Andrew Nicholson picks out his favourite performances from Mars Badminton Horse Trials

Watching the Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country was interesting; there were little mishaps in lots of places without any fence having too much influence. The track had walked like it was relatively straightforward, and riders talked about it as though it was, too.

I thought many of them went a gear faster than normal, perhaps because the good but quick ground meant horses motored easily over it with fences that invited you to keep travelling right up to them, which then allowed mistakes to happen.

The horses also finished quite tired: a lot of riders don’t realise that the course is uphill all the way from the Vicarage Ditch to the top of the Quarry. It doesn’t really feel like that when you walk it, but when you’re riding it, horses can suddenly feel as though they are running out of fuel just before you get to Huntsman’s Close, and there’s plenty still left to do.

But on the whole horses looked, at least, fitter and leaner than previously, which I have noticed as well at events on the Continent this spring.

Fitness was much discussed at the FEI Eventing Forum in January, and it appears that the message has been received and acted on.

Badminton final scores

I wondered if the water in the Lake was shallower than normal, perhaps because the weather has been so dry. The straight route of one stride between elements before they jumped into the water and then four to the first skinny and four to the second looked like gridwork, but rode short in the water, and I thought that, if the water level was a bit lower, it didn’t have the “drag” effect that would condense the horses’ stride length.

It was quite a different track to those Eric Winter has produced in the past, and nice to see he has another dimension to his course-designing. He should put his name forward for the LA Olympics – the way his Badminton track rode, and the result it produced, should act as a good audition.

Impressive rounds

As usual, the best riders made it look easy. Ros Canter was impressive, as always, and Austin O’Connor was superb – you don’t see many horses jumping the second-last at Badminton looking like they are just setting out on the course.

The young New Zealander Tayla Mason played a blinder at her first Badminton. She was the last rider to get in off the wait list, and she had Centennial very fit and well prepared, which must take a lot of willpower when you aren’t even sure that you will get to run.

Katie Magee finished 11th on her Badminton debut, proving that if you work hard, you can still get to the top of the sport once you’ve passed your 30th birthday, which should encourage others.

It was a pleasure to watch Libby Seed and her beautiful grey horse Heartbreaker Star Quality. They are a real team, go at a speed at which they are comfortable, look very professional and present a picture that is great for the sport.

It was good to see a decent contingent from mainland Europe. Germany’s Christoph Wahler did well to make the time across country, and the Belgian squad will have learnt an awful lot. They weren’t overawed by the fact that it was Badminton, and demonstrated that European riders can show up at big five-stars as well as championships and the less imposing CCI5*s. This is what the sport needs.

Ros had to work hard in the showjumping; her victory wasn’t just an exhibition this time, but well deserved, while Oliver Townend rode a first-class round on Cooley Rosalent. Austin matched his easy cross-country round with a classy performance.

Harry Meade’s day will come. If he keeps jumping clear cross-country inside the time and good showjumping rounds, it will happen. If I was him, I wouldn’t get too hooked up on the dressage; for me, it’s more important to be doing what he’s doing in the jumping phases.

● Who did you enjoy watching at this year’s Badminton? 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

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Riders have been airing their views after a first look of Eric Winter’s Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course. The general consensus is that it is more flowing than in previous years, a fair test to horses, but that stamina will be a major factor even though conditions are on top of the ground.

Competitors are expecting the signature “big, bold Badminton”, but there a few aspects which are causing certain riders some head-scratching, depending on their partner.

Alice Casburn, riding 17-year-old Topspin here for the fourth time, said: “The good thing about this course is you don’t have to contemplate your route. You either Pony Club kick and growl and get on with it, or you don’t. There’s a lot to jump and it’s big and bold.”

But for Alice, there’s a separate niggle: two ditch combinations (the KBIS Chasm at fence 15abcd, and the LeMieux Eyelash Brushes at 19abc). Topspin had historically had issues with ditches until Alice built several to practise over in her field, which she still jumps on the morning of a competition.

“In an ideal world if you have a horse that’s a bit ditchy, there wouldn’t be two coffins, but I’ve done my building at home,” she said. “I knew there would be a coffin of some sort, so I’ve been to B&Q numerous times, I’ve got my tarpaulin and DIY stuff out. I’ve dotted my ‘Is’ and crossed my ‘Ts’ and now I’ve just got to get it together on the day.”

Badminton final scores

Several riders believe the most influential combination will be Equidry Huntsman’s Close at fence 26ab, where the direct route is over two substantial corners late on on the course.

Tom McEwen, who holds the overnight lead on Thursday riding JL Dublin: “The track running this way round brings out the endurance factor with such a long pull all the way home. If Huntsman’s Close was earlier we’d all fly through, but being towards the end, [you’re riding] a different type of horse at that stage.”

Alex Hua Tian, who rides Chicko on his first spin round Badminton for nine years, agreed: “The course is big, but very fair. At Huntsman’s Close, that first big corner will be the telling point, especially on horses that are starting to get a bit weary.”

Emily King, lying in second overnight on Thursday aboard Valmy Biats, picked out the Mars Lake at fence 9/10abc, as “pretty huge”.

“That’s one where we’re going to have to get stuck in,” she said. “Within reason it’s in front of you, but you have to get a good jump in, land in balance and be looking where you’re going which, when you’re galloping down to that on Saturday, is a lot to consider.

“But it’s a bold, attacking course which is Valmy all over. I just have to be clever with my ride so that I save enough gallop in the tank for the end.”

Badminton horse trials cross-country course: “Nothing like the stuff we jump normally”

For many riders, it’s the accumulation of massive fences that prove the challenge.

German debutant Jérôme Robiné (Black Ice) said: “Everything is big; the horses have to be brave at nearly every jump – it’s a different kind of sport; nothing like the stuff we do normally”.

Similarly, Tom Rowland – who has two rides in Dreamliner and Quintilius – said it’s “big, big, big – it’s huge from the second fence all the way round”.

The biggest concern is the endurance factor. The optimum time for the 6,650m track is 11min 40sec, which Oliver Townend described as “a very long way”.

Tom Crisp, who brings forward course debutant Dassett Rock Star, added: “You could jump any of these fences on their own, but put them at Badminton with nearly 12 minutes to get round and you’re not sure what you’ve got.”

Gemma Stevens (Jalapeno and Chilli Knight) also emphasised the importance of fitness, saying: “I’m glad I’ve got blood ponies! It is big, but it’s all there in front of you, with no tricks and the distances are fantastic, which makes me happy as a half-showjumper.”

