very good ones, but I don’t care about what everyone else is doing, as long as we can do the best performance, me and him, that we can do, and see what happens in the end.”

Ibble Watson rounds out the sub-30 tests in fourth on Aristoteles S Z, and Alex Bragg is fifth on Jaeger Master.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Alex Bragg hopes a change in training and warm-up will give his Bramham ride Jaeger Master the chance to shine

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Three horses held at Bramham trot-up as riders embrace the festival theme

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Alex Bragg talked about how he has changed his dressage warm-up routine and worked on balance in the jumping phases with his ride Jaeger Master after his Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage today (11 June).

“We’ve had issues when we’ve got him fitter – he’s got a bit lit up going in there. But for what he can do at the moment, he was great today. He needs more suppleness for the future, but his extensions and changes were good and the main thing was he really stayed with me and I think we’ll grow in confidence from that,” said Alex after scoring 30.2 with the horse owned by Team Joey. They sit in fifth place at the end of day one of dressage.

Alex described the changes he has made to his warm-up: “Because what you would feel is that he’s a bit lazy, we always had quite a short warm-up routine, but then actually inside he still had loads of energy.

“So we’ve lengthened the warm-up, so we get lots of time to get his body moving, and then when he does light up, the body is actually softer and more supple and then the energy is beneficial, instead of when he did lift to go into the ring, he got really quite tense and tight.

“That’s what we trialled this time, with a little bit more like lungeing to get him really loose in the neck and flexing. I do that myself with him. I think it’s just trying to learn about him and cater for him in particular.”

Jaeger Master, who is now 12, was taken up to four-star level by Tom Woodward and joined Alex in the winter of 2024/2025.

“They’d had a few mishaps and Tom felt the horse maybe wasn’t going to be a top horse. The owners are actually just south of us in Devon, so through some connections they asked if we would give him a try,” said Alex. “I felt there were probably some fundamental things missing in his training so, although he was making mistakes, his body wasn’t positioned to allow him to not make them.”

Building strength

Alex continued: “He’s naturally quite a brave horse, so he would always be getting to the fence with his front end, but the back end was half a mile behind. He was just in the wrong balance to make a good shape and he was running fast everywhere. He looked impressive because he’s very extravagant with his front legs and you’d think he was strong, but actually he was weak behind the saddle and through his core.

“We needed to teach him how to to lift up through his core, build his athleticism and get more gymnastic, so that he builds a more holistic, fit body, rather than just this impressive muscular front end.

“It was also teaching him to think quicker. I don’t think he was quite reactive in the right way – he just would throw everything at it, like a brave young horse would, and you’re ‘Whoa mate, actually, this exercise requires you to think a little bit and jump in this shape.’ Now he’s learned that, he has a few more tools and a few more skills, which is helping me out.”

Alex has also run the horse slowly, to build his confidence because he felt the mistakes had made him anxious, and said the owners have been patient in allowing him to do that.

“So now he’s more relaxed, he’s more confident, and his body’s operating better. And I know when I really need to support him, because he does need support at the minute. So I guess it’s actually building that partnership and that’s hopefully changed the trajectory of him,” he said.

The pair were second in a four-star long at Ballindenisk last autumn and Alex Bragg sees this weekend at Bramham Horse Trials as a trial for whether Jaeger Master is going to be a top horse to go five-star.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Three horses held at Bramham trot-up as riders embrace the festival theme

Walk the new-look Bramham cross-country course with our fence by fence photos

‘Cross-country remains at the core, but it’ll be a little less hilly coming home’: changes to Bramham course for 2026

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The five-time Burghley winner and cross-country coach to the Swiss eventing team analyses recent course-design trends

In a year when lots of riders are choosing to compete abroad, it’s great to see a very healthy number of entries for Defender Bramham Horse Trials this week.

I haven’t been to a British CCI4*-S yet this season – I’ve been to two Continental ones, Marbach and Strzegom with the Swiss team – but, looking at the results, the courses at Thoresby and Bicton caused plenty of trouble. I think that’s a good thing. Why should it be a given that you go clear at your CCI4*-S just because you’ve been popping round CCI3*s?

I thought the Marbach track was very good. Last year it was decent and one nation in particular complained, so Mike Etherington-Smith was called in to be the course advisor. In fairness, I gather that all that was changed were a few of the alternatives at tough fences, but those tackling it were very much encouraged to try the direct routes.

The eventing Nations Cup teams were first and the majority made it look easy. Then it came to those less experienced at CCI4*, and problems started occurring all round the course. That’s natural – there were plenty of competitors at their first CCI4*, and it shouldn’t be automatic that they go clear when making the step up.

Perhaps that was also the case at Thoresby and Bicton. I spoke to a few riders, and asked if they had done an advanced class first, and they hadn’t – they’d gone straight up from three-star.

That seems to be the culture of riders today – they believe they should be able to move up a level and it will be easy. But the questions become harder, the let-up jumps aren’t so straightforward, and that is what it is supposed to be.

Frangible questions

From the results sheet, a lot of frangible devices seem to have been broken at Thoresby and Bicton. I do wonder if, sometimes, fences are being put in the wrong place because they’re pinned? If pins and MIMclips didn’t exist, would designers have put those fences in those locations, and if not, surely it is the wrong fence?

At Marbach and Strzegom very few frangibles were triggered. I know there are lots more runners in four-star classes over here, but you’d expect the overall standard to be better as well.

The subject of course advisors is an interesting modern phenomenon. How many of these four- and five-star tracks now present the course-designer’s original plans, and how much input do these advisors have? And did these advisors have – or take – advice themselves?

However, I think the concept of assistant course-designers at the very top level is a good one to help them progress and gain experience.

Putting ideas into action

Andrew Heffernan designed the Strzegom track, and it will be interesting to see his Bramham course. I gather he’s made various changes, now he’s got the feel of it and can put his ideas into action, which is exactly what we want from designers.

Of course as a rider you want a course to be the same as the last time you jumped it – it’s a lot easier! But a designer needs to be confident and to have self-belief without arrogance.

Andrew is also going to be responsible for the new track for the national under-25 advanced class at Cornbury, which will be a bit of a “test event” for the 2027 under-25 World Championships.

The more I’ve thought about this new championship, the more I like it. Take, for example, the Swiss. They don’t have many young riders and serious competitors often start their careers later. This will be a real help in putting them on an upward curve.

There is a really good vibe about it in Europe. It gives riders an incentive to push their boundaries a bit and aim for something higher up the ladder. It also gives them the experience of being part of a team. It doesn’t take much to ignite someone’s thinking and who knows where they will end up as a result?

● What have you thought of cross-country courses this spring? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

British rider recognised as winner after FEI review overturns event results: ‘My horse deserves this’

Who would you choose for the British eventing team at the Aachen World Championships? H&H’s Pippa Roome weighs in

Test and improve your horse’s adjustability with this eventer-favourite two-pole canter exercise

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course for the CCI4*-L has a new look for the 2026 event (11-14 June).

Course-designer Andrew Heffernan, in his second year responsible for the track at this Yorkshire fixture, has altered the route. The small loop in front of the house now comes first, rather than at the end, and the bigger loop out in the country follows. Both loops are taken in the opposite direction to previously.

The CCI4*-L track is 5715m long, with an optimum time of 10min 2sec – this is virtually identical to last year, when the course was 10m longer and optimum time a single second longer. This course uses blue numbers; the green numbers are for the CCI4*-S.

Andrew spoke to H&H earlier in the year about the changes he was making to the track, saying he wanted to make the course a little less hilly coming home and offer a better championship preparation.

Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course: fence by fence

Fence 1: Bedmax Flowerbed

Fence 2: The Lycetts Table

Fence 3: Speedi-Beet Table

Fence 4: Cross Country App Spread

Fence 5ab and 6: The Defender Trail and The Defender Shoulder

Fence 5a

This is followed by a right-hand turn to fence 5b and fence six.

Fence 6

Fence 7abc: Womble Bond Dickinson Pond

Fence 7ab is a bounce into the water on the direct route

Fence 7c on the direct route is the right-hand arrowhead in the water

Fence 7a and fence 7bc on the long route

The numbering at this combination means riders are locked into one route or the other; they cannot mix and match the straight route and alternative.

Fence 8ab: Womble Bond Dickinson Pond Bounce

Fence 8ab is a step up and bounce to bird on the direct route

Fence 8a alternative is the left-hand arrowhead in the water

Fence 8b alternative

Fence 9: The Pol Roger Pop

Fence 10: Generator Power Rails

Fence 11: Horse & Country Table

Fences 12 and 3: The Parkland Basket and The Picnic Basket

Fence 12

Fence 13

Fence 14: Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream Cones

Fence 15: Silver Birch Oxer

Fence 16ab: Coopers Marquees Corners

Fence 16a

Fence 16b

Fence 16b alternative

Fence 17: The Galloping Gate

Fence 18abc: Hanging Log Into Water

Fence 18ab direct route

Fence 18c direct route

The long route involves curving out to the right and crossing the pond at right angles to the straight route trajectory. Again, riders cannot swap between routes halfway through the combination here.

Fence 18a alternative

Fence 18bc alternative

From the alternative 18bc, it is impossible to join the straight route at fence 19 without making a loop or circle.

Fence 19ab: Narrow Brush In Water

Fence 19a direct route

Fence 19b direct route

Fence 19a long route

Fence 19b long route

Fence 20: The Cabin

Fence 21abc: British Eventing Support Trust Rail Ditch Rail

Fence 21a direct route

Fence 21b direct route

Fence 21c direct route

The long route here is time consuming, involving branching off to the left to part a and then coming back against the direction of travel for the other two elements.

Fence 21a alternative

Fence 21b alternative

Fence 21c alternative

Fence 22: Joules Leap of Faith

Fence 23abc: Hanging Log to Corners

Fence 23 direct route

Fence 23b direct route

Fence 23c direct route

To jump the alternative, riders turn left instead of right after the initial hanging log. This route swaps a corner for a log at part b and means part c is not on a related distance from part b.

Fence 23b alternative

Fence 23c alternative

Fence 24: Cystic Fibrosis Care Oxer

Fence 25abcd: Defender Round House

Fence 25ab direct route

Fence 25a alternative

Riders taking the alternative at 25ab then have to turn back against the direction of travel to find part b.

Fence 25b alternative

Fence 25c direct route

Fence 25c direct route – side view

The alternative here is only really available if riders have a run-out at fence 25c and jump the ditch to the side of the fence.

Fence 25c alternative

Fence 25d

Fence 26ab: The Fish Hooks

Fence 26a

Fence 26b

Fence 27: Rainbow Equine Hospital Finale

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Three horses held at Bramham trot-up as riders embrace the festival theme

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Former winners, a clone and medallists head up strong fields in both classes at Bramham Horse Trials

‘Cross-country remains at the core, but it’ll be a little less hilly coming home’: changes to Bramham course for 2026

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Three horses were held at the Defender Bramham Horse Trials first trot-up this afternoon (10 June).

Of the 51 CCI4*-L horses who came before the ground jury – president Christina Klingspor of Sweden, Britain’s Les Smith and New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie – ultimately, all progressed to take part in the competition, after nervous moments for these three British riders.

The first to be sent to the holding box was Benedict Radau, presented by Matt Heath for owners Hans Radau and Jane Shears, who was passed on re-inspection.

The second was Cooley Topgear, ridden by Mark Davidson and owned by Shaun and Emma Murray and Freya, Morwenna and Neil Hartley.

He had not yet been re-presented when Hisco, ridden by Stephen Heal for The Knight Syndicate, was asked to trot again and then sent to join Cooley Topgear in the holding box.

Cooley Topgear and Hisco were both re-presented at the end of the inspection and passed.

The theme at the Bramham Horse Trials first trot-up was “festival” – a reference to Leeds Festival, which is held in the park later in the summer – and the winners of the Hiho Silver best-dressed prizes were among those who embraced this.

Selina Milnes, sporting silver sequins to trot up former Bramham CCI4*-S winner Cooley Snapchat, took the female prize. Tom Rowland – “dressed to rave till dawn,” according to commentator John Kyle, in a green cap and shorts and a “brat” T-shirt in homage to the “brat summer” trend – landed the male award as he brought forward LB Mettaphor.

“I feel like Max and Tom are going to two very different festivals,” said John, to chuckles from the crowd, as Tom followed Max Warburton’s more traditional outfit up the runway.

Dressage for the CCI4*-L starts at 10.50am tomorrow. The CCI4*-S, which has a larger entry, kicks off at 8.30am.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

‘Cross-country remains at the core, but it’ll be a little less hilly coming home’: changes to Bramham course for 2026

British rider recognised as winner after FEI review overturns event results: ‘My horse deserves this’

Who would you choose for the British eventing team at the Aachen World Championships? H&H’s Pippa Roome weighs in

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Watch Bramham Horse Trials live this week and enjoy the action from Yorkshire’s premier eventing fixture.

Defender Bramham Horse Trials is the penultimate major British fixture before team selections are made for the FEI World Championships in Aachen this year, so it has once again attracted plenty of top-class riders and horses.

At a glance

• Bramham Horse Trials date: 11–14 June 2026
• Watch Bramham Horse Trials on TV: H&C TV
• Watch Bramham Horse Trials from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials on TV

Horse & Country TV is the only place you can live stream all the action from Bramham International.

You can stream H&C TV via the website or watch on the app via Fire TV, Android TV, Roku or Chromecast.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

Bramham Horse Trials H&C TV schedule

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

•  To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Who would you choose for the British eventing team at the Aachen World Championships? H&H’s Pippa Roome weighs in

Tickets for Bramham Horse Trials 2026 now on sale with early-bird discount

Searching for somewhere to stay near Bramham? Look no further…

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

Last year’s winners Bubby Upton and Its Cooley Time head up a strong field of Defender Bramham Horse Trials entries for the CCI4*-L at next month’s event (11-14 June).

