Hugh Thomas has decided to retire from his role as event director at Badminton Horse Trials once a successor has been appointed and is in place.

“I have decided that 2019 will be my last Badminton as event director and so I will be retiring once we are able to identify a successor and get him or her in place,” he said. “I have been asked to lead the recruitment process.”

Hugh continued: “In the mean time it will very much be ‘business as usual’ and I and the Badminton team will be starting on the planning for 2020.

“I have had 31 wonderful years, working with a terrific team of people and I am very confident that they are in a good place to take the event onwards and upwards.”

Hugh, 71, was initially both event director and cross-country course-designer at Badminton. He retired from designing the course after the 2013 event. Since then, the track has been designed by Giuseppe della Chiesa (2014-2016) and Eric Winter (2017-present).

Badminton final scores

Hugh rode at the top level before he moved into event administration, finishing second at Badminton in 1976 riding Playamar and riding at the Olympics in Montreal the year on the same horse. He worked in sponsorship with BEP in London before taking up the role at Badminton.

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The new director will be just the fifth in Badminton’s 70-year history. The event’s first director was Lt Colonel Trevor Horn (1949-56), followed by Lt. Colonel Gordon Cox Cox (1957-64) and Lt. Colonel Frank Weldon (1965-88).

This year marks the end of an era for Badminton in more ways than one. In addition to Hugh’s retirement, the 2019 event was the last to take place with Mitsubishi Motors as title sponsor, after 28 years.

Full report on Piggy French’s Badminton win last week in Horse & Hound tomorrow (issue dated 9 May).

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The sport of eventing has undergone massive changes in the past 50 years. In audio and video clips supporting a virtual rebuild of the course from 50 years ago, event director Hugh Thomas and others talk through the four different phases on cross-country day, highlighting the evolution the sport has experienced...

“Back in 1969, the cross-country day was known as the ‘speed and endurance day’, so called because of the four phases involved — Phase A (roads and tracks), Phase B (steeplechase), Phase C (roads and tracks) and Phase D (cross-country),” explains event director Hugh Thomas.

“It was a very different day to what we see today; Phase A, the roads and tracks, acted very much as a warm-up before Phase B, the steeplechase. More roads and tacks followed in Phase C, before the vet inspection in the 10-minute box ahead of Phase D, the cross-country.

“The only phase that still functions today [in modern-day eventing] is the cross-country phase. There was also a very different scoring system back then, with riders able to gain maximum bonus points [for coming in under a certain time]. Not long after the 1969 Badminton, the FEI changed that scoring system. There were no more bonus points, which made it much easier to understand.”

‘A true endurance test’

Former event rider Judy Bradwell — who is now a top trainer and was the first female president of the ground jury at Badminton, having also ridden round the three-day event — reflects on how the sport has changed over the years.

“The main difference between now and then is that we didn’t do nearly as much in the cross-country warm-up back then, because we had the road and tracks and steeplechase to warm our horses up,” says Judy.

Badminton final scores

“In those days we also carried weight [lead in weight cloths], the weight was set at 11st 11Ib, and we didn’t rely on studs either — I’m not even sure we had studs back then,” she adds. “A three-day event was a true endurance test for both horse and rider.”

Hugh compares the steeplechase speed to a “slow point-to-point”.

“The steeplechase course comprised four or five brush fences, jumped twice,” says Hugh. “Sometimes we would see falls on the steeplechase, but back then there were ‘penalty zones’ — on the cross-country too — if something happened outside the penalty zone you couldn’t be penalised. The penalty zone extended 20 metres after the fence and 10 metres before it, but the concept was abolished in the late 1980s.”

‘Well designed for horse welfare’

The 10-minute box was used for horses to refresh after Phases A, B and C ahead of the final cross-country element, and where the horses received a check-over by the team of vets.

Bill Bush was a member of the horse inspection team in the 10-minute box for 25 years at Badminton.

“As a horse approached from Phase C, the roads and tracks, we would look at them and see how they were trotting in. If the horse looked particularly tired, we would wait for the vets to check their heart rate, before making a decision on whether or not they were okay to go across country,” explains Bill.

“Our job was to ensure the horses were well, fit and strong enough to go round the final phase.”

Hugh adds: “Phase C, the roads and tracks, was designed for horses to wind down following the steeplechase and recover their breath, so that when they came into the 10-minute box they could rest and start the cross-country in good shape. The sport has always been well designed for horse welfare — it was not any more strenuous for the horses back then compared to today.”

‘Flimsy timber’

Eventing has witnessed an evolution over the years, with the change from a long to short format the biggest of them all.

“The cross-country test was easier back then, it wasn’t as complicated,” says Hugh. “It was just as big, but there were no angles, corners or narrow fences, for example.”