But while riders generally seem positive about the fences themselves, David Doel (Galileo Nieuwmoed) cautioned: “There are a lot of questions, turns and four-stride distances, a lot of changes of balance with ups and downs. Eric is very clever with his tracks and you think it won’t cause too many problems and then it does – you’ve got to keep your wits about you.”

Competitors were unanimous in their appreciation for the efforts on the ground after such a dry spring. The grounds team has been watering since the end of March, and on the evidence of the grassroots competition, the going should be spot-on.

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you want to watch the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. This year, Badminton TV has teamed up with ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch Badminton – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £21.99. Go to clipmyhorse.tv/en_GB/badminton to subscribe or to activate your account as an existing Badminton TV subscriber. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. As part of Badminton TV, you can enjoy the documentary programme Legends and Legacy, a fly-on-the-wall insight into the 2024 event and preview of 2025.

Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound

To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 15 May.

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Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course-designer Eric Winter, who first designed this track in 2017, describes yesterday’s competition day as “fun” and says that his course was “about control” when speaking to H&H.

“If riders had a horse that didn’t go to the contact and ran through, it was difficult to jump the fences, but if you had a horse that was on rails and well trained, then you were good,” he explains. “Nothing really surprised me and it all jumped well.”

When asked whether any particular fences stood out with regards to how they rode, Eric pinpointed fence 18, the final part of the Mars Sustainability Bay.

“I wish more had taken the straight way at the log [fence 18],” he says. “Seven or eight jumped it, one had a stop – but he’d already had a stop earlier on on course – and all the others jumped it quite well.

Badminton final scores

“If more had jumped it, it would have brought another level [of competition] in but it didn’t matter as at the end of the day – if they did a circle, they didn’t make the time. Most did a circle and most of the really top boys finished four or five seconds outside the optimum time so it made a competition of it. It was a great day for the sport.”

Eric states that Irish riders Sarah Ennis, who is currently fifth with Grantstown Jackson and, and five-star first-timer Lucy Latta, who is third with RCA Patron Saint, particularly impressed him on Badminton Horse Trials cross-country day.

“They were phenomenal. I thought they really went out there, caught hold and rode it. Lucy has come all the way from 44th after the dressage to third and that to me is to me what Badminton is all about – if you’ve got the best cross-country horse in world come to Badminton.

“It’s not all about the old fantastic, phenomenal foreign dressage horses – if you’ve got something that really gallops and really can move up then the opportunity is there and the opportunity for sure was there yesterday.”

Eric also picks out some good rounds by the “older guys” too.

“William Fox-Pitt rode at his best – it melted the years away yesterday. Tim [Price] was phenomenal too, but also there were some outstanding rides from the younger people.”

Eric suggests other names to watch for the future.

“Some horses became green, like Pippa’s horse [Funnell, MCS Maverick] and Izilot DHI [Ros Canter]. They are great horses for the future, but they just need to be exposed this sort of atmosphere and that’s about mileage.”

In terms of Badminton Horse Trials cross-country day statistics, there were four rider falls, no horse falls, 50% jumped clear and there was a 66% completion rate. No-one made the time.

“I always want a 50% clear rate as that says to me lots of things have happened,” states Eric. “When people come and stand at a fence, they have a good chance of seeing three or four jump the fence really well and they see one person do something, break a clip or something.

“It was a good day for MIM clips yesterday – we had some incidents where they really saved horses and that’s such a move forward for the sport.”

The ground was a topic of much discussion before the cross-country and Eric was happy the sun put in an appearance.

“We were exceptionally lucky with the weather,” says Eric, referring to the fact that Badminton has been bathed in glorious sunshine for the duration of the event. “Alan Willis, father of the Willis brothers who are the course builders here, said to me last night that if you had to pick one week in the past 10 months to run a horse trials, this was the week.

“The ground got better and faster all the way through and it was a fantastic competition. Good weather brings everybody out – I think after last year it was nice to have a bit of good weather and have that sort of festival atmosphere – it was fantastic.”

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you are interested in watching the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 via the website and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later. Find out more…

Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound

To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 16 May.

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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

Eventing fans always wait with excitement for the Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course to be revealed and we’re finally able to share a few pictures of the challenge Eric Winter has set for next week’s event (8-12 May).

As usual, H&H dispatched a top analyst to Gloucestershire to check out the track and you can read Nicola Wilson’s thoughts on every fence and her ratings for each in this week’s H&H magazine, out now (issue dated 2 May). In the meantime, check out a sneak peek of some of the fences and Nicola’s visit to Badminton below…

Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course: photos of Nicola Wilson’s visit

Eric and Nicola at the Bloomfields Brush Buckets (fence 6ab), the second combination on course.

Badminton final scores

The pair eye up the line over the oxer and two corners at the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close (fence 7abc).

Nicola strides out to the final corner at Huntsman’s Close, where the groundlines are cleverly positioned to help horses understand the question.

The Mars Badminton Lake (fence 10abcd) features an unusual MIM-Clipped wall-type fence, visible in the background of this photo.

The Lemieux Eyelash Brushes (fence 15abc) feature two angled brushes and a water-filled ditch.

The Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay at fences 17ab and 18 is the second water on the course.

Nicola demonstrates how to jump the angled log which forms the last element at the Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay.

Eric and Nicola discuss the Agria Silver Birch Rails (fence 21).

What a drop! This is the Lightsource BP Mound (fence 26abcd).

Riders are in the closing stages by the time they get to the Worcester Avenue Brushes (fence 28abc).

Pictures by Peter Nixon

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you are interested in watching the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 via the website and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later. Find out more…

Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound

To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 16 May.

You may also be interested in…

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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

Former Badminton winner William Fox-Pitt shared strong opinions on one fence on the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course, at the event presented by Mars Equestrian (4–8 May), and course-designer Eric Winter has responded, explaining he wants to prevent horse falls and mitigate risk.

William spoke out about fence 21c, which is a set of rails into the Badminton Lake. The rails are built with a frangible device, a MIMclip, so anyone triggering it incurs 11 penalties.

“Sadly, I think we should all boycott riding the direct rail into The Lake and jump the alternative rail in,” said William. “I think the direct rail is a horrendous fence for our sport. Why is that fence there? What’s the matter with a log with brush into The Lake? I think it’s very, very sad. And I think Eric has got that wrong for the sport.