Bubby and the 11-year-old grey haven’t had the easiest time since their victory last year, with falls at the European Championships, Pau Horse Trials and Kronenberg, but they put things back on track with a recent double jumping clear at Belsay.

Bubby and “Finn” will face tough competition, with 56 Bramham Horse Trials entries for this showcase class at present.

Caroline Powell has re-routed her 2024 Badminton Horse Trials winner Greenacres Special Cavalier to the Yorkshire event after retiring her after a stop on course at Badminton this year.

Daisy Berkeley also brings forward her Badminton horse Diese Du Figuier, who was pulled up after 20 penalties at the Mars Lake, but who went well at Bramham last year and was second at Blenheim Horse Trials in 2024.

Ireland’s Aoife Clark, a winner of this class in 2014 on Fenyas Elegance, will ride Full Monty De Lacense, her partner on the Irish silver medal-winning team at last year’s Europeans, although they provided the discard score after a fall. They also recently had a good run at Belsay.

Yasmin Ingham and Gypsie Du Loir won the CCI4*-S at Bramham last year and the 10-year-old mare will step up to the CCI4*-L class this time.

Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat are also former winners of the CCI4*-S here, in 2023, and head to Bramham this time after missing Badminton due to Selina breaking two ribs two days before the start of the season.

• Full entries

Katie Magee too brings forward an up-and-coming horse in reigning British intermediate champion Cushlas Indigo.

New Zealand’s Clark Johnstone has two strong rides in the experienced 2022 world team bronze medallist Menlo Park and the rising star Rocket Man – he will have an eye on selection for this year’s World Championships in Aachen.

Young rider Isabelle Cook will also be one to watch with the super cross-country horse Cymoon “F” Z, with whom she was recently seventh in the CCI4*-S at the Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Bramham Horse Trials entries: big line-up for CCI4*-S

The CCI4*-S, which incorporates the national under-25 championship, has a whopping 119 entries.

They are headed by Olympic and European medallists Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, who should start as favourites but won’t have it all their own way.

Kirsty Chabert brings forward her experienced five-star horse Classic VI, while Ireland’s Ian Cassells fields his European team silver medallist Millridge Atlantis.

Kitty King and Cristal Fontaine have won at this level before so are ones to watch, while another grey, Highly Suspicious, could be looking at an outside shot for a US place at the World Championships with younger Dorset-based rider Cosby Green, who withdrew him from Badminton earlier this month.

Also for the US, it is exciting to see the Kentucky CCI4*-S winners Tamie Smith and 10-year-old Lillet 3 entered here – they too will have an eye on a team spot.

Samantha Lissington will be bidding for a call-up to the New Zealand squad for the worlds as she brings forward Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, who was second at Luhmühlen Horse Trials last year.

Alice Casburn rides her experienced five-star campaigner Topspin in this class, with the under-25 title and the World Championships at that level (at Millstreet, in late July) in mind.

Fans will also be fascinated to see how Chilli Morning IV, a clone of the stallion Chilli Morning – a three-time Bramham winner across the two classes – performs with Gemma Stevens.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘Cross-country remains at the core, but it’ll be a little less hilly coming home’: changes to Bramham course for 2026

Tickets for Bramham Horse Trials 2026 now on sale with early-bird discount

Bubby Upton shares her insight on adapting your riding as horses change over time

The Horse & Hound Podcast 177 with top eventer Tim Price: ‘I’ve done some silly things to hurt myself…’

Andrew Heffernan plans to make some changes to the Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course for this year’s event (11-14 June).

“I want to provide a course that still supports the preparation of horses for the top five-star events, but by easing the terrain of the track, one that also helps combinations to prepare for championships,” said Andrew, who took over as course-designer at Bramham last year. “We need to maintain the technicality, boldness and flow riders expect. Bramham is the barometer riders can use to gauge what type of horse they have and where its future lies.”

The two courses, for the CCI4*-L and CCI4*-S, will start in the same place as in recent years, in the field next to the stables.

“I feel like that’s a really good place for the start that suits the warm-up and the stables, and there’s loads of room there,” Andrew told H&H.

“I’ve then tried to take the immediate downhill out of the beginning of the track and take the uphill out of the finish as much as possible. So horses will turn right out of that first field, go to the Womble Bond Dickinson water early on in both classes and finish by coming through the Round House area.”

The track will broadly run anti-clockwise, rather than the clockwise trend of recent years, though Andrew said it’s not a case of just reversing the route.

Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course: aiming to attract championship pairs

“Bramham has always been a stepping stone towards Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley Horse Trials and that won’t change,” said Andrew. “The intention is definitely to keep cross-country at the core and not to soften the track or make it less of a cross-country test.

“You can’t take the terrain out of it and I’ve tried to use it in the same way we have before, but just to make it a little easier coming home so that the last parts of the track are not quite so hilly. Hopefully that will allow horses who haven’t got quite the same amount of [thoroughbred] blood to use Bramham as an event for preparing.

“I hope this year we’ll attract some competitors aiming for the World Championships at Aachen – almost certainly only in the four-star short class, not the long – but I’ve tried to design a track to prepare horses for that, rather than just for five-star competitions at the end of the year. I hope it won’t be necessary for British-based riders to travel to Luhmühlen or places like that to prepare.”

Andrew assisted previous Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course-designer Ian Stark for three years before taking on the main role for the 2025 event.

“Last year we built quite a lot of new fences, whereas this year there’s been more of a structural cost on things like groundwork with swapping things around, changing direction and so on,” he said.

“The estate and the Lane Foxes [the family who own Bramham] have been incredibly supportive and let me do what I want to do – probably in the hope I’ll stop spending as much money from now on!”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

First look at how Bramham’s new course-designer has put his stamp on these challenging cross-country tracks

Tickets for Bramham Horse Trials 2026 now on sale with early-bird discount

‘I lost my best friend’: supreme event horse who rewrote history books dies aged 26

Joy and tears as British team horse moves to new rider: ‘There’s nothing not to love about him’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Bramham Horse Trials tickets are now on sale, so if you fancy a trip to the West Yorkshire event, here’s everything you need to know before you book. The 2026 Bramham International Horse Trials will run 11–14 June, and I’ve broken down all your ticket options below.

Bramham features two world-class eventing classes; the showcase CCI4*-L and the CCI4*-S, which will include prizes for the best riders under-25. There’s also showjumping, arena eventing, showing and breeding classes, Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers and Pony Club activities, not to mention plenty of trade stands to shop from.

Bramham Horse Trials tickets: General admission

We’re currently in the window for early-bird tickets, which means booking now guarantees you the best possible price. I’ve included the standard prices with each session for comparison. All advance ticket orders are subject to a £2.50 booking fee per order (not per ticket).

Tickets do not include parking, which is £5 for single-day early-bird bookings (£12 standard).

Admission fees are banded by age. Infants aged four and under go free, but you need to add a free infant ticket to your basket.

• Adult: 17+
• Young person: 12–16
• Child: 5–11

Thursday 11 June (Dressage)

• Adult: Early bird £16 (standard £22)
• Young person: Early bird £10 (standard £12)
• Child: Early bird £3 (standard £5)

Friday 12 June (Dressage)

• Adult: Early bird £16 (standard £22)
• Young person: Early bird £10 (standard £12)
• Child: Early bird £3 (standard £5)

Saturday 13 June (Cross-country)

• Adult: Early bird £32 (standard £38)
• Young person: Early bird £22 (standard £28)
• Child: Early bird £3 (standard £5)

Sunday 14 June (Showjumping)

• Adult: Early bird £25 (standard £32)
• Young person: Early bird £15 (standard £22)
• Child: Early bird £3 (standard £5)

Weekend tickets (Saturday and Sunday)

• Adult: Early bird £50 (standard £55)
• Young person: Early bird £30 (standard £35)
• Child: Standard £6

Season tickets (Thursday to Sunday)

• Adult: Early bird £80 (standard £900)
• Young person: Early bird £50 (standard £60)
• Child: Standard £10

Bramham Horse Trials membership

Members have exclusive access to the Member’s Area and Bar, which is beside the arena and complete with TV screens streaming live cross-country action on Saturday. There will be a full selection of drinks and freshly prepared food available to purchase throughout the day, as well as other exclusive benefits.

Whichever ticket you buy, you can upgrade to the membership option. If you purchase admission and membership before 28 February 2026, you will receive a voucher for a complimentary glass of Pol Roger Champagne (18+).

Bramham Horse Trials course walk tickets

Join a course walk with course designer Andrew Heffernan and course builder David Evans (12:45 on Wednesday 10 June). Tickets include a traditional afternoon tea, served in the Main House, and front-row seats for the Fibre-Beet Horse Inspection.

• Standard admission: £125

Bramham camping tickets

Camping tickets are available for a weekend or the full event (Thursday to Sunday). Prices start at £210 for two people (weekend) and this includes addmission, but there are options to add extra people and vehicles, electrical hook-up, and membership options. You can also add a glamping package.

• Weekend camping ticket options
• Season camping ticket options
• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Searching for somewhere to stay near Bramham? Look no further…

‘We bought him to go novice… now we’re thinking about five-star’ – Bramham success for a teenager on the rise

Bramham unveils Olympic rider as new cross-country course-designer

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Bubby Upton won the CCI4*-L at Defender Bramham Horse Trials in June with Its Cooley Time – and shared some insight into her tactics after the event, including around riding horses differently as they change over time.

She has had the 10-year-old Its Cooley Time since the end of his five-year-old year and has brought him on from a very sharp young horse to the polished athlete who led from start to finish at Bramham.

“At Belsay, three weeks before Bramham, ‘Finn’ was trending on a score of 24 in his dressage until the flying changes, when I made a mistake and cost him the win,” said Bubby.

“He’s always been very talented, but he wasn’t easy as a five-, six- or seven-year-old. As he’s developed, the aids have evolved for our flying changes. But at Belsay, I rode him like the sharp young horse he used to be – I underrode the changes.

“He either does a beautiful change or doesn’t change at all and we got twos at Belsay, which was my fault. I was furious with myself as I hate nothing more than knowing I let my horse down. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again at Bramham.

“If you’re not winning, you’re learning and Belsay was a learning weekend in terms of trusting and cementing how to ride the test now. Out of the time I’ve had Finn, it’s a small percentage that I’ve been riding him how he is now, so it’s easy to slip back into how I’ve ridden him for the majority of his flying changes, rather than this new phase of development.”

With that lesson learnt, Bubby improved her score from 29.8 at Belsay to 24.4 at Bramham.

Bubby Upton: ‘You can use your experience, but also take each horse as an individual’

Bubby also talked about how she approached walking the course at Bramham and what riders can take away from previous rides at a big event such as this.

“This was Andy Heffernan’s first year designing at Bramham, taking over from Ian Stark, but I didn’t think too much about that – the course is what it is,” said Bubby, who walked the course five times in total. “It still felt very much like Bramham, making use of the hills and a big, bold track.

“I’d ridden here twice before, once in the long format and once in the short. The big features remained, but Andy used different parts of the terrain. For example, four from home at fence 21abc the new brush oxer to two skinnies – named the Defender Trail – was clever use of that final pull when horses were tiring.

“My previous long format ride here, Magic Roundabout, who won the under-25s in 2023, is a different type to Finn, who on paper has less thoroughbred. But no part of him would ever allow himself to admit he’s tired, even if he was, which is an enormous luxury as a rider. But it was an unknown for him as he’d never done this distance before.

“I was able to use my experience on Magic Roundabout for how some fences might ride, such as the rail, ditch, rail into the wood at fence 8abc, but I also believe in taking each horse as an individual.”

Read more from Bubby Upton about her week winning at Bramham in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (issue dated 7 August).

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘I’ve seen legends win this – and I’m very proud of the horse he’s become’: Bubby Upton wins Bramham

‘It was like learning to ride again, but I never lost faith’: Bubby Upton on her ongoing recovery from serious injury

Dual eventer and showjumper ‘who made so much possible’ is retired aged 20: ‘I owe him more than I can put into words’

‘He’s angelic’ – meet Piggy March’s five-star stallion and ‘beautiful unicorn’ Halo

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A long-term partnership is always special in equestrianism, and when a rider joins up with their first horse at 12 years old and then takes that horse to their debut four-star at 17, it’s a serious thrill. That’s the story of Jago Jackson and Glynndale Prometheus, who recently finished sixth in the under-25 championship at Defender Bramham Horse Trials.

“We have grown and learnt together and it’s been such a fun journey. No one else has ever done an event on him,” says Jago. “Now I can ride him more professionally, but having him from when I was 12, he had to work it out himself and help get us out of sticky situations if I mucked up.”

Jago Jackson was riding a Connemara pony when he went for a lesson with his Pony Club district commissioner, saw the five-year-old Glynndale Prometheus and “fell in love with him”, which led to the Jacksons purchasing the horse.

The pair have moved up the levels together, finishing seventh in the young rider CCI3*-S at Cornbury and eighth in their first CCI3*-L at Ballindenisk last season.

“He is very opinionated and tells you exactly what he wants – you always know what he’s thinking. His brain makes him good. He’s very trainable and loves cross-country. He looks for the flags and makes my job easy there,” says Jago, who credits the late Caroline Moore for mentoring him in the sport.

“Because he’s not the biggest mover or jumper, I didn’t go down the youth teams route with him. Caroline encouraged us to step up once we had developed at a level. We bought him to go round a novice and never thought he’d do something like Bramham, but every time we go up a level he makes it feel easy. At Bramham, I felt he had more, so we could go up to five-star in the future.”