The 1969-winning rider, Richard Walker, adds: “Nowadays, the construction of the fences across country allows riders to be more daring in the saddle because they are so well built and attractive.

“Back then, the fences were upright and built with flimsy timber. Now, they have pleasant groundlines and riders can attack the fences more freely. I would like to have ridden some of my past horses around the modern-day courses.”

Click here to view the full audio and videos from the archive, courtesy of the CrossCountry App.

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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Badminton’s event director Hugh Thomas will be chairman of the board of British Eventing (BE) until the end of 2014.

Past chair Amanda Ratcliffe stood down in March during the final year of her term due to external commitments.

As well as his Badminton duties, Hugh has previously been chairman of the British Equestrian Federation and chairman of the FEI eventing committee.

Hugh said: “I look forward to working with the board and the first-class staff that BE now has in place.”

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A palpable sigh of relief went round my table as the starter was brought into lunch today, at the press preview day of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. After a year’s break in 2013, baked eggs were back. None of us could quite remember what we had last year instead, but we knew it was DIFFERENT — that we had been denied the sublime cheesy, creamy, hard-boiled egginess — and we didn’t like it. Business as usual was a huge relief.

Except of course, it wasn’t business as usual today. The pre-lunch cross-country drive had had a new frisson, because we were viewing for the first time the creation of new designer Giuseppe Della Chiesa. Event director Hugh Thomas designed Badminton’s track for 25 years prior to stepping down last year and, while some members of the press are more “senior” than others, few present today would remember a Frank Weldon course. So viewing a Badminton created by someone other than Hugh was a whole exciting new world.

And what was it like? The press preview day is a fairly fleeting glance — we drive round in a fleet of Mitsubishis and get out at perhaps five fences — but on that acquaintance, it looks like a testing challenge.

The fences are generally sited in the same spots as previously, with the notable exception of the Gatehouse New Water (fence 14, above) near the Luckington Lane. Giuseppe was not present today, so Hugh was our guide, and explained that the fences are fairly soft here this year, while they test how the pond — made suitable for a jump at considerable effort and expense — works. But “the investment in this jump has got to last a long time” and we can expect to see more tricky things here in future.

As an aside, Hugh revealed that the use of silver birch here is deliberate, in the hope the uneven colour makes it easier to pick out the rails in what can be a confusing meddly of water, trees and shadow. It’s certainly a picturesque site, with a view down to the side of Badminton House.

Badminton final scores

My prediction for the most difficult complex is the Swindon Designer Outlet Mound (fence 18, right).

Here, riders run up a newly sculpted mound, over a narrow tree trunk and down the other side, making a fierce right-hand turn to another skinny trunk, then a sharp left to a further accuracy test. I’ll probably be wrong and everyone will sail through, but those twists look tough, especially if horses are tired after the Vicarage Ditch section.

Other themes? Truly long long routes — not that there are many of them — plus more fences which demand a break in the rhythm means it’s likely the time will be more difficult to get than in recent years (which should be applauded). Goodbye to some “staples” (the pick-ups at The Lake) and hello again to some old traditions (the PHEV Vicarage Vee, left, is back and even more fearsome when followed by a second skinny rails in the ditch).

Plenty more will be said about this course before and after the event. Hundreds of thousands will watch competitors tackle it live at the event, many more on television. People will judge “how it rode” and we stats geeks will crunch the stats.

I can’t wait. Bring on Saturday, 10 May.

Video preview of the course

Read Lucinda Green’s thoughts on the cross-country course in the first part of H&H’s preview, out Thursday, 1 May.

Full form guide for every competitor and more in a special 24-page pullout guide to Badminton, included in the issue out Thursday, 8 May. 

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What’s an editor to do when a string of big stories — all worthy of being front page news — land on your desk just as you are about to go to press?

60 years ago, the Daily Express dealt with this conundrum deftly in the famous headline: “All this — and Everest too”.

That was how the paper summed up the feelings of a jubilant nation on 2 June 1953 (the day of The Queen’s Coronation) when the news that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had scaled Mount Everest came through.

Now I don’t pretend that Monday’s (8 July) events at H&H Towers were anything like as seismic, although there was a Royal connection.

But the revelations that a pregnant Zara Phillips — and Team GBR stalwart Mary King — were off the squad for the Europeans, while our golden London 2012 dressage riders would be reunited were dynamite for the horse world.

Badminton final scores

We quickly spiked the lead story we’d prepared (you’ll see it in a couple of weeks’ time), did the Starbucks run for a round of double espressos and took a few deep breaths…

…And then an email from Badminton Horse Trials pinged into my inbox.

Course designer Hugh Thomas — who has taken a pasting from some senior riders for this year’s course — was standing down.