“Yes, he wants penalties. Yes, he wants to add 11 penalties for some riders who hit the pin. Yes, he wants it to be a cross-country competition. But to me that fence will be 50/50 whether the pin goes and it won’t be based on how riders will ride it. Some will knock it and I would hope my horse would rub her back legs over it, dropping into water – that’s what good horses do.”

Badminton final scores

Eric responded to William’s comment by saying: “I think the fence will jump well. It’s only 97cm high and we’ve done everything that we possibly can to help them jump it, for example there’s a 90 degree turn before it, that will help set them up.

“This is where the sport is going. We are, as much as we possibly can, making the pictures of horses sprawling across the water at Badminton a thing of the past. The last time I had a log into that water, there were two horse falls at it.

“If we want to maintain this sport for the future, we have to put it in a context that is acceptable for a wider audience, not just people that think that eventing used to be one way and that’s how it should remain. There were a lot of things that were acceptable 20 years ago, that nowadays we feel are not acceptable anymore. It’s a risk sport but as much as we possibly can, we need to mitigate that risk.

“When there was a log into The Lake with two horse falls at it, that was a different time, but nowadays, I’m not comfortable with that, and if I can do something that prevents that, I will.”

Eric stated that William was correct in saying a lot will depend on how the fence is ridden.

“For sure William is right saying that – you cannot come round the corner and ignore that rail, float into it and drop your reins and fall all over the top of it, and because of that, people should ride it properly.”

William shared his plans for tackling this part of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course after he had completed his dressage on Grafennacht, who is owned by Amanda Gould.

“To me, it’s a bad fence and I’m going the long way in. It will take longer, but that’s too bad. Going the alternative route also makes it a tricky line to the corner in The Lake, and the water is deep enough, and the corner is quite big, so I’m more nervous about that,” he explained.“But at least we will have already jumped the corner at the first part of The Lake before the rail in, so hopefully my mare will jump it well.”

Eric states that there is an alternative rail to jump in over, should riders not want to take the direct route on.

“The alternative will only take about two or three seconds longer, so it’s not significantly different – that is a choice for riders.”

Eric was also keen to point out that the frangible device on the rail into The Lake is a MIMclip.

“So it doesn’t work off vertical pressure – it works off horizontal pressure. So if horses drop their legs on top of it, it will not break or it should not break. If they stifle it, then it will break. But is it acceptable nowadays to see horses gaining stifle injuries from those type of fences in our sport? When we have a mechanism to mitigate the risk in this sport and to make the sport better?

“There are 14 deformable fences on this year’s Badminton track – it’s the most there has ever been on a five-star track. The scoreboard will look different tomorrow with less 20 penalties and more 11 penalties being awarded, but is that a bad thing?”

William was frank in his opinion about the fence on the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course.

“I’m sad about the direct rail into The Lake and I’m very surprised they [FEI officials] let it appear on the course, to be honest,” he said.

William was also strong in his views about protecting the future of eventing.

“I think if we all have enough balls as riders we should all boycott the direct route and go the long way. Otherwise, we all know our sport is changing. We all know it’s getting shorter and easier and some people want combinations to be penalised for knocking flags and if we don’t fight this, what is it next?

“Cross-country will be showjumping poles before we know it and I’ve always said cross-country will end up being solely in the arena. We have really got to try and preserve our sport and, although I’m being quite opinionated, as a group of riders we’ve really got to stand up and have a voice of unison – which generally we’re not good at.”

Eric Winter and Mike Etherington-Smith on the future of the sport

Eric said in response: “Actually, this is what the sport is going to be. And through Badminton, we have an ideal way of showing the public an acceptable vision of the sport. We’re working hard for this sport, we’re not burying our heads in the sand. That fence was not just chucked there – we’ve talked about it and talked about it. I’ve taken every piece of advice on it. But I wanted to use it.

“It would have been very easy to put a log in there, to have put a roll top in there, to have done something that was less contentious. But actually, we have a much safer way to include these types of fences now that looks after horses more, that looks after riders more and that’s what we’re about. Eventing is about looking after horses. It’s a testing sport.”

Eric said that the winner of Badminton has to be a “good cross-country rider” and that he set out to build an “old-fashioned track with modern technology” in 2023.

“By using modern technology, we don’t have to lower the standard and dumb it down. We can stay at that level of riding where the competitor that wins here will be a top class cross-country rider – they will be brave, the horses will be athletic, all of those qualities that we look for in good horses and good riders but within portraying that in a modern way.”

Mike Etherington-Smith, who is course advisor to Eric for the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course, also responded to riders’ statements about the rail into The Lake.

“I work with Eric and he was very keen to have a set of rails jumping into The Lake. We’ve gone through the logic and we have discussed it,” explained Mike. “It’s important to have a fence that’s not going to come down all the time – it’s not good for the sport – and so having had that discussion, we spent a lot of time looking through and addressing the height and so on.

“When you design at five-star level, it’s rare air and you don’t get everything right. Everybody is going to be wiser after tomorrow. I hope that if Eric is proved right, the people who have spoken out about it have the decency to come and shake his hand and say well done because I think that’s important.”

Mike continued by saying that as a course-designer, you have to “be brave sometimes”.

“A lot depends on the shape a rider’s horse makes, and if you’ve got a horse that’s likely to drag its back end through a fence, then you would be as well to take [the long route] – it’s only an extra couple of seconds. They have the luxury of choice and that’s entirely their prerogative.”

However, William praised Eric on the rest of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country track he has designed in 2023.

“Eric has built a good course with lots of variety and I like the ups and downs and the bending lines that can be ridden on three, four or five strides – nothing is very black and white and it will test riders.”

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you are interested in watching Badminton Horse Trials live from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.

You may also like to read…

Would you jump these? Take a virtual walk around the 2023 Badminton cross-country course

Watch Piggy March walk the Badminton cross-country course: ‘an old-fashioned feel’

‘There are so many pins that you could make a dress’: riders’ reactions to the Badminton cross-country course

Badminton cross-country times: find out when Ros Canter, Kitty King and Oliver Townend start

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

Keep up to date with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from Nick Burton and Mark Phillips, in Horse & Hound magazine (on sale 11 May).

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

Discussions around making cross-country safer without removing the challenge continue – as new data highlights where risk could potentially be reduced and scope to create course risk profiles.