How Bramham played out for Jago Jackson

Jago always had the CCI4*-S at Bramham this year in his sights after his successful CCI3*-L run last autumn and it was fortuitous for him that the under-25 championship moved into this class.

The pair started their week with 36.3 in the dressage.

Jago says: “Dressage has always been his trickiest bit and I work closely with Amy Woodhead, who has been amazing. She focuses so much on making the horses’ bodies feel good and loose and working on relaxation. Things like flying changes that he doesn’t find too hard, he learns quickly. I was super happy with my test and I think I can chop quite a few more marks off.”

They followed up with two down in the showjumping, a phase Jago describes as a “a work in progress”.

“He’s economical in his jump, skimming over the top and not giving the fences any room, so I have to be on perfect stride,” says Jago. “I think he does have a clear round in him at that level and I’ve been working with Chris Bartle, who has given me some really good pointers.

“Mum and I were actually looking up how many poles I could have down without being eliminated before our first advanced at Thoresby and we went clear!”

The cross-county was the pair’s highlight and they finished clear inside the time for eventual 23rd overall and sixth in the under-25 division.

“Cross-country is the favourite bit for both of us and we know each other inside out,” Jago says. “When we come into a combination, he’s almost too on his line – he looks for the flags before he’s even jumped the first part and if it’s a curving distance, he wants to cut it off, so I have to tell him to be patient and not be so keen.”

The pair will now aim for a four-star long at the end of the season, with a view to doing the four-star long class at Bramham next year and then a five-star debut Pau Horse Trials at the end of 2026.

“That would be pretty cool at 18!” says Jago.

Jago Jackson: junior squad hopes

Jago is based in Buckinghamshire. He has four horses to ride from his parents Lucy and Simon’s family farm and is doing an apprenticeship – “to give me a qualification in case riding doesn’t work out”. He benefits from support from The Howden Way and the Performance Mentoring Programme, which continues Caroline Moore’s work with young event riders.

He also works for five-star rider Kylie Roddy four days a week and rides a horse bred by her, Kinda Brunette, who is out of Georgie Dalton’s (nee Davies) young rider team gold medallist and senior European Championship horse Fachoudette.

“Kylie has been really helpful since we lost Caroline, she’s the one I can go to and ask things,” says Jago.

Jago Jackson has been long-listed for the junior European Championships with Barrington Highlight K, a horse who Johnny Hornby offered him the ride on at Cornbury last year.

“It’s cool to have a horse that can get low dressage scores,” says Jago. “He has given me experience of doing the other phases under pressure, which I never had before as I’ve always had young horses stepping up the levels and not getting the dressage marks they can when they get older.”

The junior squad will be chosen after the final trial at Burgham (24-27 July) and Jago is saving and seeking sponsorship to raise the £5,500 for the trip if he’s selected.

“I am aware of how much Mum and Dad spend on our riding, it’s all very expensive, so I wanted to set myself a goal to see if I could find it myself and not put my parents under pressure to get me there,” he says.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

British Olympic medallist’s daughter competes at Bramham: ‘Mum’s fab – but I have to tell her to be harsher on me!’

‘Relief’ as rider who re-rerouted after Badminton disappointment takes Bramham under-25 national title

‘We either terrify fancy horses with our flying feather or people want to hug them’ – meet the gypsy cobs winning in affiliated eventing

Multiple four-star winner who was placed at Badminton retires: ‘She’ll spend her days being the queen she is’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Piggy March, who won Badminton 2019 and Burghley 2022 and has collected six senior championship medals, shares her thoughts on Harry Meade’s achievements and Defender Bramham’s new designer

Well done to Harry Meade for making it to world number one. Harry has grafted, like everyone does in eventing, for many years and had his fair share of knocks that could have finished his career, but he has plugged on through.

I love the fact Harry is passionate about the sport and has strong belief in his system, including the science behind horse care, and is now reaping the rewards with a big string of four- and five-star horses. He’s also built a loyal team of people.

You rarely see Harry win at a one-day event – he uses those as training days and canters round the cross-country quite slowly. He is very talented then to be able to make the time so easily and smoothly at three-days – not many riders can do that without practice.

Surely a five-star win is looming for Harry? A squad call-up must also be in the mix, but sadly now championships tend to require a dressage in the 20s to be competitive. Let’s hope one of Harry’s double-clear machines can step up the first-phase marks.

Competition for British selection will be tough again this year despite there being six spots – a team of four and two individuals – for the Agria European Championships at Blenheim. There were strong performances at Mars Badminton and we have Longines Luhmühlen this week too.

Bubby Upton’s classy Defender Bramham performance will open the selectors’ eyes. She’s a winner who has been knocking on the door and deserves the chance of a senior squad call-up.

Yasmin Ingham is another younger rider who knows how to win, has a nice team of quality horses and good backing. Blenheim is a year too soon for her Bramham CCI4*-S winner Gypsie Du Loir, but she could be her next championship horse.

Caroline Harris also impressed on both her horses.

Whether or not he secures a Blenheim spot, Harry is the ultimate five-star rider and if you do that well consistently at Badminton and Defender Burghley, you have every right to be world number one. His father, 1972 Olympic champion Richard Meade, would be incredibly proud.

The Bramham feel

Congratulations to Andy Heffernan for his first year as Bramham cross-country course-designer.

We were all sad to lose Ian Stark, as we knew Scotty would keep Bramham as the cross-country competition it has always been and should be. It’s one of the few places where you can prepare for Burghley and these courses are much needed for the education of horse and rider.

Andy definitely kept the Scotty feel of a big, brave track on forward, attacking distances, which made for positive riding. The horses could read the questions and therefore the time was very gettable for the bold combinations. We’re lucky to have Andy involved in this side of the sport.

I rode in the CCI4*-S and that track was tougher than before, which is good, especially as it’s now the under-25 national championship.

Previously, I’ve felt that the CCI4*-L was a four-and-a-half-star, but the short test was more about the atmosphere and suitable for a first-timer at the level. This year’s courses were more evenly matched, with the short just over a reduced distance.

I had two good rides on very different horses. Cooley Goodwood was amazing – he definitely found it a step up and needed my experience to keep him believing. And I was excited by MCS Maverick as it was our first proper competition together. To ride a quality blood horse around Bramham is sometimes why we do this sport.

He is sensitive and needs work to keep a lid on him for dressage, but he has been produced for a few years by Pippa Funnell. She’s the best rider in the world for keeping a horse on side and he has only had good experiences in the arena, so hopefully we can keep progressing.

I had a scary moment at the finish when he suddenly pulled up very sore, but thankfully he had just suddenly spread a shoe and twisted a nail so he was quickly OK.

● Who impressed you at Bramham? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in:

How to watch Luhmühlen Horse Trials 2026 live from anywhere in the world

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

Meet new world number one Harry Meade’s top horses, from the surprise five-star performer to the sensitive worrier

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Bubby Upton scored her first senior CCI4*-L win when she topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results this afternoon on nine-year-old Its Cooley Time, owned by his rider and the Five Time Syndicate.

Bubby had a fence in hand by the time she and “Finn” entered the showjumping arena, but didn’t need it. The pair rattled the upright at two, but never looked in danger of losing their title after that.

Bubby follows in the footsteps of Terry Boon and Tina Cook in pairing an age-restricted section win here – she won the under-25s in 2023 – with the senior long victory.

“It means a lot to win this – it’s one of the big Bs and growing up, I’ve seen legends win this. So it feels really special to win it, particularly having won the under-25 championships here as well,” said Bubby.

“And I guess the way Finn did it as well – he was really dominant all week, and just faultless, to be honest. He’s all class, and I’m so glad he got the win that he deserved.”

Asked what might be next for the nine-year-old, Bubby said: “I’d obviously love him to step up to five-star and I’d love to make my senior championship debut. I’ve come close a couple of times and been unlucky with accidents and stuff – one of which was off him.

“But, it’s all worth it in the end. Horses with his talent and his class, they test you at times because they’re uber intelligent, but patience and trying to understand them and work with them pays off in the end.”

Bubby admitted it “took a while to come back in terms of confidence” after a rotational fall from Finn while cross-country schooling at home in 2021. She broke eight vertebrae and her collarbone in the accident, although it was not as serious as her 2023 fall (from a different horse), which nearly ended her career.

She said: “He was just young, green and not paying attention whatsoever at a fence. But in the last few years, he’s grown up beyond measure. I’m very proud of the horse that he is today. We all know, having seen him as a naughty, obnoxious youngster that we couldn’t get in and out the yard, what we’ve been through to get here, so it means a lot to us.”

Bramham Horse Trials results: Taylor drops out of top 10

Izzy Taylor was second overnight on SRS Big Wall, but she lost her claim on a podium place early when fences two and three came down. A final total of 13.2 faults dropped the pair to 13th.

Caroline Harris’s immaculate clear on Cooley Mosstown – owned by Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford – elevated her to second in the Bramham Horse Trials results.

“I’m seriously proud of him,” said Bramham debutante Caroline. “He’s a very good jumper, but I find him easier to jump on the last day of a three-day when he’s a little tired, because he just loses that bit of tension. But he was not going to touch a fence.

“He’s only nine, and we came here to do his first four-star long. We didn’t have high expectations. I just wanted him to finish confident and happy and he’s gone above and beyond for us. He deserves the result; he’s a phenomenal horse in all three phases.”

Tom Jackson jumped Helen Scott’s 13-year-old Hawk Eye out of order as he had two in the top six overnight. A clear eventually moved this relatively new ride for Tom up from sixth to third, while a single fence down for Tom’s other ride, United 36, sent him from fourth to eighth.

“Hawk Eye’s quite a new ride for us,” said Tom, who took on the horse at the end of last year and will now think about aiming him for Burghley Horse Trials.

“He’s reasonably experienced, but I’m delighted with him. I’ve been working quite hard on trying to have him as adjustable as possible, because he can get a bit keen and strong. Yesterday, he didn’t skip a beat, he really felt like he was really with me and then he followed it up with a lovely clear today.”

A tight time

The 76sec time in this final phase proved quite tight and a single second over it still allowed Ireland-based Daniel Alderson to move up from fifth overnight to fourth with Blarney Monbeg Pepper.

Kylie Roddy’s ride SRS Kan Do had to have an emergency shoe replacement in the collecting ring, jumping one slot later than planned, but went clear to move up from ninth to fifth.

Hayden Hankey and Fools In Love upgraded from 11th to sixth with 0.4 of a time-fault, while Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy moved from 14th to seventh with a clear on Pomp N Circumstance.

A valuable fault-free performance lifted Sweden’s Louise Romeike (Caspian 15) from equal 17th to ninth, while the top 10 was rounded out by Sam Ecroyd, who held 10th with four faults on Boleybawn Lecrae.

Harry Meade – last year’s winner of this class on Annagmore Valoner – and Holly Richardson dropped out of the top 10 today.

New world number one Harry and Jet Fighter had the Defender oxer at seven and the first part of the treble down to fall from seventh to 19th. Number three and the first part of the double at eight came down for Holly and Ballyneety Silver Service, so they slipped from eighth to 20th.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Two horses sent to holding box at Bramham final trot-up and three leave competition

Yasmin Ingham scores first Bramham win by finest margin on ‘super brave and bold’ young mare

‘Relief’ as rider who re-rerouted after Badminton disappointment takes Bramham under-25 national title

British Olympic medallist’s daughter competes at Bramham: ‘Mum’s fab – but I have to tell her to be harsher on me!’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Three horses left the CCI4*-L competition at or before the Defender Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up this morning.

Forty-three horses finished the cross-country yesterday, so 40 now go forward to the final showjumping phase.

Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up update

France’s Camille Lejeune withdrew Dior Du Leou, owned by S. C. Camatieu, Pascale Audonnet, Franck Messaille and his rider, before the inspection. He was 26th overnight after a clear cross-country round with 10.8 time-faults.

Two horses who were presented to the ground jury – Austria’s Christian Steiner (president), Britain’s Nikki Herbert and Ireland’s James Rooney – were sent to the holding box at the Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up and their riders then elected to withdraw them.

The first of these was Matthew Heath’s ride Benedict Radau, owned by Hans Radau and Jane Shears, who was 27th after cross-country having recorded a clear with 3.2 time-penalties.

The second horse withdrawn from the holding box was Lonestar, ridden by his owner Thomas Hawke. He was 33rd overnight, having recording 11 jumping penalties for breaking a frangible device at the second oxer at fence 15ab and incurred 8.4 time-faults.

Bubby Upton bids for first senior CCI4*-L win

Bubby Upton will be the last competitor into the showjumping today. She and Its Cooley Time hold the lead after cross-country but do not have a fence in hand to win the competition, with Izzy Taylor and SRS Big Wall hovering just 1.8 penalties behind them. A fence down for Izzy would give Bubby a fence in hand, even if Caroline Harris (Cooley Mosstown), currently third, goes clear.

Bubby is a former double winner of the national under-25 championships, having taken that class here at Bramham in 2023 and at Bicton Horse Trials – when the Devon fixture replaced Bramham during Covid – in 2021. She is bidding for her first senior four-star long victory in the Defender CCI4*-L class today.

If she wins, Bubby follows in the footsteps of Tina Cook and Terry Boon in upgrading from victory in the age-restricted class to the senior one here at Bramham.

Tina took the young rider section (the class at that time was for under-21s, rather than under-25s) in 1991 on Smithstown Lad and the seniors in 1993 on General Jock.