This in itself was a momentous story. Badminton has only had 2 designers since its inception in 1949; the legendary Colonel Frank Weldon — and Hugh. Now, the Italian, Giuseppe della Chiesa is to take over.

Once the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the office subsided, we opted — at a brief news conference — to put the Badminton story on page 6, and split the double page spread across pages 4 and 5 between the team news and Zara’s pregnancy.

In any normal week, any of these stories would have commanded the lead spot, across pages 4 and 5.

Relegating Hugh Thomas’s resignation to page 6 felt very odd — and frustrating. I’d have loved to be able to explore it further, but there simply wasn’t the space. In slipping this out, had Badminton, I wondered, decided it was a good day to bury bad news? (To quote that notorious New Labour special advisor on 9/11.)

Through the long winter months at H&H especially, we have to work very hard to find strong news stories, spotting trends and working our contacts books to keep the readers informed and entertained.

The God of News was certainly bounteous on Monday. But my goodness, I wish he’d spread it out a bit!

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Badminton Horse Trials is to have a new course-designer for next year.

Giuseppe della Chiesa, technical delegate at Badminton from 2008 to 2010 is to take over from Hugh Thomas, who has designed the course since 1989.

“It will be evolution, not revolution,” said the Italian course-designer. He has been contracted for three years, starting in 2014.

The announcement follows grumblings from top names including Mark Todd, Lucinda Green and Tina Cook that the Badminton course needed a “fresh look”.

At the time Hugh, who is also event director, told H&H he had no plans to appoint a new designer. But today (Monday 8 July) it was announced he had stepped down from his role as course designer.

“I am hugely looking forward to supporting Giuseppe in this new chapter of Badminton,” he said. “2013 was one of the most successful ever. We have never had such a high class field and the event will be difficult to match next year.”

Badminton final scores

Guiseppe, who was the technical delegate for the Bejing Olympics in 2008, has also designed the championship track at Pratoni, Italy where he was show director for the World Equestrian Games in 1998 and course designer for the European Championships in 2007.

“While I was surprised that Hugh was standing down as course-designer, I am honoured to be asked and looking forward to working with course-builders the Willis Brothers and all the team at Badminton,” he said.

The 2014 event will run Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 May.

For a full story see this week’s issue of H&H — out Thursday 11 July.

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Discussion about this year’s cross-country at Badminton failing to pose enough of a challenge started before the first horse had set out.

Sir Mark Todd described it as “three-star with some four-star elements”. Later, after 59 horses jumped clear — 25 of them within the time — Oliver Townend questioned whether “the biggest event in the world was pushing boundaries [enough] to keep that reputation”.

His comments were echoed by Irish international Sam Watson, who finished 22nd with a double clear. He told H&H that, while Badminton is still “the world’s greatest event, it isn’t the biggest or toughest”.

That accolade, he says, now belongs to Burghley, which is “massive and terrifying”, while Pau is “extremely technical and challenging”.

Time for a change?

Olympic silver medallist Tina Cook went further in her H&H column last week (23 May) — and asked whether it was time for horse sport’s governing body, the FEI, to implement a course-designing rotation at the top events.

Badminton final scores

Unusually for a four-star, Badminton’s director, Hugh Thomas, is also the course-designer. He took over from Colonel Frank Weldon in 1989.

Badminton has, said Tina, “lost its ability to scare riders”.

She recalled when “the fences over the Vicarage Ditch used to put the fear of God into us. You had no choice but to find your line early, shut your eyes and kick like hell.”

Bringing in a new designer every five years would “bring a fresh look to events,” said Tina.

Other top tracks could benefit from such a policy too, she suggested.

Change for the better

H&H put those comments to Hugh Thomas. He told us he has no plans to invite a new designer to Badminton, despite the vocal criticism from some high-profile figures.

Mr Thomas said that the “sport has changed for the better”, meaning people “no longer want to see falls and retirements”. And he will not be pressured by calls from purists for the classic scary fences, like the old Vicarage Vee.

“Those who talk about building more rider frighteners have failed to understand that these are the sort of fences where rider error causes the horse to be damaged,” he told H&H.

“Fences from the 1970s with no built-up take-off, no pinned rails and a ditch on the landing side into which a horse could easily land will not be reappearing.”

But six-times Badminton winner Lucinda Green — who believes the event has now been superseded by Burghley as the world’s premier four-star — said that it should be possible to “give riders a sleepless night” without building unsafe fences.

“If you look back over 60 years, you see some seriously imaginative and difficult fences that weren’t any more unsafe,” she said.

“We don’t want to see injuries, but nor do we want a cross-country test that has no effect on the results. This is the Wimbledon of horse trials and we want to keep it so.”

“Badminton has become just another four-star — rather than the one every rider aspires to,” she said.