In a newly published FEI-funded study, researchers at the universities of Glasgow, Bristol and Nottingham Trent aimed to identify cross-country fence risk factors using data from FEI eventing competitions between 2008 and 2018. Fences including corners and trakehners were identified as having increased odds of a horse or rider fall, compared to square spreads – and fences featured later on course, those with an approach and/or landing downhill or into water, and combinations, also had increased risk.

The researchers said it “should be considered” whether it might be possible to design around the “more challenging” fences, and suggestions included ensuring more challenging fences are not “over-represented” in the second half of the course, and including more alternative routes. They said the findings are the “first step” towards building a “risk profile or score” for every FEI cross-country course, which could be used to support the development of horses and riders, and be taken into account for qualification criteria.

Lead author Euan Bennet told H&H that although some of the findings might be “common sense”, the study provides quantification of the data.

“The really important thing that we want people to take away from this is we’re not suggesting that challenging fences should no longer be used – but we think we’ve identified that it’s possible to design around some of these more difficult elements,” he said.

“It’s not about making things easier, it’s about making things safer; having course-design that prioritises safety without detracting from that challenge. We think the results show that’s possible so that’s why we’d like to open up more of a discussion on that.”

Difficulty

The topic of cross-country difficulty and eventing safety and falls has been discussed at length this year, with Bramham course-designer Ian Stark sharing concerns around the sport’s future direction, and riders including Piggy March and Pippa Funnell speaking out against “dumbing down” courses (news, 23 June).

Badminton course-designer Eric Winter told H&H the study is “interesting” but that there is a “difficult line to walk” when it comes to course-design.

“Course-designers don’t want to see a horse on the ground. We absolutely hate that and try to prevent it as much as we possibly can. You don’t get to run a horse round the cross-country beforehand and you can’t tell how things are going to ride. It might ride perfectly for 90 horses and the 91st will fall,” he said.

“Course-design is an art, it’s not a factory-produced widget where thousands come out the same – it’s to do with the piece of ground you have. You could say don’t use downhill stuff and only build on the flat, but when you have horses travelling at 570 metres a minute and they’re a little bit tired, all sorts of unpredictable things can happen.

“It’s a really difficult thing because it’s easy to say X percentage of horse falls were at water jumps – so what do you do about that? You take water out of the competition. Then you say X percent of falls were at fences with a roof over the top, and you take those out. Before long you’ve only got logs left, and you end up galloping around a grass field. Without challenge, there’s no value.”

Mr Winter added that he would like to see future research around qualification.

“There are horses qualifying at the moment without doing some of the key challenges – they’re qualifying at four-star to go five-star without actually landing in a water jump. When a horse at four-star doesn’t have to perform that exercise to qualify, it leaves the sport at risk,” he said.

An FEI spokesman told H&H the study has allowed the FEI to “gather insights” regarding eventing risk management. The FEI eventing risk management steering group will review the conclusions and discuss these at the eventing safety seminar in January.

You might also be interested in:

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Competitors have been giving their reactions on their first look at the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course, at the event presented by Mars Equestrian. The verdict seems to be big, bold and an old-fashioned galloping test.

Irish rider Padraig McCarthy is second to go round Eric Winter’s track on Badminton first-timer Fallulah.

“I’ve had a quick look round and the start is a little bit friendlier, everything is obvious up to the Lake,” he said. “Then once you get down to the Broken Bridge, it really smacks you in the face that you’re at a five-star.”

Ros Canter brings two horses forward, her 2018 world champion Allstar B (Alby) and Badminton newcomer Lordships Graffalo: “I think it’s a great course. I don’t know what I will feel bringing a first-timer, but if the horses enjoy jumping big jumps on nice distances hopefully they’ll have a great experience. If they suddenly start to think it’s a bit big, then there’s nowhere to get their confidence back. But if they are up for the job, then it’s a lovely course to ride. On a course like this is where Alby comes into his own and I hope I’ll have a good experience on him and it will give me confidence for the younger one.”

Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course: “It’s big, but you can get stuck in”

Piggy March rides her defending Badminton champion, Vanir Kamira: “It’s a good, galloping, brave course. You want to set the rhythm, go and keep going. You want to give them confidence at the beginning and hope you get into that gear. I think it’s a good cross-country that you can get stuck in and ride it, rather than guessing and poking around tiny skinnies, or something that’s a bit blind and traps them a bit. It just does feel quite big.”

Badminton final scores

Pippa Funnell, who rides Billy Walk On and MGH Grafton Street, said she is grateful that she is acclimatised to the five-star dimensions having competed at Kentucky the previous weekend, as many riders aren’t used to jumping this big across country after the Covid hiatus.

“Of course, it’s Badminton, it’s really big and very, very intense,” she says. “For example the Vicarage Vee section – if you take each individual jump it’s not too bad, but it’s when you add them all together. Let’s face it, there are a lot of horses and riders here who have not done Badminton. I know from experience that you don’t know if you have a Badminton horse until you ride around it. And that applies to both of mine.”

American rider Will Faudree was also competing at Kentucky, and brings Mama’s Magic Way to Badminton. He said: “It was a big Kentucky last week, but the brush there you can brush through. I’m not sure you can do that here and it makes the jumps bigger.”

The 2018 winner Jonelle Price said: “It’s big enough, it’s Badminton, but it’s all fairly straight in front of you, it doesn’t leave you guessing. I’m happy. I was hoping for a bit more rain to play to my strengths – I could actually do with some torrential rain. But it’s all there to be jumped.”

Badminton debutant Hector Payne, who rides Dynasty, said: “If you split the track into two parts, I wouldn’t worry about anything – there isn’t one jump which you’d think, ‘I’ve never jumped something like that’. But the terrain will be interesting to see how they cope as every fence seems to be on an uphill slope.”

Nicola Wilson is aboard her European champion and five-star debutant JL Dublin. “[Eric Winter has done] an amazing job. It’s a massive course with questions from start to finish,” she said.

Emily King is also on a first-timer, Valmy Biats. “It’s big and bold but Valmy Biats is a mega, mega bold horse so far. For me, it’s the beginning – balancing him in the Quarry and Huntsman’s Close as I’m going to have to set up for every fence, so I’ll have to look after him through the combinations. Hopefully at other places I’ll be glad he’s free and bold!”

You may also like to read…

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British Eventing fixture Pontispool has welcomed former international rider Lucy McCarthy as its new course-designer.

Lucy takes over from Badminton course-designer Eric Winter ahead of the first 2022 event at the Somerset venue on 27-29 May.