Terry won the young rider section here in 1994 on Vital Decision and the seniors in 2004 on Foreign Exchange.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Yasmin Ingham scores first Bramham win by finest margin on ‘super brave and bold’ young mare

‘Relief’ as rider who re-rerouted after Badminton disappointment takes Bramham under-25 national title

Young British talent eyes up first senior four-star long win on ‘phenomenal’ horse as Bramham cross-country juggles leaderboard

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Yasmin Ingham topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results in the CCI4*-S today, finishing on her dressage score of 27.9 with Gypsie Du Loir, who belongs to Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

“She’s super brave and bold, so it’s a nice feeling when you’re sat on one that is always looking for the flags. You can tell her ears are always concentrating. She’s a lovely, exciting mare for the future,” said Yasmin.

Yasmin was third after dressage, but moved up to second when Piggy March and new ride MCS Maverick had the upright at fence three down in the showjumping for eventual eighth, just one spot ahead of Piggy’s other ride Cooley Goodwood.

France’s Sebastien Cavaillon led this class after both dressage and showjumping, but 1.6 time-faults across country dropped him and Elipso De La Vigne to third.

“I hoped to go inside the time, but my watch stopped at 4min 50sec, which I saw on the last loop,” said Sebastien. “I said, ‘Okay, let’s go’ but finished just four seconds over – two seconds less and we’d have been ok, so it’s a little bit of a shame, but the horse was very good in all three phases.”

Yasmin knew she could win when she set out – but she didn’t have even a second in hand.

She said: “I was on a mission. Sebastien very kindly left the door open for me, so I thought, ‘I’m not going to let this one slide’ so off we went. I meant business from the beginning and she’s super fast and a pleasure to ride cross-country.”

Yasmin does some training with new Bramham course-designer Andrew Heffernan.

“Andy has done such a good job of the course, so it was really exciting to ride around one of his beautiful courses here at Bramham,” said Yasmin, for whom this was a first outright Bramham win, although she was national under-25 champion here in 2019, when Irishman Cathal Daniels won the under-25 class.

This was a third CCI4*-S for Gypsie Du Loir, who is nine years old and has won twice at three-star.

Yasmin said: “She definitely surprised me by winning. The showjumping is always a little bit her weak phase, so when she jumped a clear round, and then Sebastien just picked up a couple of seconds over, I just thought this could be an opportunity, and it would be rude not to give it a go. She deserved it.”

Sebastien’s compatriot Astier Nicolas stayed on his dressage score with Alertamalib’or to move up from third after showjumping to eventual second, just 0.1 of a penalty behind Yasmin.

US rider Tiana Coudray was fourth in the Bramham Horse Trials results for the Defender CCI4*-S on Coeur De L Esprit Z, with Caroline Harris fifth on last year’s Pau Horse Trials CCI5* winner, with both pairs finishing on their dressage scores.

Alexis Goury (Je’Vall) made it three French riders in the top six with sixth place. China’s Alex Hua Tian took seventh on Chicko.

Tom Woodward took the national under-25 title riding Low Moor Lucky, finising 11th overall.

Time influences Bramham Horse Trials results

Time was the major factor sorting out the final Bramham Horse Trials results during the cross-country for this Defender CCI4*-S. The fact the short format provides a more intense test, with fewer galloping stretches, meant beating the 6min 47sec optimum was a tougher ask in this class than achieving the 10min 3sec target in the CCI4*-L. Ten came home fault free.

The Rail, Ditch, Rail to Owl Hole at fence 11abcd – complete with a corner with a roof decorated as a bird as the final element – caused its fair share of problems, as did the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond at fence 15abcd.

This was the first (and only) time the horses got their feet wet on this track, whereas on the CCI4*-L course, they had already been in the water at the earlier Kidney Ponds, which may have been a contributor to some refusals at the big hanging log in.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘Relief’ as rider who re-rerouted after Badminton disappointment takes Bramham under-25 national title

Young British talent eyes up first senior four-star long win on ‘phenomenal’ horse as Bramham cross-country juggles leaderboard

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tom Woodward, 23, topped the Defender Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship this afternoon piloting his own Low Moor Lucky to secure the title.

The pair were sixth after dressage at Badminton Horse Trials last month, but Tom pulled up after an early run-out across country, so this provided some redemption for that disappointment, with the rider saying: “To be honest, I think relief is the biggest emotion. I’m delighted with him – he’s 18 years old and I just want to enjoy him for what he is now and try and make the most of him while I’ve still got him.”

Lucky – who was only backed when he was nine years old and was so named because he “was a nutcase as a young horse and was nearly disposed of” – has been with Tom since BE100 days.

Tom said: “I feel quite emotional about this whole weekend, because we actually came here thinking maybe he’d retire after this. I’ve always said I want him to finish on his terms – that’s not to say that he will retire now, I don’t want to decide today, we’ll just enjoy it for now and we’ll see how he comes out of it. He looks really good tonight, and as happy as I’ve ever seen him.

“He actually was not very well in the spring in the run-up to Badminton – he had a systemic infection that came out through his skin and legs – not that that’s an excuse that it didn’t go our way. But I think even these last couple of weeks, he’s gone up another gear, and that’s a great feeling to have when he’s 18 years old.

“He’s a very special horse and I owe everything to him. And actually, he was bred in Yorkshire, so it’s quite fitting for him to win here.”

This is the first year this Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship has run as part of the CCI4*-S class, having previously been a separate CCI4*-L competition. Tom lay fifth overall after dressage, held that with two seconds over the time in the showjumping and eventually finished 11th with 6.4 time-faults across country. He was also 19th overall and third in the under-25s on Carole Broad’s Shannondale Varsity.

Tom said: “I was actually quite disappointed that the under-25 championship was moved to the short, because I was planning to bring Shannondale Varsity here for the long, plus I think a little bit it takes away that championship feeling when the classes merge.

“But it doesn’t take anything away from the result. How lucky am I to have a horse that’s won it and finished third as well? It’s pretty special. Big thanks to all my team that make it happen and my owners, we couldn’t do it without them.”

Anya Strilkowski, 20, and her own K, British young rider Europeans squad members in 2023, took second in the Bramham Horse Trials under-25 championship, having finished just a few seconds over the time in both jumping phases.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Brit who hit headlines at Badminton leads under-25s at Bramham: ‘He knows what he needs to do, does it, then has a sleep’

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

Young British talent eyes up first senior four-star long win on ‘phenomenal’ horse as Bramham cross-country juggles leaderboard

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Bubby Upton retains her lead at the top of the CCI4*-L after the Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country today. The British rider and the grey 10-year-old Its Cooley Time, owned by his rider and the Five Time Syndicate, cruised round five seconds inside the optimum time to retain their top spot.

“He honestly made it feel like a BE100,” said Bubby. “He just stepped round and it’s my job just to steer him a little bit. He is phenomenal. Will I ever ride a horse as class as him again? Who knows? But he’s got it all and he proved that again today, having been fantastic in the first phase. Fingers crossed I can get him the win he deserves tomorrow.”

Bubby Upton was under-25 champion here in 2023, as well as at Bicton in 2021, but is bidding for her first senior CCI4*-L win if she can hold onto her Bramham Horse Trials cross-country lead in tomorrow’s showjumping.

Asked about how the other horses she has ridden have helped her develop to produce Its Cooley Time, Bubby said: “He’s so different to any horse I’ve ever had before. He’s unbelievably sharp and spooky. [My top five-star horse] Cola was very spooky as a young horse, so that’s helped me a little bit with him, as have all the horses that I’ve been lucky enough to ride – Clever Louis and Jefferson, those bright, sensitive types – particularly in the dressage.

“Cross-country, there’s no comparison between him and my other horses. He goes in a unique way. He’s so low and fights a bit with his head. I’ve just had to learn over the years to ignore the fact he doesn’t go like my other horses, who go a bit softer and rounder and it potentially looks a bit smoother with them – he never feels as smooth as my other horses, but I’ve learned that not to try and mould him to be like them.

“All my horses are so different, which I love, because it means that my job every day is to unlock the best of them, but they’ve all got kind of different keys to their locks. That’s where I implement my brain into the analytics and trying to get the best out of them, as opposed to just having one rule and one system for all.”

Bubby, 26, has fought back to the top of the sport after suffering a potentially career-ending spinal injury in the summer of 2023.

Izzy Taylor and Jane Timmis’s SRS Big Wall, third following the first phase, had a somewhat sticky ride out of the Womble Bond Dickinson Pond at fence 19abcd and were initially shown as having a flag penalty at the corner, the final element. But this was subsequently removed and they now hold second, having added just 0.8 of a time-fault to their dressage score.

Caroline Harris, heading out near the end of the class, moved up from sixth after dressage to third overnight with a fault-free round on Cooley Mosstown, owned by Gail Sinclair, Karen Dunford and Dinah Posford.

Similarly, a clear inside the time elevated Tom Jackson and Michael Stenning’s nine-year-old United 36 from seventh after dressage to fourth. The British rider also holds sixth on a relatively new ride, Helen Scott’s Hawk Eye, up from 13th after dressage

Ireland-based Brit Daniel Alderson sits fifth on Blarney Monbeg Pepper, moving up from 12th after dressage and building on their good result at Boekelo last year.

Sarah Bullimore was second after dressage on home-bred Corimiro but had a refusal at the first element of the Rail, Ditch, Rail combination at 8abc, with Sarah retiring further round the course.

Heffernan’s first Bramham track

This is Andrew Heffernan’s first year as Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course-designer, taking over from Ian Stark, and his Defender CCI4*-L track rode well, but also proved influential. Thirty-five of 52 starters (66%) in this CCI4*-L class jumped clear, with 43 finishing the course (82.7%). Problems were well spread around the 24-fence track.

Bubby said: “I think he’s made an amazing track and also put his own twist on it. Ian Stark is a legend and he’s been here for so long, and Bramham was renowned for being such an unbelievable cross-country track, so it would have been easy for Andy maybe to try and change it too much, equally, just to keep it the exact same. But I think he did a really good job of changing it enough to put his stamp on it without taking away the essence of Bramham.

“I loved the angled brushes down the hill [The Defender Trail at 21abc] – I’ve always been surprised that hill hasn’t been used before – and maybe he’ll get a bit braver on what he puts on the hill in the future. But he’s done an incredible job and we need people like him in the sport.”

On excellent going, the optimum time of 10min 3sec turned out to be very achievable and 17 pairs came home inside the target (32.7% of starters).

Against that landscape, any time-penalties were expensive. Young Brit Barnie Brotherton, 22, had 6.4 time-faults on his recent Bicton Nations Cup ride DHI King Nelson, sliding from fifth after dressage to equal 17th.

Sweden’s Louise Romeike and Caspian 15 also lost their provisional fourth place when they incurred 8.4 time-faults. They now share 17th with Barnie and DHI King Nelson.

Daisy Berkeley (Diese Du Figuier) and Toshiyuki Tanaka (Jefferson JRA) both notched up 8.4 time-penalties and so moved from eighth and 10th after dressage to 22nd and 23rd following the cross-country.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

First look at how Bramham’s new course-designer has put his stamp on these challenging cross-country tracks

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

‘He was unbelievably sharp’: time and patience pay off as young Brit takes lead in Bramham four-star long

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Yasmin Ingham and the promising nine-year-old mare Gypsie Du Loir hold third in the CCI4*-S after the Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage.

Gypsie Du Loir was bred by Pierre Gouye, as was Yasmin’s world champion Banzai Du Loir. The mare scored 27.9 today to sit a mark behind French leader Sebastien Cavaillon (Elipso De La Vigne) and 0.4 of a penalty adrift of second-placed Piggy March (MCS Maverick).

“She’s such a talented young horse that I’m really excited about her for the future. It’s just coming out now at the four-star level as we establish her and get her confidence with the more difficult movements such as the flying changes and half-passes,” said Yasmin, who has won two three-stars with Gypsie Du Loir, who belongs to Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

“She’s got beautiful paces and great presence in the arena, and she’s a pleasure to work with, so I feel very lucky to be riding her. Although she’s very relaxed now after her test, she’s actually quite sharp – she’s quite blood.

“I really do believe, in a couple of years’ time, she’s seriously going to be a force to be reckoned with, so it’s very exciting.”

Behind Yasmin Ingham in the Bramham Horse Trials dressage results for the Defender CCI4*-S sits France’s Astier Nicolas, who is fourth on a score of 28 with the 15-year-old Alertamalib’or, who he’s had since a two-year-old. They are one of a number of French combinations here to prepare for the European Championships at Blenheim this autumn.

“He’s very arrogant – it’s all about him,” said Astier of his ride from the 2022 World Championships. “And he’s very expressive, he loves contact with humans and is like a pet.”

Tom Woodward, who rode yesterday with Low Moor Lucky, now sits fifth and keeps top spot in the under-25 national championship.

“A championship horse through and through”

US rider Tiana Coudray lies sixth on 10-year-old Coeur De L Esprit Z.

“He’s a mega horse – so flashy and we have really big hopes for him, but he’s weak in his body and sensitive in his mind,” she said. “Life is difficult for him, but he does show up, and he does try.

“He’s a championship horse through and through. Of course, when they look that way, the phone doesn’t stop ringing [with potential buyers] so of course I have to be realistic, but I also have to dream.”

Britain’s Caroline Harris sits seventh with last year’s Pau Horse Trials winner D.Day.

She explained her thought process coming into this season: “I was very adamant that I didn’t want to go to Badminton Horse Trials. I knew that wasn’t the right thing for him. He’s a super little horse, but I think maybe another year is needed for both of us.

“I’m very green at five-star, and he isn’t the most naturally brave, although when he goes good, he’s amazing. So I’d only want to go to Badminton knowing he felt on fire.

“We’ve always been gunning for Aachen, because I think it would really suit him, but whether we get selected or not, I don’t know. I wanted this year to bring him into some bigger international four-stars, where he’d get exposed to more atmosphere, bigger tracks and just learn more.”

Caroline added that the Pau experience has given D.Day more self-belief.

“He’s come out a bit arrogant. He used to be so timid and now he’s starting to believe he’s quite good. He’s such a cool little horse and you wouldn’t look twice at him in the stable, but he always gives you everything when you go in there,” she said.

The riders in this class showjump tomorrow morning, starting at 8.30am, and then go cross-country as their final phase afterwards.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘I rang Pippa Funnell and thought about going home’: Piggy March on her ‘nightmare’ preparation for Bramham dressage with new ride

Brit who hit headlines at Badminton leads under-25s at Bramham: ‘He knows what he needs to do, does it, then has a sleep’

‘He was unbelievably sharp’: time and patience pay off as young Brit takes lead in Bramham four-star long

British Olympic medallist’s daughter competes at Bramham: ‘Mum’s fab – but I have to tell her to be harsher on me!’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Piggy March admitted she was questioning her decision to take on new ride MCS Maverick – and considering putting former rider Pippa Funnell on speakerphone to chat to him – before her Bramham Horse Trials dressage today.

But despite her misgivings, Piggy and 12-year-old pulled off a great test, scoring 27.5 to lie second at the conclusion of the first phase in the Defender CCI4*-S, behind yesterday’s leader, Sebastien Cavaillon (Elipso De La Vigne), who retains top spot.

MCS Maverick won the CCI4*-L here with Pippa in 2023 and has recently been sold to the Maidwell Mavericks syndicate for Piggy to ride. He is undoubtedly a talented horse, but also very sensitive to atmosphere, and Piggy said he was hot to ride in the arena familiarisation.

“I’ve had some hot ones before, but I’ve not had one that feels like his eyes and his brain are spinning that much at 6 or 7pm, with absolutely no atmosphere and a load of your mates walking around,” she said. “I had to get off and I’ve never done that in arena familiarisation before. I thought, ‘F***, this is going to be a nightmare.’

“I did ring Mrs Funnell this morning, because I thought, do I need to put her on a loudspeaker in his stable or something? Do I need to say, ‘Pip, just whisper the stuff you used to whisper to him – Come on Eric, we’re good friends, you could do this today’. Because I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my goodness, is this actually going to happen?’

“He’s a difficult horse because he’s clearly very sensitive, he gets wound up by an occasion quite easily. But he’s a beautiful horse, a lovely, light athlete who has been produced by the best rider in the world.”

Piggy March on MCS Maverick: “I thought we’ll have a go”

Piggy admitted she had some doubts when she went to pick up Maverick, but his former owner Sarah Ross kept ringing and saying he would suit her.

“I thought, ‘Really?’ but I do have time, because I don’t have many horses, and I love a blood horse. I like a sensitive horse. And so I thought, we’ll have a go,” she said.

“But I have to say, I was questioning it this morning… there was a point I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll just go home. I’ll go to Aston in two weeks’ time.’”

But she said she had entered Bramham because it has more atmosphere than any event except Badminton Horse Trials and she wanted to see Maverick at his worst – “which I did get for the last 24 hours”.

Piggy March followed Pippa’s advice to keep the horse on the move, including loose lungeing him, then got on and did just 15 minutes’ work with him before her Bramham Horse Trials dressage test, riding him in rising trot and low in the neck. Her tactics paid off in the arena, where she said she was “going on the back of Pippa’s training”.

The test had a couple of mistakes, but she was determined for this to be an educational day. The horse jogged a couple of times in walk, but she didn’t back off with her leg – “because I’ve got to get in there and be able to ride him” – and when he gave her a flying change early, she stopped and corrected him rather than just accepting it.

“If I was at Burghley Horse Trials or at a championship, I’d have go to with that, but today I was training. I would like to take him to Burghley at the end of the year, and I don’t care about winning a rosette this weekend,” she admitted. “This is my first big run on him, and I want to figure a lot of stuff out.

“But he came back to me, he understood the pressure and he didn’t lose his s***, which is where Pip’s work over the years comes in. Hopefully we’ll come on from that.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Five-star horse moves from Pippa Funnell to new rider: ‘He’s sensitive and there’s no better person to have him’

‘He was unbelievably sharp’: time and patience pay off as young Brit takes lead in Bramham four-star long

British Olympic medallist’s daughter competes at Bramham: ‘Mum’s fab – but I have to tell her to be harsher on me!’

Young British competitor takes over ride on two five-star event horses: ‘I’m grateful for the opportunity’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Bubby Upton has taken the lead in the CCI4*-L at the conclusion of the Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage. The young British rider scored 24.4 for her test on the smart 10-year-old grey Its Cooley Time, owned by his rider and the Five Time Syndicate.

“The one trait he’s never lacked is talent, but it’s taken a long, long time to get his head in the game. He was unbelievably sharp as a youngster,” said Bubby.

Bubby added: “He led the seven-year-old championships at Osberton after dressage and that was the first time I thought we were actually getting somewhere. His focus with the cross-country came from that point onwards too.

“But I always took him very steady; I never wanted to expose him to too much of an atmosphere too young, because I thought he could go back the other way. I didn’t want to undo all the time and patience that we’d given him and go 10 steps back.”

Its Cooley Time missed the autumn season last year as he contracted a skin infection which took time to clear up and Bubby said she had a blip in the dressage at Belsay – “I sat like a lemon for my changes” – where the pair finished fourth in the CCI4*-S.

After today’s Bramham Horse Trials dressage, Bubby Upton added: “He’s forced me to improve and adapt as a rider more than any other horse. He goes in a completely different way to all my other horses.

“When you watch him go across country, you think, that horse goes so low, how does he keep any poles up? And when you watch him showjump, he goes so high that you think he’s a freak that can’t go across country.

“Touch wood, now he knows what the job is, and so I don’t care if he messes around at home, because when he goes in there and focuses like that, you can’t ask much more.”

Ugly duckling comes good

It was a morning when grey 10-year-olds excelled, as Izzy Taylor and SBH Big Wall, owned by Jane Timmis, slipped into third on 25.4, behind overnight leaders Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro.

Izzy said: “I’ve always loved this horse. I’ve had him since a four-year-old, which makes it very special for me, and actually makes the job easier, because you know each other so well. He was very rideable the whole way through. He had a little spook, but that’s part of his character.”

Izzy added the SBH Big Wall was “a very ugly duckling”, whose looks have improved with age.

“He’s always had just a great brain and very much wants to do right. He gets annoyed with himself, sometimes with you, when it’s not quite what you want, but that’s a very rare occasion,” she said. “He’s really chilled and just loves his job.”

Caroline Harris was the best of this afternoon’s competitors in the Bramham Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage and sits sixth on Cooley Mosstown. Sweden’s Louise Romeike (Caspian 15) and Britain’s Barnie Brotherton (DHI King Nelson), who both competed yesterday, hold fourth and fifth ahead of tomorrow’s cross-country.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

British Olympic medallist’s daughter competes at Bramham: ‘Mum’s fab – but I have to tell her to be harsher on me!’

Home-bred leads Bramham four-star long dressage, as his full sibling ‘twins’ are due

One horse leaves competition and three held at Bramham first trot-up

First look at how Bramham’s new course-designer has put his stamp on these challenging cross-country tracks

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Young British rider Tom Woodward and Low Moor Lucky head the under-25 national championship after the first day of Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage on a mark of 28.1, holding overall second place in the CCI4*-S class.

“I didn’t even do the arena familiarisation last night,” said Tom, explaining that he had hoped going into the ring for the first time for his test would lift the horse. “He knows his job now; he does the bare minimum, because he’s so within himself. He knows what he needs to do, he goes in, he does it, and he goes home and he’ll probably have a sleep now and a pick of grass.”

Tom, 23, hit the headlines when he was sixth after dressage at Badminton Horse Trials last month with the same horse, but his dream debut came to an end with an early run-out across country, after which he pulled up.

“Obviously it was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s great to be exposed to that sort of atmosphere and get a little bit more recognition, maybe from people that didn’t know who we were,” said Tom.

“It was also great to get that reassurance that you can do it under the pressure, because until you go and do it, it’s a bit unknown as to how you’ll feel. Actually, I felt really relaxed all week at Badminton.

“I’ve thought about the cross-country day over and over for the last three weeks and possibly next time I’d try and rev myself up a bit more. It was just a really big learning curve about how you might do things differently.

“We’ve learned a lot about the horse as well. We’ve had him for seven years, and he’s 18 now, but we’re still learning about him every time we come out.”

Tom added that when Lucky came out of Badminton fit and well, they decided to have a crack at the under-25 championship here at Bramham.

“We got him checked out after Badminton and he obviously got the thumbs-up to come here, so we thought we’d give it a go,” said Tom Woodward after his Bramham Horse Trials dressage test.

French rider heads CCI4*-S

Frenchman Sebastien Cavaillon heads the Bramham Horse Trials dressage in the Defender CCI4*-S, riding the syndicate-owned Elipso De La Vigne to a mark of 26.9.

Sebastien said it is expensive and involves a lot of paperwork to travel to Britain since Brexit, but French chef d’equipe Jean Luc Force encouraged the trip to prepare for the European Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials in September.

“This horse has run many times in the long format, so he doesn’t need that, but just to do the short, to work on the English terrain and cross-country style – although this time it’s not actually English!” joked Sebastien, referring to the fact Cheshire-based Dutch rider Andrew Heffernan is designing the Bramham cross-country track for the first time this year.

Sebastien has started at Bramham twice before but not finished, so hopes for better luck this time.

Another pair re-routing from Badminton, Alex Hua Tian and Kate Willis’s Chicko, sit third on 30.1, having set the standard early on today.

“I felt it was some of the nicest work he’s ever done – it felt really connected but relaxed, and that’s always been a balance I’ve found quite tricky with him,” said Alex. “He felt great today, except that he was insistent that he wanted to halt everywhere, and I was like, ‘No, no, keep going!’”

Alex has “quite unstable shoulders” and his cross-country round at Badminton came unstuck when his left shoulder “popped out” when Chicko “hit the roof over the big open oxer and just paddled and twisted a bit for the back rail”.

The pair went into the ditch alongside the bridge they were meant to use to cross the gap, Alex sitting in front of the saddle and unable to push himself back.

“As he climbed out of the ditch, I ended up back in the saddle, so I jumped a couple more – my shoulder was still out at the time, but it wasn’t sore – and then turning left to the table I was getting weaker and turning left to the corner, I thought, ‘I’m not sure I’m up for this any more.’”

Alex said he is keen to take Chicko back to Badminton next year.

“I learned a lot about him – four-star is so in his comfort zone and so easy. At five-star, he just needs a little bit of extra positivity to get across those big, wide fences,” he said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Home-bred leads Bramham four-star long dressage, as his full sibling ‘twins’ are due

Youngest rider on joint-oldest horse joins the dressage leaders at Badminton

Young British competitor takes over ride on two five-star event horses: ‘I’m grateful for the opportunity’

One horse leaves competition and three held at Bramham first trot-up

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tara Dixon, the 22-year-old daughter of Olympic team silver medallist Karen Dixon, competes in the Defender Bramham Horse Trials CCI4*-L this week on two horses.

“Mum works with me every day – we work the horses together, the young ones, these ones up here at four-star level. We spend every day together, all day and we’re very close,” Tara tells H&H after her dressage test on Global Narco today (5 June).

Combining the parent-child and trainer-pupil relationships isn’t always easy, but Tara says “it’s fab” for the Dixons.

“Sometimes I have to remind her almost to train me and come out and be critical,” she says.

“And sometimes she’ll sit there and think that I know what it looks like or what’s going wrong, and I’m like, ‘Mum, come on, tell me what’s wrong, tell me how to fix it.’ But she’s fab. I just need to sometimes encourage her to be a bit harsher on me.”

Tara Dixon left school at 18 after her A levels and has been focusing on horses since.

“I’m trying to do as many jobs as possible to get the money in, but horses are my priority at the moment,” she says. “Ever since I left school, I said I want to do the horses, I want to throw myself at it – not forever and a day, but I do want to try and do it. So if there comes a day when I draw a line and say, no more, then at least I know I gave it 110%.”

Tara’s two rides here at Bramham are very different. She has had Mannon Farm’s 10-year-old Global Narco, who scored 40 his test today, for two and a half years, taking over after Sweden’s Erika Sjöström rode him up to two-star.

“He is unbelievably brave and forward going, absolutely game and tries his heart out. He loves the cross-country and the jumping, so the dressage is a work in progress,” says Tara, who credits training with Chris Bartle for improvement in the first phase.

“Chris is getting me into a process for everything, and simplifying it all down and getting me riding correctly,” she says.

Tomorrow at 12.07pm, Tara will start in the dressage on her parents Karen and Andrew’s 12-year-old Master Smart.

“He’s very smart, very talented, but has one hell of an ego that comes with it all. He’s very confident, very cocky and you just sort of have to guide and ask and shut him down and tell him where you’re going,” she says.

The British under-25 championship has previously run as its own CCI4*-L section here at Bramham, but this year it is part of the Defender CCI4*-S class. Tara Dixon would be eligible for this but has decided to contest the Defender CCI4*-L with her two horses.

She says: “I had hoped that they would give an under-25 prize or something in the four-star long. But I had originally planned to do the long with both of my horses as a spring goal and ultimately I stick to my own plans.

“If other things don’t line up and don’t fit in, that’s fine by me. I’m on my own path doing my own thing. Eventually lines will meet and cross and it’ll come out together.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

One horse leaves competition and three held at Bramham first trot-up

First look at how Bramham’s new course-designer has put his stamp on these challenging cross-country tracks

Meet new world number one Harry Meade’s top horses, from the surprise five-star performer to the sensitive worrier

Igniting the passion for horses: Horse & Hound brings out its first junior special

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Sarah Bullimore and home-bred Corimiro have taken the lead after the first day of Defender Bramham Horse Trials dressage in the CCI4*-L class.