Lucy (nee Wiegersma) is the only British rider to have won all three national eventing titles; junior in 1995, young rider in 1998 and senior in 2006. She was second at Badminton in 2008 with Shaabrak, and represented Team GB at the 2009 and 2013 European Championships at senior level, as well as five Europeans at under-21 level.

“I’m very excited and pleased to have been asked to design the courses at Pontispool this year, although stepping into Eric Winter’s shoes will be a very tough act to follow,” she said.

“It’s a place I know very well as a rider and I feel it has a great deal to offer for the education and development of horses and riders. From my riding experience at Pontispool, I know how it feels, and instinctively, which parts are difficult to ride and which ride well.”

Lucy will be focusing on developing tracks that are encouraging for greener horses and riders, educational for more established combinations and “above all fun to ride”.

“We will make full use of Pontispool’s wonderful parkland setting, and there will be purpose and flow and my aim is to make it a positive experience, educational and enjoyable for the horses and the riders so that, hopefully, the majority come back with a smile on their faces,” said Lucy.

“At the same time, the basic elements of crossing the country will be there. Every level will have a ditch, and they will all go through at least one water complex. Where fences might be a bit challenging, we’ll provide easier alternatives as we very much want competitors to think Pontispool is okay for the first-timer, with the education of both the horse and rider in mind.”

Pontispool owner Richard Mitford-Slade thanked Eric Winter, who has been “instrumental” in putting the venue on the map, designing “brilliant” courses over the last two decades.

“We’re delighted to welcome Lucy on board. Her vast experience will be a valuable addition to Pontispool, as we take the venue in a slightly new direction, to cater for the changing demands of those who event. It’s an exciting time,” he said.

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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 Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course, for the event presented by Mars Equestrian from 4-8 May, has been revealed.

The track runs anti-clockwise, as is traditional in an eventing World Championship year, so the first combination on course is the HorseQuest Quarry (fence 4abc).

Riders then continue through the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close (fence 6abc) to The Lake, which is fences nine and 10abc.

As has become customary, the most intense section of the course is around the Vicarage Ditch area, from the imposing Ford Broken Bridge (fence 13) to the Lightsource bp Solar Farm at fence 24abcd – where the direct route is out over a bounce, which is not often seen on modern cross-country courses.

The obstacles in this area include both the Holland Cooper Vicarage Vee (fence 23ab) and a similar angled rails over ditch question just before it at the Rolex Rails (fence 21/22).

Badminton final scores

The last combination on course is the Savills Hay Feeders (fence 29ab), although with three fences still to jump including a choice of skinny houses at the Joules Keepers Ditch (fence 30), riders certainly can’t relax until they are through the finish flags.

The optimum time is likely to be around 12 minutes.

Course-designer Eric Winter says: “It’s an attacking course and will suit bold horses with scope and agility, as there are a lot of big fences which befits a five-star competition. Badminton has always traditionally been the best preparation for the international championships and this year will be no exception.”

Read thoughts on the course from former Badminton winner and recent Tokyo Olympic double medallist Andrew Hoy in Horse & Hound’s Badminton preview issue – out Thursday 28 April.

A full gallery of the dressed fences will be available on our website on the evening of Wednesday 4 May. 

*H&H exclusive* Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course taster photos

Course-designer Eric Winter and Andrew Hoy size up the big log into the HorseQuest Quarry at fence 4abc.

Andrew checks out the line to the RDA Fund Raiser at fence five.

Andrew Hoy strides towards the first of three brushes at the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close.

The brushes here have width as well as height, as Andrew demonstrates, which will affect how horses jump them.

It’s a long way down – Andrew peers over the log at fence nine, the start of the Badminton Lake question.

Riders can choose which of two narrow fences to jump in the water at fence 10a.

The Ford Broken Bridge at fence 13 shouldn’t trouble horses…

… but will offer some exciting photo opportunities.

Andrew sets off from the first element of the KBIS Brush Village towards the two big corners that follow. This is fence 14abc.

Andrew Hoy strides from the open ditch in the middle of the LeMieux Leap complex (fence 18abc) on to the narrow final element.

The Nyetimber Corners at fence 19ab.

Horses will need to be bold to take on the direct route at the Rolex Rails (fence 21/22).

The bounce on the direct route out of the Lightsource bp Solar Farm can be seen in the background of this photo.

Riders will want to keep their wits about them as they tackle one of these houses at the Joules Keepers Ditch (fence 30) on the way home.

Pictures by Peter Nixon

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The dressage and showjumping phases will run in front of Badminton House at the 2021 Badminton Horse Trials.

Next year’s CCI5* is planned to run behind closed doors owing to coronavirus restrictions, but organisers promise it will have a “very special feel”.

Event director Jane Tuckwell said she was “delighted” to announce that the main arena was to move.

“I am very grateful to the Duke of Beaufort for giving over his golf driving range to the event for this very special one-off occasion,” she said.

The dressage and showjumping arenas were in front of Badminton House for the horse trials’ first 10 years, but moved to their usual location in 1960.

Badminton final scores

Eric Winter’s cross-country course will start and finish in the centre of the park, and it will follow a similar route to previous years’ events.

The Duke of Beaufort said: “It is very exciting after last year’s cancellation that the horse trials will be going ahead next May.”

Continues below…

H&H eventing editor’s blog: new arena site for Badminton 2021 feels like coming full circle

H&H's eventing editor blogs about the decision to relocate the Badminton Horse Trials main arena for next year's 'behind closed

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Eventer Pippa Funnell, who has won Badminton three times, in 2002, 2003 and 2005, said the event has a very special place in her heart.

“Moving the main arena to the front of the house will make the event even more extraordinary if that is possible,” she said.

“I am thrilled the event is able to go in these most difficult of times and I cannot wait to get there in May.”

If restrictions allow by next spring, some spectators will be allowed in to watch the event, but all the action will be available to watch online, on social media and on television. More information will be announced on this “in due course”.

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 to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens 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

The team behind Badminton Horse Trials has revealed an “exciting” new addition to the cross-country track for this year – the “broken bridge”.

Course-designer Eric Winter and the Willis Bros course-builders are at work on the 2020 track, due to be put to the test on the Saturday of this year’s event (6 to 10 May).

Mr Winter told H&H the “show-stopper” fence is part of a new route.

It’s by the side of the sunken road,” he explained. “From there, to a new combination, then down to the broken bridge. It allows us to bring a coffin back in and make it a bit more hilly.