“He’s still only nine and he was hot to trot yesterday,” said Sarah, after scoring 24.6. “And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness’ – he knows what this is all about now and he was quite wired. Lilly Corinne, his mum, was quite hot and he is hot, but in a nice way – he’s got such a good brain.”

Corimiro, by Amiro Z, is out of Sarah’s 2015 European Championships ride Lilly Corinne and a half-brother to Corouet (by Balou Du Rouet), with whom she won individual bronze at the 2021 Europeans.

“They’re all dominant horses and like to do it their way, but he is far, far easier and more trainable than Corouet,” said Sarah.

“He is a pleasure to train, because he does want to do the right thing and he actually does want to stay on side, whereas Corouet does think he knows best, and would rather I just get off and he’ll do it on his own.”

Physically Corimiro is considerably bigger than Corouet and a more similar stamp to Lilly.

“He doesn’t need to learn that he’s that big and strong and actually he could get away from me,” said Sarah. “He’s just a lovely horse. I’m very, very lucky, and he means an awful lot to me.”

The Bullimores have twin full siblings to Corimiro due this week from embryo transfer mares.

“So we are watching monitors at home and hoping the mares cross their legs until we at least get home on Sunday night or Monday,” said Sarah.

Sarah added that Corimiro – who belongs to her husband Brett, Bruce Saint and Christopher and Susan Gillespie – “just wants to get on with it and really wants to do the right thing”.

She said: “He was almost quiet today. I actually had to say, ‘Come on’ but yesterday, when we did the arena familiarisation, he just wanted to walk up the side of the crowd. He loves to look and stare.

“Almost the busier it is, the more he relaxes, which is a bit random; when it’s quiet at home, he keeps looking out of every window to see if something’s going on and he’s missing something. But when it’s busy, he’s like, ‘Well, I know it’s busy, that’s fine. I’ll go and sleep.’”

Swedish pair lie second

Sweden’s Louise Romeike holds second on 27.4 with her father-in-law Hinrich Romeike, Madeleine Brugman’s and her own Caspian 15, an elegant 11-year-old grey.

“He’s such a kind horse, and so talented in all three phases, but he’s still a little bit like a small boy who wants to hold your hand,” said Louise.

“Every show he got a bit better last year, but the Olympics was actually the most difficult one and he didn’t show the progress there. Over the winter I did so much dressage training and he’s got stronger, so he can carry himself much better now.”

Young Brit Barnie Brotherton and his mother Naomi’s DHI King Nelson – fresh from a successful Nations Cup debut at Bicton – hold third on 29.4.

“I know he’s capable of more and so am I, but we’ll take it, and there’s lots more to do,” said Barnie. “I was pleased that we got both flying changes, because that’s been quite a difficult thing for him in the past. There’s always room for improvement everywhere and I’d like just a bit more relaxation from him.”

Fellow Brit Daniel Alderson, who is based in Ireland but is originally from Barnard Castle, near Bramham, holds fifth (32.6) on Lady Caroline Colthurst’s Blarney Monbeg Pepper, with whom he was 13th at Boekelo CCI4*-L last autumn.

“Dressage is her weakest phase, and she doesn’t really like it, so for her to go in there and behave and listen to me – I was very happy with that,” said Daniel.

Tom Jackson is fifth, just 0.1 of a penalty behind Daniel, on Helen Scott’s Hawk Eye, who he started riding at the end of last year. The horse was previously piloted by Nicola Wilson and then Kristina Hall-Jackson.

“He’s such a lovely horse and he loves his job, so it’s just trying to build on on what’s already there and make him as adjustable as I can across country,” said Tom.

The Defender CCI4*-L Bramham Horse Trials dressage continues at 10.30am tomorrow, when the second half of the field will try to overtake Sarah Bullimore and Corimiro.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Meet new world number one Harry Meade’s top horses, from the surprise five-star performer to the sensitive worrier

One horse leaves competition and three held at Bramham first trot-up

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

First look at how Bramham’s new course-designer has put his stamp on these challenging cross-country tracks

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course has been designed by Andrew Heffernan for the first time at this year’s event (5-8 June), following Ian Stark’s retirement last year.

The Defender CCI4*-L track is 5725m long, with an optimum time of 10min 3sec. There are 24 fences, with this course marked by the blue numbers. The green numbers are for the CCI4*-S track.

Defender Bramham Horse Trials cross-country course for CCI4*-L

Fence 1: Bedmax Flower Bed

Fence 2: Askham Bryan College Table

Fence 3ab: Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream Cones

Fence 3a

Fence 3b

Fence 4abc: Coopers Oxer to Oxer to Shoulder

Fence 4a

Fence 4b

Fence 4c

Fence 5: The Lycetts Table

Fence 6abcde: The Defender Round House

Fence 6a

Fence 6b

Fence 6cde direct route

Fence 6cde direct route side view

Fence 6c long route

Fence 6d long route

Fence 6e long route

Fence 7: An Eventful Life Stick Pile

Fence 8abc: Rail, Ditch, Rail

Fence 8a direct route

Fences 8b and 8c direct route

Fence 8c direct route

Fence 8a long route

Fence 8b long route

Fence 8c long route

Fence 9: The British Eventing Support Trust Ditch

Fence 10ab: The Kidney Pond Drop

Fence 10a

Fence 10b direct route

Fence 10b long route

Fence 11abc: The Kidney Ponds Triple Brush

Fence 11a direct route

Fence 11b direct route

Fence 11c direct route

Fence 11a long route

Fence 11bc long route

The lettering of this combination means riders cannot change their mind about their route after jumping into the water – if they jump the bounce in, they are committed to taking the direct route at element c.

Fence 12: Joules Leap of Faith

Fence 13abc: The Big Log with Angled Faces

Fence 13ab direct route

Fence 13c direct route

Fence 13a long route

Fence 13b long route

Fence 13c long route

Fence 14: Aardvark Safaris Ranch

Fence 15ab: Oxer to Oxer

Fence 15a

Fence 15b

Fence 16: Generator Power Hanging Log

Fence 17: The Insurance Emporiuim Fish Hook

Fence 18: Parry Land & Property Fish Hook

Fence 19abcd: Womble Bond Dickinson Pond

Fence 19a

Fence 19b – choice of arrowheads in the water

Fence 19cd direct route

Fence 19c long route

Fence 19d long route

Fence 20: Speedi-Beet Oxer

Fence 21abc: The Defender Trail

Fence 21a

Fence 21b

Fence 21c

Fence 22: Rainbow Equine Hospital Turn for Home

Fence 23ab: The Suregrow Penultimate Contender

Fence 23a

Fence 23b

Fence 24: Bishop Burton College Finale

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

One horse leaves competition and three held at Bramham first trot-up

‘The sport I Iove’: new leader tops British one-two-three in world rankings

Igniting the passion for horses: Horse & Hound brings out its first junior special

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

One horse left the CCI4*-L competition at the Defender Bramham Horse Trials first trot-up this afternoon (4 June).

Austin O’Connor’s ride Ventura Rock, owned by breeder Kate Jarvey, was sent to the holding box and the Irish rider then chose to withdraw the grey mare rather than re-present her.

Two other horses both made trips to the holding box at the Bramham Horse Trials first trot-up, sponsored by Fibre-Beet, but both passed when brought before the ground jury – Austrian Christian Steiner (president), Britain’s Nikki Herbert and Ireland’s James Rooney – for a second time.

The held horses were US competitor Rowan Laird’s Sceilig Concordio and Jeweetwel, owned and ridden by the home side’s Emma Hyslop-Webb.

Stonehavens Baby Blue, the mount of Sweden’s Frida Andersen, drew gasps when he slipped badly going away from the ground jury, but he appeared none the worse for it and passed the inspection.

Fifty-three horses go forward to the dressage tomorrow in the Defender CCI4*-L class.

A number of the British riders dressed in a festival theme – perhaps in honour of Leeds Festival, which is also held at Bramham Park – Tom McEwen wearing an Olympic sunhat, Tom Crisp a beaded headband and shorts and Daisy Berkeley a multi-coloured bright outfit. Tom Crisp and Daisy won the Hiho Silver best-dressed prizes.

The turnout prize went to Tom Jackson’s ride United 36, with credit to groom Chloe Whitelam.

New world number one Harry Meade sported bright green trousers to trot up his two rides, Jet Fighter and Cooley Anything You Like.

The CCI4*-S dressage starts at 9.30am tomorrow and the CCI4*-L dressage at 10.30am.

It’s all change at Bramham this year as the British national under-25 championship runs within the CCI4*-S class for the first time this year, having previously been a separate CCI4*-L section.

In addition, there is a new cross-country course-designer for the 2025 event, Cheshire-based Dutch championship rider Andrew Heffernan takes over following Ian Stark’s retirement.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials 2026 from anywhere in the world

Strong Bramham entries include former winners, Badminton re-routers and a new partnership

‘The sport I Iove’: new leader tops British one-two-three in world rankings

Harry Meade on why he doesn’t sleep at home during Badminton, despite living just minutes away

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

• Horse & Hound is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Learn more

Want to know how to watch the Defender Bramham Horse Trials (5-8 June)? We have all the info on how you can keep up with the premier Yorkshire event, which plays host to two four-star classes – a CCI4*-L and the CCI4*-S, which incorporates the under-25s championship.

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll want to be glued to all the action, so follow the links below to tune into this feast of top-class equestrian action…

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials

Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s showjumping action will be streamed on H&C+. The remainder of the action will not be available to watch via any live streaming services, so if you want to watch, you will need to buy Bramham Horse Trials tickets to attend in person. Horse & Hound will also be reporting on the action – see more details.

If you’re abroad, and trying to watch H&C+ like you normally would back in the UK, then you can use a VPN. Check out NordVPN, where you can get 70% off, plus a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below.

H&C+ provides its service to Germany, the UK, the USA, the Netherlands and Switzerland, so you will be able to tune in via H&C+ in those destinations.

Annual H&C+ membership is £84.99 as a one-off payment and there’s also an option to pay in 12 monthly instalments of £14.99. Non-members of H&C+ are also able to watch this event with a H&C+ event pass, which allows you to purchase a pay-per-view pass to view this event alone from £14.99 for 30 days.

*Pricing for the H&C+ Annual Membership and H&C+ Freestyle options may differ by territory. Please see the H&C website for further details.

How to watch Bramham Horse Trials live with a VPN

Not in the UK right now? You don’t have to miss out on any of the action from Bramham Horse Trials.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) will alter your device’s IP address to make it appear to be in a different country, allowing you to access your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world. It’s great for watching racing on the move, and it’s also handy even if you’re watching at home. VPNs are designed with internet security in mind, creating encrypted connections that keep your data safe from third parties and improve streaming speeds by preventing bandwidth ‘throttling’ from your internet service provider.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, which is the best VPN in the world according to our colleagues at TechRadar.

How to use a VPN

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Download and install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access – UK for H&C+.

3. Then head over to your streaming service on your device and enjoy the live stream.

How to follow Bramham with Horse & Hound

• Horse & Hound will be creating online coverage of Bramham, including breaking news, reports on all the action and interviews, in addition to what will be included in the magazine report. To read all our Bramham coverage from Wednesday onwards, visit horseandhound.co.uk/tag/bramham-horse-trials
• To read beyond the paywall after five articles, readers will need to buy a subscription. Visit magazinesdirect.com/XHH-brandsite to buy a Horse & Hound website subscription or, for great value, a combined magazine and website subscription. If you are already a magazine subscriber, the cost to upgrade your subscription to include full website access is minimal – call 0330 333 1113 to find out more.
• Full report on both four-star classes, including the under-25s championship, in the magazine out 12 June.

Bramham Horse Trials timetable

Find the full timetable including supporting classes, ticket info and more on the official website.

Overview timetable for eventing classes:

Wednesday 4 June

4pm: CCI4*-L first horse inspection

Thursday 5 June

9.20am: CCI4*-S dressage

11am: CCI4*-L dressage

Friday 6 June

9.30am: CCI4*-S dressage

11am: CCI4*-L dressage

Saturday 7 June

8.30am: CCI4*-S showjumping

9am: Cross-country – CCI4*-L, followed by CCI4*-S

Sunday 8 June

9am: CCI4*-L final horse inspection

12pm: CCI4*-L showjumping

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Tickets for Bramham Horse Trials 2026 now on sale with early-bird discount

Credit: Future

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The Defender Bramham Horse Trials entries show that strong fields are to line up for both classes at the Yorkshire event next month (5-8 June).

Entries remain open, but at this point, 62 pairs are set to contest the CCI4*-L. Among the favourites will be Daisy Berkeley and Diese Du Figuier – owned by his rider, her mother Caroline Dick, Martha Ivory and Camilla Case – who were second at this level at Blenheim Horse Trials last year. The pair have won two open intermediates this spring.

Former Bramham CCI4*-L winner Izzy Taylor has a strong hand again this time, bringing forward Jane Timmis’s SBH Big Wall. He was recently second in the CCI4*-S at Belsay and has strong overall form at that level, including fifth in the class at Bramham in 2024.

Another grey 10-year-old who comes here with impressive recent results is Bubby Upton’s ride Its Cooley Time, owned by his rider and the Five Time Syndicate. They too have Bramham form, having been eighth in the CCI4*-S last year, and they came fourth at Belsay CCI4*-S last week.

Corimiro, third in the CCI4*-S at Belsay, also joins the Bramham Horse Trials entries with Sarah Bullimore. The home-bred belongs to Sarah’s husband Brett, Bruce Saint and Christopher and Susan Gillespie.

Among the other contenders are Kylie Roddy, who re-routes here after an early fall at Badminton Horse Trials with the Fox Family’s SRS Kan Do, Gemma Stevens with the Stones’ and Chris and Clare Mathias’ Chilli King – a full brother to her Bicton Horse Trials five-star winner Chilli Knight – and Zara Tindall with Gleadhill House Stud’s Class Affair, whose form is mixed but who has gone well at Bramham in the past.

Bramham Horse Trials entries: CCI4*-S

There are 84 combinations set to go to post in the CCI4*-S, but again entries are still being accepted.

The contenders include Caroline Harris with her Pau Horse Trials winner D. Day, owned by Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle.

Piggy March is double-handed in this class with new ride MCS Maverick, owned by the Maidwell Mavericks, and Susie Wood’s Cooley Goodwood, who has won four times nationally this season.

The under-25 national championship is part of the CCI4*-S class for the first time this year. The favourites will be two pairs who have re-routed from Badminton – Georgia Bartlett, whose Spano De Nazca was spun at the first trot-up at the five-star, and Tom Woodward, who lay sixth after dressage but pulled up after an early run-out on Low Moor Lucky.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Five-star horse moves from Pippa Funnell to new rider: ‘He’s sensitive and there’s no better person to have him’

Tickets for Bramham Horse Trials 2026 now on sale with early-bird discount

Former winners head up 23-strong British entry for Luhmühlen five-star

Mark Phillips on Badminton: ‘The cross-country course was a refreshing change’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The British under-25 eventing championships, strategy and showcases are on Mark Phillips’ mind in his exclusive H&H column

After two soggy springs, it’s difficult to believe that we are nearly at the end of March and have had an uninterrupted calendar on near-perfect footing.

I was sad that the under-25 championship at Defender Bramham Horse Trials has been reduced from a CCI4*-L to a CCI4*-S to try to attract more competitors. To me this is a retrograde step. The under-25 CCI4*-L was pretty much identical to the senior division, so there was little cost involved in running it.

Looking at some of the previous winners – my daughter Zara, Piggy March, Tom McEwen, Yasmin Ingham, Will Coleman, Astier Nicolas – shows what an important goal this has been for aspiring riders in their early 20s.

Since the FEI tightened the minimum eligibility requirements, it has become more difficult for young riders to qualify for CCI4*-L, but to me the quality of the field was more important than the quantity. I hope the longer-term consequences were taken into consideration when this decision was made.

An action plan

Paul Tapner and I were members of the British Eventing (BE) fixtures committee last year, but we resigned in the winter because of the proposed protocol for the new 2026 international fixtures calendar.

As the only two committee members who were not on the staff or board, we were given only a cursory glance of the proposal, which had already been approved by the board and wasn’t going to change. As we didn’t approve of the process, neither of us was prepared to put our name to it.

Not surprisingly, the calendar is now behind schedule because of ongoing appeals. It is sad that an iconic venue like Chatsworth has already been lost because a mutually agreeable date could not be found.

On a positive note, I was impressed to read the latest British Equestrian 2025–2030 strategy document. It ticks all the right boxes for the federation’s future direction, with its 4.3 million-strong equestrian community and £5bn annual economic impact.

Human and, more particularly, equine welfare is at the heart of the strategy, along with environmental sustainability, while we try to maintain our status as one of the world’s leading equestrian nations.

We now have the strategy, but need an action plan. I hear noises about waiting until after the FEI Sports Forum later this month. I wish we could get back to the time when we led the world on equestrian policies instead of reacting to what the FEI and the rest of the world do.

The US on the movee

In the US, I recently designed the course for the $100,000 (a little over £77,000) showcase eventing grand prix in Aiken, South Carolina, and I am also helping to plan a $50,000 showcase at Ocala, Florida, for February 2026.

These short-course, arena-based competitions are great entertainment and easily televised for sponsors. It’s sad the concept has not really taken off in Britain. However, this may be food for thought for some organisers following the BE 2026 international fixtures review, particularly for those finding it difficult to maintain viability with regular fixtures.

In the US, they also now have a new series incorporating all the CCI4*-S competitions, with a $50,000 prize pot for the leading points winners and a $200,000 CCI4*-L final. This huge injection of prize money has come not from sponsors – although they are now showing interest – but from the US Equestrian Federation board, with a three-year guarantee. I have to admire their thinking.

Leslie Law has been appointed as the new US coach and chef d’equipe with Karyn Shuter, who has worked successfully with Oliver Townend as his “right hand”. Leslie and Karyn could be a powerful partnership. It feels like US equestrian is on the move – food for thought for this country.

● What do you think about this change at Bramham? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in:

Three eventers who’ve joined new riders this winter – including a Paris Olympic medallist

Andrew Nicholson: ‘Where’s the progression and aspiration that was once central to eventing?’

Could these be the breakthrough stars of this year’s European Eventing Championships?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

British Eventing (BE) has assured competitors that Chillington Hall will provide an event “worthy of a championship of this calibre”, as riders share disappointment after Defender Bramham stepped down as host of the BE80 national championships.

On 13 February BE announced that Bramham (5-8 June) will no longer host the BE80 championships, owing to viability issues. The competition will now take place at Chillington Hall’s fixture from 31 May to 1 June. BE’s Anyone Can Event (ACE) championships take place from 29 May to 1 June at Aintree International Equestrian Centre.

Riders have reacted to the news with disappointment. Among the concerns shared were the fact that competing at Bramham gave competitors the “prestigious” experience of an international event, the BE80 course at Bramham was a one-off and only for those who have qualified, and some had qualified horses for both the BE80 championships and the ACE final, which now clash.

Alison Knox, 54, told H&H she understands that BE is “not to blame” and she is “very grateful to Chillington” for stepping in – but that competing at Bramham had been her dream.

“I’ve been to watch at Bramham the last two years and I aspired to get there. It’s like a mini four-star event,” she said.

“As the final will be running alongside Chillington’s standard BE competition, I worry it will just get lost within that schedule and I feel it takes away a bit from what the championships will feel like. At Bramham you have qualified to be there and compete on that course.”

BE chief executive Rosie Williams told H&H “we fully appreciate the disappointment our members are feeling”.

“Bramham have been trying hard to find solutions to their viability concerns and have been in conversations with potential sponsors until just a few weeks ago, but sadly to no avail,” she said.

“This has meant BE has had to find a replacement venue very quickly, and with the huge costs and risks associated with putting on such an event in such a short space of time, we’re hugely grateful to Chillington Hall for stepping up.”

Ms Williams added that BE wants to “assure members that we looked into every avenue including holding the BE80 alongside the grassroots championships at Badminton, but unfortunately, it simply wasn’t viable”.

“The decision was either to not run the BE80 championships at all in 2025, disappointing all those who had worked so hard to qualify, or take up the very generous offer of Chillington Hall, ensuring that our members had a championships to attend,” she said.

“We also appreciate that the championships clash with ACE, but with very limited options available to us, we simply had no other choice.”

Ms Williams said that Chillington Hall is already planning and designing the BE80 championship course to “ensure that the course and the event itself is worthy of a championship of this calibre”.

“We are working really hard to bring value to our members but sometimes things are simply out of our control,” she said.

A Bramham spokesperson told H&H the team had been “extremely heartened to receive such a huge amount of feedback following the tough decision to give up the BE80 championship”.

“It’s clear that in just three years, we’ve built the championships into something very special which meant so much to the eventing community, which makes it all the more difficult,” she said.

She added that the team explored “every avenue” to carry on with the class, which it “loved hosting”.

“We were grateful that sponsorship helped us create a ‘mini Bramham’ but ultimately, we still had to financially subsidise the championship each year. We learned last November that a major sponsor had pulled out and with BE immediately set out to find a replacement to give the championships every chance of being viable,” she said.

“We had a potential new partner, and things were looking very positive, but sadly we just couldn’t get things over the line and at the end of January had to review the situation. We explored several options to give every chance of securing the championship, but time was becoming a factor, and we felt it was only fair to give BE adequate time to find a replacement.

The spokesperson said that the team are “extremely grateful to BE for enabling the championships to come to Bramham, but simply couldn’t run them without sponsorship or afford to subsidise them to such a level”.

“BE has been hugely supportive, and we’ve kept them up to date throughout our mission to make the class viable and retain it as part of the Bramham event but sadly, it just wasn’t to be,” she said.

“We know many will be disappointed, for which we are very sorry; we too are disappointed to lose such a fantastic class which we’ve truly enjoyed hosting. Thank you to the team at Chillington Hall who have stepped in, and we have every faith that they’ll deliver a special championship experience for all who qualify.”

Chillington Hall, Staffordshire, has previously held BE80 and BE90 U18 championships and regional championships, and hosts national classes from BE80 to novice.

Organiser Vicky Plant of Plant A Fence Events said the team is “very excited to have been given the responsibility of such a prestigious and popular championships”.

“Our long-term aspirations are to grow the venue as a replacement for Weston Park, building more features and growing the event to host prestigious competitions that this special venue deserves,” she said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘Reluctant decision’ as Bramham steps down as host of BE80 national championships

British Eventing allows riders to drop showjumping or dressage phase in new concept

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Defender Bramham will no longer host the British Eventing BE80 national championships owing to viability issues, as a new venue is confirmed.

The championships had been due to take place alongside Bramham’s international horse trials (5-8 June), but today (13 February) BE announced that “following Bramham’s reluctant decision that they could no longer host the championship”, it will now take place at Chillington Hall’s fixture from 31 May to 1 June.

BE chief executive Rosie Williams thanked Bramham for its support over the past three years.

“We understand that having a stand-alone championships is not financially viable going forwards and are therefore delighted to have found a fantastic new venue in Chillington Hall,” she said.

“We will be working closely with Vicky and Janet Plant, and the team at Chillington Hall, to ensure the event is a memorable and enjoyable experience for our members.”

Bramham event director Nicholas Pritchard said it had been “a privilege to host the BE national championships over the last three years”.

“We created a volunteer army for the BE80, to whom we are eternally grateful. It’s been great fun to work with BE, and we enjoyed every aspect of hosting the class,” he said.

“It goes without saying that we explored all options and avenues to make the BE80 competition work alongside our international event but sadly we could not find a solution that made it viable. We wish all competitors the very best of luck at the new venue”.

Chillington Hall, based in Staffordshire, has previously held BE80 and BE90 U18 championships and regional championships, and hosts national classes from BE80 to novice. The Chillington fixture runs on the same weekend as the BE Anyone Can Event (ACE) championships, which take place from 29 May to 1 June at Aintree International Equestrian Centre.

“With landowners who are extremely supportive, coming from an eventing and horseracing background, and an experienced organising team, the parkland venue event not only has a good geographical location but is dedicated to developing the event,” said a BE spokesperson.

“The exciting championships will now take place as part of the successful June fixture with plans to continue building more features and increase the number of trade stands and overall footfall of the event to enhance the experience for both competitors and spectators.”

Chillington Hall organiser Vicky Plant of Plant A Fence Events said the team is “very excited to have been given the responsibility of such a prestigious and popular championships”.

“Our long-term aspirations are to grow the venue as a replacement for Weston Park, building more features and growing the event to host prestigious competitions that this special venue deserves,” she said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Mare becomes a mother same day she wins Bramham’s BE80 championships

‘She’s unbelievable’: rider who cheated death takes on national championships

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Cheshire-based Dutch Olympic event rider Andrew Heffernan is the new cross-country course-designer at Defender Bramham Horse Trials, following the retirement of Ian Stark.

“Excited doesn’t even come close to the way I feel about taking on the role as designer at Bramham,” said Andrew. “I’m extremely grateful that [hosts] Nick and Rachel Lane Fox and [event director] Nick Pritchard have shown so much belief in me and given me what can only be described as a career-changing opportunity.

“To take over the reins from someone like Ian Stark is a huge honour. He has helped me enormously over the years with my designing and I’m hoping he will be there for me to lean on for a good few years to come! Bramham is a unique venue. With its topography and terrain, it is a course-designer’s dream and the team at Bramham has been so welcoming, I really can’t wait to get cracking.”

Andrew has ridden at Olympics and World and European Championships for the Netherlands and has competed at Bramham six times, including finishing ninth in the CIC3* (now CCI4*-S) on Showtime in 2010. He and his wife Millie are based at Somerford Park Farm in Cheshire, which is run by Millie and her family, and his love of course-designing began there. He gained experience at national events and soon became involved at international fixtures.

Andrew Heffernan now holds the qualification to design at four-star and will work under the mentorship and guidance of outgoing Bramham course-designer Ian Stark and alongside course-builder David Evans. Andrew has shadowed Ian and David for the past two years at Bramham and he and David are already planning the 2025 event (5–8 June).

Harry Meade, who won the CCI4*-L at Bramham this year, said: “With its gentle undulations and the bold designs of Ian Stark, Bramham has long been one of the best events in the calendar as well as one of the few that truly prepares horses for five-star level.

“With Ian’s retirement, it’s great news that his protégé Andrew Heffernan will take over at Bramham, and I’m sure that Andy will continue this same language of design that so successfully encourages forward riding. We’ll look forward to tackling this next chapter in Bramham’s story.”

Event director Nicholas Pritchard added; “We’re delighted to welcome Andrew to the Bramham team, and he’s already settled in well. His credentials as a rider, trainer and now course-designer are first rate, and we know he’s learned from the very best.