Badminton final scores

“We’ve all seen the iconic pictures of the old broken bridge; it’s a good old-fashioned fence, which I think will jump easily enough.”

“From the top of the rail to the landing point is three metres,” he added. “And it’s about that to the bottom of the hole if you get it wrong!

Article continues below…

Would you jump these? Walk the 2017 Badminton cross-country course

Take a look around this year's Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course

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Following the success of last year’s fence-designing competition, the idea has been extended to the whole course

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“It’s an old-fashioned move on and gallop fence, after a long straight run through the avenue.”

Mr Winter, who said this year’s course will run anti-clockwise but with “more terrain”, and that the Vicarage Ditch line has had “a rethink and change”, had been at Badminton House this morning.

Asked how things were looking, he said: “Wet!

“A good chunk of it is under water, which is making things take longer, but I hear tickets are selling fast – and fingers crossed for some sunshine.”

Don’t miss the April 30 edition of Horse & Hound magazine for our full Badminton Horse Trials preview, and the 14 May issue for the report, and of course keep up with all the action here at horseandhound.co.uk

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The cross-country course for the 2019 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials was revealed to the press yesterday (10 April), as well as to the public via the online preview.

Here are seven things we learnt about the track…

1. Designer Eric Winter believes the new FEI flag rule — which awards 15 penalties if the horse’s body strays outside the original line of the flags — will be influential. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see horses having three or four incidences of 15 penalties on the way round,” says Eric. Event director Hugh Thomas adds that he is not a fan of the rule and he expects officials to be reviewing video evidence long into the evening. Among the fences where Eric thinks the rule will come into play is the Shogun Sport Hollow (fence 10ab, pictured above), where riders take a route under a roof, down to a ditch and then have a choice of two narrow angled tree trunks on the right or left.

2. Eric takes inspiration from all sorts of places. Fence 24, the World Horse Welfare Lakeside, consists of a table with water running along the top of it into The Lake. Eric was sitting by a similar water feature at a restaurant in Oxford with his wife, Lizzel, when he wondered whether a fence using the idea could work.

3. He also likes to create spectacular fences. The Hildon Water Pond (fence 15ab) has a new entrance, a big drop down which will have a waterfall running down the back of it. “For the horses its basically just a 70cm rolltop with a drop — I wanted something a bit easier as the combinations before and after are tricky — but it should look spectacular,” he says. The second fence in this complex, the water trough, will have a waterfall running down the front of it, which could be spooky for some horses.

Badminton final scores

4. Riders and horses will need to know each other well and jockeys must have the ability to react. Several of the fences will be somewhat unpredictable in terms of how horses jump and where they land, including the Outlander PHEV Bank (fence 13ab) and the open ditch with running water at the Mirage Water (17abc and 18), so competitors will need to be able to think on their feet.

5. Eric is constantly looking to disrupt horses’ rhythm. Because Badminton is an open, galloping track, and there is not a lot of natural terrain, the time would be easy to get — particularly in good conditions — if he did not find places where he can force riders to slow down.

Article continues below…

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6. The team have to take all sorts of factors into account. Eric and course-builders Willis Bros prepared a new area of ground to use this year, but then it was pointed out that it would bisect one of the car parks, so it wasn’t possible to send horses that way.

7. The route of the course is slightly different this year to previously when the track has run in this clockwise direction. The team were keen to keep the photogenic run beside The Lake which was brought into play last year and therefore had to tweak the route elsewhere to keep it to the correct distance. “Changing the route takes the advantage away from the mileaged riders, who otherwise know when they are going to be up and down on the clock,” says Eric.

Don’t miss our full Badminton cross-country preview, in which world champion Ros Canter reviews every fence, in 25 April issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

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

With the removal of the dressage co-efficient making the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials leaderboard tighter than ever, it is unlikely to be a dressage competition.

Eric Winter’s 6,700m course has 45 jumping efforts and an optimum time of 11 minutes and 45 seconds.

The exceptionally wet spring has also had an effect on the ground — a talking point among competitors over the first two days.

Although the park has dried up considerably, many riders feel this will have an impact on the results.

“It is going to be demanding tomorrow, we might see some horses doing the time, but I’m guessing not many,” William Fox-Pitt told H&H.

Badminton final scores

“There’s questions out there all the way, it doesn’t always line up – Eric’s course last year didn’t line up either — so horses can’t always see where they are going, and that is testing.

“You are going to have to have a horse who is very responsive and on the job.

“I think he has built a super track and it is demanding.”

Jonelle Price added there are plenty of places to pick up a “cheap” run-out.

“I didn’t think it was perhaps as big as last year, but then again I wasn’t riding it last year so maybe I looked at it slightly differently,” she said.

“There’s plenty to do and plenty of places you could have a silly mistake, Huntsman’s Close, coming out of the waters, you could really have a cheap 20 penalties.”

Pippa Funnell said the course is “every bit Badminton”.

“I think we are going to have to ride with our heads because the ground is going to be testing,” she said.

“We have had a lot of rain and they have done a fantastic job to produce the course they have, but there’s no doubt it is going to be a bit sticky and holding.

“Eric has built a true four-star track, there’s a lot of very big jumps and plenty of places you could run past fences.”

Overnight leader Oliver Townend agreed that it is “definitely Badminton”.

“It is definitely going to be hard work, you are going to see a lot of action one way or the other, it is a serious course,” he said.

Article continues below…

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Gemma Tattersall said riders are going to have to be “completely on their game”.

“There’s some serious questions,” she said.

“I think The Lake is a stand-out fence and the pond at the very top of the course [Hildon Water Pond, fence 20abc] will ride alright, but will need some respect, as will the coffin [Shogun Hollow, fence 24abcd].”

Tim Price added the topography of the ground will need considered riding.

“The course is big and burly, it is technical but designed in a way that things are there to disrupt you,” he said.

“There’s little bumps and grooves that take you off your line and all those little things can have a cumulative effect, but also an effect on their own.

“We will need to stay sharp and the horse to stay focused.”

Jonty Evans, who is lying in fourth place ahead of the second phase, added: “I think the questions are spread all around the course and you are going to have to really switch your brain on, use some instinct and try and ride home properly.”

Read an interview with Badminton first-timer Will Furlong in the current issue of H&H (dated 3 May), plus Badminton predictions from equestrian data experts EquiRatings.

Our bumper 24-page Badminton report will be in our 10 May issue, including opinion from Oliver Townend, Mark Phillips and Peter Storr.