“Bramham is renowned for our cross-country courses and for many riders, it’s a proving ground for horses to go on to five-star and championship levels and we’re confident Andrew will continue to uphold this, but with his own unique input. I’m sure competitors and spectators alike are looking forward to Andrew’s debut course in 2025.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘You never stop learning’: Ian Stark on his next chapter after final year as Bramham course-designer

Flying Scotsman’s final fling: Ian Stark jumps clear round Blair Castle three-star and provides career update

‘Without Bramham, we’d be lost’ – a second generation winner scores in 50th anniversary year

Would you jump this? See the fences Ros Canter and Harry Meade will jump at Bramham

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Saffron Cresswell, who had a fall on the cross-country at Defender Bramham Horse Trials on Saturday 8 June, has shared an update on her condition. The rider has left intensive care, but said she has “a very long road to recovery” ahead of her as she suffered “a serious back break”.

The 23-year-old British rider and Vivendi Hero fell at fence 20b while contesting the under-25 CCI4*-L. Saffron was immediately attended to by the onsite medical team, then was transferred by road ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary.

Saffron Cresswell: fall update

“Leaving Bramham last week to head to ICU [intensive care unit] was certainly not what I had in mind but you will be pleased to know I am doing well and came out of ICU on Saturday,” said Saffron in an update on her Facebook page. “I have a serious back break that has been operated on, this means I am requiring lots of care and have a very long road to recovery.

“Thank you to all of the Bramham team for their incredible service and preparing the hospital so well meaning I could get into theatre so quickly when I arrived.

“Louis [Vivendi Hero] is well and happy and had absolutely flown around the track at Bramham. He made it all feel effortless and I was loving every minute of it and made me so excited for what the future held for him.

“The girls at home have been amazing and are keeping the horses looked after and worked to the highest standard. Special thank you to Ellie for sorting Louis and Oliver [Funny Guy, who was contesting the CCI4*-S] out at Bramham and Sarah for driving them home safely.

“Big love to everyone who has sent their well wishes, I hope to keep you all posted in my recovery and will stay as positive and as strong as I can to hope for the best outcome possible.”

You may also be interested in:

‘A dream through my darkest days’: breast cancer survivor wins at fitting fixture

Horse who won a five-star for Britain named for Olympics for potential medal-winning nation

‘I believe there’s a big win in her’: new rider for William Fox-Pitt’s top mare

Laura Collett withdraws London 52 from Luhmühlen Horse Trials owing to ‘minor’ injury

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Subscribe today and enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus unlimited website access and digital versions of the magazine dating back to September 2012.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Ian Stark is looking to the future after wrapping on a successful final year as cross-country course-designer at Defender Bramham Horse Trials.

Ian, 70, who revealed in September that 2024 would be his final year as a course-designer, will continue coaching – and is looking forward to receiving his free ski lift pass.

“I’m relieved first and foremost,” said Ian, on the conclusion of his time at Bramham. “I was dreading this week. Now that it’s over, I’m kind of resigned to it. It’s definitely happening and I’m happy about that.

“At the end of last year, by the time I got to Maryland [CCI5*], and I thought, ‘this has been a really good year’ – I rang [my wife] Jenny, who was still in Scotland, and said, ‘there’s a huge part of me that wants to bring my retirement forward a year, because it’s been such a good year it can only go downhill!’

“So it’s just a relief that it has gone well, that there were good results and that people enjoyed the course.”

Maryland this autumn will be Ian’s final event as a course-designer. As his sights look to what will come next, the multiple Olympic medallist, who is contracted to coach the US eventing squad until the end of 2024, adds that he is still enjoying coaching and learning new things.

“It doesn’t matter how old you get, you never stop learning about horses – and people, for that matter,” he said.

“At home I am helping with our young horses, I’m helping a grand prix rider and I’m riding that horse and some of the others. Although I’m helping the rider, riding her horses has taught me even more so it’s great – I’m still learning.

“I’m going to keep coaching. I don’t know whether I’ll sign up for another four years with America, we’ll see how Paris goes, and then we’ll think about it!

“When you’re 75 you get a free skiing lift pass – that’s what’s keeping me going!”

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

‘Various people have tried to talk me out of it’: Ian Stark plans his ‘semi-retirement’

British Olympic contender wins at Bramham – and proves her new cross-country bit works

‘Without Bramham, we’d be lost’ – a second generation winner scores in 50th anniversary year

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Harry Meade scored his first British CCI4*-L win when he headed the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results this afternoon.

Second after dressage and cross-country, Harry piloted Annaghmore Valoner to a clear to put the pressure on overnight leaders Tom Jackson and Ask For Manchier. When the grey hit the front rail of the oxer at fence one with his hind legs, it was all over. Tom dropped to fifth and Harry claimed top spot with the 12-year-old mare, owned by Dinah and Stephen Posford and their daughter Jules Carter.

Harry said: “I don’t really look at the scoreboards – I just focused on my game plan. I was so pleased that we’d nailed it, in terms of the warm-up and the performance in the ring, that I came out and that was the success. I’d sort of forgotten about the competition.

“I was with my wife Rosie and Jess Errington and Molly Parkin, my senior grooms, and then Oliver Townend came up and said, ‘You’ve won, Tom’s had the first fence down’ and my first words, were ‘Oh, no.’ I just try and focus on myself and particularly when it’s friends, you don’t like willing ill.”

It was appropriate that Harry – the epitome of an old-fashioned event rider, for whom the long format will always be the supreme test – should win this class in this historic year, as Bramham celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Much has been said this week about the fact the short format class had a much bigger entry and questions asked about whether the long format has a future – here and in the sport in general. But Bramham’s CCI4*-L is not only a prestigious class in its own right; it also remains a tremendously important preparation event for five-star, which every event rider still aspires to, and no one would value this victory more than Harry, whose father won here in Bramham’s second year, 1975.

“It’s a special event that I grew up wanting initially to ride at and then to win. I think I first rode here 23 years ago,” said Harry.

“Without Bramham, we’d be completely lost – how would we produce horses for the big five-stars without it? It is a fairly lone stepping stone. Maybe some people avoid coming here, whereas I like every horse to come to Bramham. We do the sport to be tested and this is a proper, meaty test where you can demonstrate how good your horses are.

“But also it’s so fun, beautiful and horse and competitor friendly – I drive in, I find myself saying, ‘God I love this event’ And then I get out and I say, ‘God I love this event’ and then I keep saying it all day every day.”

Harry loves this mare, who he says is talented, a lovely person and a sensitive worrier. Having been third at Blenheim CCI4*-L last year, she will probably now go five-star.

Harry elaborated: “For me, she has all the ingredients to be a five-star horse – the speed, the stamina, the bravery, the scope, her training in all three phases. The one thing is, she can get rattled very easily.

“Cross-country, if you have to squeeze her somewhere or change speed that can slightly rattle her and it changes her breathing and heart rate and so I try and give her the smoothest possible ride. The higher you go up the grades, the more resilient horses have to be in terms of coping with things going slightly wrong. I’m conscious of that when she goes five-star; everything else I’d be happy with.”

Bramham Horse Trials results: Warburton takes to podium

Brit Max Warburton, 25, made a significant step up on his previous form at this level when he finished on his dressage score for second on The Paske Syndicate’s Deerpairc Revelry.

“These are the sort of things you hope and dream for – I work day in day out and this is what all the hard work is for,” said Max, who also completed his first Badminton this spring, and learnt from that experience.

“I think at Badminton I probably put myself under a lot of pressure. I wanted a big run and we had a completion, but actually we came away thinking just settle down, make a plan, don’t set out all gung ho. I was a bit more cool here and that definitely worked.”

Ros Canter also showjumped clear on Lady Milnes Coates and Deirdre Johnston’s MHS Seventeen for third in the Bramham Horse Trials results. Both Max and Ros moved up one spot today.

Ros said: “He is an amazing jumper, probably the best jumper I’ve ever had in the showjumping. The last upright I did just before I went in, I think everybody stopped to watch him. So he does fill you with confidence and he’s getting better and better. He used to be a little bit careful, a bit stiff, but now he’s getting really fluent as well.”

Selina Milnes showjumped clear to rise one rank to fourth with the Ruckers’ Cooley Snapchat, the CCI4*-S winner here last year.

You might also be interested in:

‘It means a lot to win this class’ – Brit holds her lead in Bramham under-25 championships

British Olympic contender wins at Bramham – and proves her new cross-country bit works

Brit retains Bramham four-star long lead after great save across country: ‘I thought I was coming off twice’

British rider leads Bramham four-star long dressage despite injury setback in build-up

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Emma Thomas showjumped clear to secure top spot in the Defender Bramham Horse Trials results for the under-25 class this morning.

The British rider held the lead overnight on Pippa Williams and Rebecca Velarde’s The Buzz Factor. She started without a fence in hand after US rider Cassie Sanger (Fernhill Zoro) put in a fault-free round, but Emma matched her to retain first place.

“I had seen the scores but all day I was saying to everyone, ‘Please don’t tell me what I have or have not got in hand when I go in.’ I just wanted to get into a forward rhythm and of course when I heard everyone cheer that loudly it was like, ‘Oh god’ but once I jumped the first fence, it was fine – but on the way up into the chute I was fairly nervous,” admitted Emma, 24.

“He felt so good and so sharp, I was really pleased. Even in the warm up he was really quick off the floor and the atmosphere always lifts him. What a star, he was just amazing. He’s like my old slippers and I just love jumping him.

“It means a hell of a lot to win this class. I love Bramham but I haven’t always been sure Bramham loves me quite so much. I remember watching Badminton as a kid and the commentators always going on about this class and particularly if somebody had won it and gone to Badminton, they said they were going to be a star.”

Emma did a biology degree and planned to be a forensic anthropologist, but this is her third season eventing full time.

“I think it’s taken me until this year to find my way with it a bit because there’s obviously a lot more pressure when you do it full time. The first season I just put so much pressure on myself to do everything perfectly and actually that never pans out. I just let myself enjoy it a bit more this time and I think that’s coming through in the results as well,” she said.

“I had this horse since I was 16 and he was five and he’s just kept going and forged this whole career for me. I’ve been lucky to be on some amazing programmes as well. I’m on the Performance Mentoring Programme with Caroline Moore at the moment, and she gave me so much of her time last week to make sure I nailed it this week.”

Bramham Horse Trials results: two contrasting horses

Cassie Sanger, 19, rode two jumping clears today, piloting Fernhill Zoro to second and Redfield Fyre to fourth with 1.6 time-faults – up one place from fifth overnight.

She said: “They’re polar opposites and I’m used to it now because they’ve pretty much been going at the same level since I’ve had them. But actually, I found it difficult today as it was only a 15-minute turnaround to go from a 17.3hh horse to my 15hh little guy. So I did find my eye a little bit funky today on Zoro but he just jumps out of his skin.

“The big one, Redfield Fyre, likes to make meanest faces to anyone – no matter if he loves you or not he’ll try and bite you. He has never really acted on that but he’s just a grumpy guy until you ride him, while the other one is so sweet in the barn. But riding wise, they’re the same personality – they’re just all heart and want to do their best.”

Cassie has been in Britain around a month, based out of Ruy Fonseca’s yard, as part of the funded European Development Tour for up-and-coming American riders.

Isabel White, 25, just added 1.6 time-faults to her overnight score with her own Icarcus to retain third place in the Bramham Horse Trials results at her horse’s first CCI4*-L.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with him – it’s such a big atmosphere and for him to come out and jump like on that last day, I was over the moon with him,” said Isabel. “He’s quite a timid character in the stable. But as soon as you get on him, he comes to life and loves to be centre of attention.”

Isabel now has a yard at home after four or five seasons working for Judy Bradwell.

Last year’s runner-up Tom Bird, riding Cowling Hot Gossip this time, had fences 1 and 9a down, as well as 2.8 time-faults to drop one spot to fifth.

Ireland’s Molly Evans and Wellan Graffiti knocked four fences and incurred 2.4 time-faults to finish sixth.

You might also be interested in:

Brit leads Bramham under-25s after cross-country: ‘We’ve worked out the system now’

British Olympic contender wins at Bramham – and proves her new cross-country bit works

One horse held at Bramham final trot-up as 32 progress to showjumping

Brit retains Bramham four-star long lead after great save across country: ‘I thought I was coming off twice’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Aimee Penny’s ride Freshman HH was held at the Defender Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up, but passed on re-inspection.

The 12-year-old gelding, owned by his rider, went clear across country with 36 time-faults yesterday, and starts the showjumping in 22nd place. He is competing in his first CCI4*-L.

All the horses who finished yesterday’s cross-country came forward for this morning’s Defender Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up.

Bramham Horse Trials final trot-up: one ground jury

The same ground jury – president Nick Burton (GBR), Angela Tucker (GBR) and Xavier Le Sauce (FRA) – preside over both the senior Defender CCI4*-L and the under-25 CCI4*-L, so they judged all the horses this morning.

The under-25 showjumping starts at 11.30am. Emma Thomas is leading this class on The Buzz Factor, but she does not have a fence in hand over the USA’s Cassie Sanger and Fernhill Zoro in second. Cassie currently has a fence in hand over third-placed Isabel White and Icarus. Six horses will jump in total in this class.

The final phase for the senior class begins at 1.30pm. Tom Jackson holds top spot in this class with Ask For Manchier, 2.5 penalties ahead of Harry Meade on Annaghmore Valoner. Max Warburton and Deerpairc Revelry are just 0.2 of a penalty behind Harry. Twenty-six horses are set to come forward for the final phase in this section.

The Defender CCI4*-S here at Bramham concluded with yesterday’s cross-country and resulted in a win for British Olympic long-listed combination Kitty King and Vendredi Biats, with Ireland’s Maryland 5 Star winners Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue in second.

You might also be interested in:

Brit retains Bramham four-star long lead after great save across country: ‘I thought I was coming off twice’

Brit leads Bramham under-25s after cross-country: ‘We’ve worked out the system now’

British Olympic contender wins at Bramham – and proves her new cross-country bit works

Mare becomes a mother same day she wins Bramham’s BE80 championships

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now