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

As cross-country day at this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials fast approaches, we take a look at what lies ahead for riders on Saturday 5 May.

Designed by Eric Winter, will the cross-country course prove influential in 2018?

1 ASX Starter

2 Rolex Feeders

3 HorseQuest Hump

4ab HorseQuest Quarry

5 Rolex Grand Slam Skinny

6abc Huntsmans Close

7 Traders Table

8 Wadsworth Water

9abc Lake

10 L200s

11 World Horse Welfare Gates

12 Formulate! White Oxers

13 Stick Pile

14 & 15 Outlander PHEV Mound

16ab Outlander PHEV Mound

17 Devoucoux Quad Bar

18abc Eclipse Cross Pond

19 Vicarage Roll Top

20abc Hildon Water Pond

21 National Star Trakhener

22 & 23 KBIS Vicarage V

24abcd Shogun Hollow

25 Countryside Haywain

26abc Joules Corner

27 BHS Table

28 Crooked S Bullfinch

29abc Savills Escalator

30 fischer Brush

31 Rolex Treetrunk

32 Shogun Sports Saddle

Read our full Badminton preview in the current issue of Horse & Hound (issue dated 26 April 2018), with course walk insight from Mary King plus full form guide for every horse and rider

Our bumper 24-page Badminton report will be in our 10 May issue, including opinion from Oliver Townend, Mark Phillips and Peter Storr.

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 International Eventing Forum (IEF) will focus on the theme of “What’s the limit?” next year.

The day of “insight and education”, at Hartpury College on 5 February 2018, will be based around questions such as “How far can we push the boundaries in our sport to keep up with the obvious performance improvements of both horse and rider?”, “How do we retain the integrity of the sport we all love so much?” and “How can we continue to raise our game without alienating the enthusiastic amateur?”

The first session, entitled “If it isn’t good enough, it won’t get better”, is with Sandy Phillips, a former British dressage European and World Championship team member as well as a top-level eventing dressage judge.

The morning at the International Eventing Forum will continue with “The foundation allows for progress” from IEF co-founder Eric Smiley FBHS, an Irish Olympian and four-star competitor.

After the lunch break, performance psychologist Charlie Unwin will share with attendees how “The mind limits the body”.

The final session is with the key presenter, Sweden’s Fredrik Bergendorff. Newly appointed as Swedish event team manager and coach this year, Fredrik led the team to bronze at the European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, Poland. His session is on “Preparing for the top”.

Continued below…

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The International Eventing Forum has been running since 2004 and past speakers include double Olympic champion Mark Todd, renowned trainer Ian Woodhead, top cross-country course-designer Mike Etherington-Smith, former Olympic gold medallist David O’Connor, trainer and former top-level rider Angela Tucker, six-time Badminton winner Lucinda Green, Burghley winner Chris Burton, renowned US trainer Jimmy Wofford, golf coach and mentor David Kearney, and Diarmuid Byrne from data analytics company EquiRatings.

The forum usually involves some lecture-demo style sessions with riders and horses, as well as talks with top professionals in different fields.

Tickets cost £50 in advance. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the official website.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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Find out what some of the world's top event riders, such as Oliver Townend, Andrew Nicholson and Mark Todd make of this year's Badminton cross-country course

This year’s new-look Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course means that this event is not going to be a dressage competition, riders unanimously agreed today.

The track has a new designer for 2017 in Eric Winter, who has really made his mark on the 6600m track with an optimum time of 11min 35sec.

Oliver Townend said: “I think the course designer has done a fantastic job — he’s been unbelievably brave for his first attempt. It’s the biggest Badminton I’ve ever seen and I think it will be a very, very tough test.”

Mark Todd was in agreement saying: “It’s big, strong, technical and it’s going to take quite a bit of riding.”

Tina Cook describes it as a “proper Badminton track”.

Badminton final scores

“I think Eric Winter has been very imaginative and very bold. There’s a lot of very, very big fences dimensionally and it will be very challenging for the horses. There’s very few let up fences so if there’s any point where they lose their confidence, it will be quite difficult to get that back again. I think some of the new four-star riders will get a big shock at how big the step up is from the national one-day events to Badminton.”

Andrew Nicholson said: “You’re going to have to be very alert all of the way round. It will be mentally tiring for horses.”

Australian rider rider Andrew Hoy said: “The brush fences are very big, standing at 1.40-1.45m and you’ve got to be very committed.”

Meanwhile Louise Harwood said “it’s big right from fence three.”

“I think Eric has taken the course back to a rather old fashioned one and there’s a lot of tight turns to fences from where the crowd is roped off.”

Continued below…

Frenchman leads the way at Badminton dressage: popular British combination withdrawn

Find out how the action has unfolded so

Eric, who competed at Badminton in 1991, has also designed the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, the Asian Games, two European pony championships, a European junior and a European young rider Championship.

Don’t miss this week’s H&H (on sale today, Thursday 4 May), including a 16-page Badminton pull-out with full form guide, dressage test, judge’s analysis, course map and more.

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With just five days to go until the start of Badminton Horse Trials 2017 (3-7 May), Sam Lloyd catches up with cross-country course designer Eric Winter to find out how preparations are going — and how he has coped with the pressure of designing for such a prestigious event

Listen to the full interview with Eric Winter here:

Q. Are you happy with preparations?

Eric: It’s been fantastic weather for building cross-country courses. We put the fences out in the middle of February, and then we’ve been dressing and developing ideas since then.

Q. How important is it for you to stamp your individuality on this course?

Eric: I started thinking with a blank canvas as I always do if I go into an event that is established. I always think where do I want to go with it — what would I do if there was nothing here, and then how could I develop that. You have things that you’re passionate about — for me it’s all about the training of horses, so you think about what the really true values in training of horses are, and then think about how I am going to describe that through a list of fences. At an event like this, you don’t just have an impact on the horses that run at this event, you effect the horses that run at every level downwards, because people take ideas from these events and move them forwards.

Q. How much pressure is there on you building the course for Badminton?

Eric: I’ve worked here quite a lot so I knew sort of what I wanted to do, and I have a real respect for the place and the history that goes with it. When I designed the course, I did it very quickly. So Hugh (Thomas) asked me on the Thursday, and I walked off site on the Sunday of the event last year with the course completely in the my mind. I did it very quickly because I didn’t want all that pressure to get on top of me.

Badminton final scores

Continued below…

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Q. What are the key combinations to look out for on this year’s course from a fan’s perspective?

The main water comes up quite early and I think it’s quite big into there. And the other water jump at the top, where there are three logs, is quite a big question. There’s a lot of stuff out there this year that demands different skills.

Don’t miss our Badminton preview issue of Horse & Hound magazine, out now (27 April 2017), complete with our exclusive course walk with William Fox-Pitt — plus shopping vouchers

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The cross country course at Blenheim Horse Trials will be ridden in reverse this year (11-14 September) for the first time since its inception in 1990.

New fences and a new selection through the woods have also been added to the CCI*** for 2008, built by David Evans and his team.

Blenheim’s iconic ‘flyer’ brush and ditch fence (pictured) is back at the entrance to the trade stands while the course still runs through the River Glyme across the river bridges and water fences.

Eric Winter, who took over from Mike Etherington-Smith as Blenheim’s course designer in 2007 said: “I love the way Blenheim runs through the public areas, it gives everybody a real connection with the speed and the questions faced by the riders and their horses so I wanted to keep this intact.

“I came to the conclusion that the only way I was going to achieve a significant change and not lose the outstanding qualities it already possess was to turn the whole course around completely. In the future we will run in alternate directions each year.

“To follow a great designer like Mike Etherington-Smith is a mixed blessing, you have a very successful competition already which is brilliant but it is also difficult to change for the better.

“As a course designer you always want to put your own stamp on any course you design. Not to lose the good points and yet do something inventive is the challenge.”

Audio course buggy tours are available explaining Eric’s thoughts and objectives for £5.

For more information visit www.blenheimhorse.co.uk

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Pontispool Horse Trials (20-21 April) near Taunton will be better than ever this year thanks to a £3,000 development grant from British Eventing (BE).

Competitors will warm-up for the show jumping in a new 70x30m all-weather arena and enjoy an improved cross-country course.

The event is the first of two scheduled BE horse trials at the Somerset venue this season as it is replacing Bicton Horse Trials for 2007. Pontispool (2) will run 26-27 May.

Top event riders Lucy Wiegersma and Mary King have both competed at Pontispool since the horse trials began eight years ago.

The schedule includes classes from pre-novice to open intermediate and the all-weather show jumping arena and undulating parkland provide good going whatever the weather.

The cross-country course, designed by Eric Winter, boasts a variety of combinations and a fantastic water jump and the intermediate track is suitable for horses ready to move up a grade from novice level.

The ballot date for Pontispool (1) is 30 March. For more information or to enter contact entries secretary Ann Allen (ann@bdwp.co.uk) or visit: www.britisheventing.com

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There are no academic qualifications needed to qualify as a cross-country course-designer.

Top designer Mike Etherington-Smith says: “I got into it by accident. I was too fat and old to ride. The British Horse Trials Association [now British Eventing] approached me to become a technical adviser while I was still competing, and this led to designing cross-country tracks.”

Mike has gone on to design hundreds of courses, including the Sydney Olympics,Rolex-Kentucky and the Adelaide CCI****.

Another who started via the technical adviser (TA) route is Eric Winter, who officiates at 11 events.

“It is useful being a TA, as you see so many horses jumping different types of obstacle. This gives a good insight into the design of jumps,” he says. “My first approach to becoming a designer was to ask Mike Etherington-Smith his advice. He let me shadow him for a year, starting with intro and pre-novice courses. His help was invaluable and I still consult him now.”

Both Mike and Eric evented at four-star level, and they insist this provides them with the insight required to create challenging yet safe courses.

“It’s not having ridden good horses that helps but having ridden lots of different horses, including some who really weren’t very talented,” says Mike. “Course-designing is knowing about how horses move and cover the ground.”

Eric adds: “You have to know what a horse can and can’t do. I also had to consider what you can build. The construction side was a hefty thing to learn. You are also constricted by budget, so I had to discover the costs of building a fence or adding a ditch. Most courses are usually developed along a three- or four-year plan. You also need to be good with people, as you work closely with the event organiser.”

British Eventing is keen to encourage budding designers. It is currently working with Hartpury College to develop an Academy of Course-Design, of which Mike Etherington-Smith is a director. It is also developing a mentoring programme, where new designers can learn from their more established counterparts.

Both Mike and Eric are passionate about their job. “You won’t get rich, but I have a good quality of life. I’ve met fantastic people and, although the travelling can be a pain, I’ve seen some great places,” says Mike.

Eric adds: “I love designing — apart from riding, it’s the most exciting thing I do. Five minutes before the start of cross-country my heart starts beating, but I relax once the first dozen horses have gone round. It’s quite an adrenalin rush.”

• This careers focus was first published on Horse & Hound’s young rider pages (18 January, ’07)

Eric Winter, 43, will be responsible for designing the cross-country course at Blenheim Horse Trials this year (6-9 September).

For the last 17 years Olympic course designer Mike Etherington-Smith has commandeered the design of the Blenheim track, with Winter acting as his assistant since 2004. The 2007 Blenheim course will be Winter’s first international three star project although he presently designs 11 courses on the national circuit.

Having competed at both Badminton and Burghley, Winter is familiar with top level cross-country courses from a rider’s as well as a designer’s perspective and is delighted to have been assigned the brief.

“This appointment has come as a nice surprise. It’s a great thrill to have the opportunity to design at an event of this status,” said Winter. “Blenheim has a strong tradition of fair but testing courses which ride well, so I will be starting off quietly but there will be some changes of my own.”

Meanwhile Mike Etherington-Smith will continue in his role of event director, which he combines with international course-designing and the chairing of British Eventing’s new Sports Committee.

“I have decided that it’s time to see new blood at Blenheim. It’s always refreshing to see what someone else can do on a familiar site and, with all my commitments, I felt the time was right to hand over,” he explained. “Eric has made many useful suggestions during his time as my assistant, and he has a great feel for course-designing. I look forward to seeing what he does.”

As well as working at Blenheim, Winter also designs courses for international classes at Somerley Park and Chepstow, and has been a member of the committee at Chepstow three-day event for 15 years. With his wife, Lizzie, he runs the Severn Vale Equestrian Centre.

Tickets to Blenheim, and information on the event, are available already via online bookings at: www.blenheim-horse.co.uk. The Box Office will be open for postal and telephone bookings from 1 May.

STOP PRESS: 22 January, ’07

Eric Winter has taken over the role of cross-country course designer at Longleat Horse Trials from Sue Benson. Benson has stepped down from Longleat due to her commitments at Bramham and the Pan American Games.

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