The full version of this news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (30 May 2013)

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The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course has been unveiled ahead of this year's event (2-6 May 2013)

Following last year’s cancellation due to waterlogging, this year’s course is similar to the one built for 2012, with a few minor adjustments.

Course designer Hugh Thomas offers expert insight into the challenges facing riders as he walks through the course with Daisy Berkeley in the official Badminton coursewalk video.

Don’t miss Horse & Hound’s Badminton preview issue, on sale 25 April.

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The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2014 will revert to its Thursday to Sunday schedule, moving to the weekend after the Mayday Bank Holiday.

Since 2010, the event has finished on the bank holiday to fit in with BBC TV schedulers.

But from 2014 it will revert to the second weekend in May (8-11th).

Badminton director Hugh Thomas said: “There is always a knock-on effect when big sporting dates change, but Royal Windsor has moved one week later [in 2014], so there will be no clash. We will also avoid any future clashes with the Kentucky four-star event.”

Badminton has signed a new contract with the BBC to cover the horse trials until 2016.

Badminton final scores

This year’s event was cancelled, after weeks of torrential rain left the course covered in standing water.

Next year, Badminton runs from 2-6th May. For more information, visit www.badminton-horse.co.uk

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Ticket holders for the final day of the Olympic eventing competition will be allowed to attend the final horse inspection, after a U-turn by organisers LOCOG.

The 20,000 spectators with tickets to the showjumping phase, on Tuesday 31 July, will be allowed into Greenwich Park from 7.45am, LOCOG told H&H today.

The horse inspection – where all the horses still in the competition are presented to the ground jury to check their fitness to continue – will begin at 8.15am.

Badminton director Hugh Thomas resigned from his technical role at the Olympics over LOCOG’s original decision to bar spectators from the trot-ups.

LOCOG had said that “operational factors” precluded it from opening the inspections to the public.

But today a spokesman announced the change of heart.

She said: “The final horse inspection has become a popular public feature at major events. LOCOG has worked hard to change the schedule to make this change possible.”

Ingmar De Vos, secretary general of horse sport’s governing body, the FEI, said: “The FEI is happy that LOCOG has revised the access schedule on 31 July to allow spectators into the venue in plenty of time to watch the final horse inspection for eventing.

“It [31 July] is a particularly important day for equestrian sport, as it is the day when the first medals will be decided in equestrian sport’s centenary year.”

• See next week’s Horse & Hound (5 July) for more on this story.

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Badminton director Hugh Thomas has resigned from his technical role at London 2012 over organisers’ decision to bar spectators from the horse inspections.

In a letter to Greenwich venue manager, Tim Hadaway – seen by H&H – Hugh said he was “horrified” to hear that organisers, LOCOG, would not be admitting the public to the eventing horse inspections.

“I truly think this is a disgraceful decision,” said Hugh.

“It particularly upsets me since, when I was course designer, technical delegate and then chairman of the FEI eventing committee, I personally ensured at previous Games – despite the wishes of the organisers – that the great tradition within eventing that the inspections are open and transparent should be upheld,” he added.

Hugh told H&H that it was important the inspections remained open to ensure the integrity of the process.

Badminton final scores

“It is also a traditional and hugely enjoyed part of three-day events,” he added.

LOCOG said a number of operational factors precluded the inspections from being open to the public.

In a statement, it said: “The horse inspection happens on the day of London’s Olympic opening ceremony and the final day of the torch relay so there is a lot of Olympic activity in the capital and a big demand on police resources and public transport.

“An operational decision was taken not to open this to the public for these reasons.”

But Hugh said that was a “very bad decision”.

“They’re not even allowing people to see the final horse inspection on the morning of the showjumping, which is beyond a joke,” he told H&H.

“It only means they’ve got to open the venue a little earlier – there is a huge number of enthusiasts who want to come,” he added.

LOCOG said it accepted Hugh’s resignation. He was a member of the Ad Hoc committee, which exists to referee major disputes and investigate serious accidents.

Hugh told H&H he and his wife had tickets and would be attending the event in a personal capacity.

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Photographs of work in progress on the cross-country course for this year’s Badminton Horse Trials suggest the track will contain new fences with a bold, old-fashioned feel, as seen at Burghley last year.

Course-designer Hugh Thomas was reticent about revealing much, but told H&H: “We’ve probably got more new fences being built than for many years.”

The pictures – taken by Hugh and posted on the Badminton website – show the return of some bold, old-fashioned obstacles.

There’s a beefy footbridge angled across the Vicarage Ditch and a “beam”, a trakehner-style fence with a flat rail over a ditch.

In addition, the step out of the sunken road has been smoothed out, a skinny arrowhead hangs on the edge of the Lake and some of the Quarry logs appear to be taking on a new narrow aspect.

Badminton final scores

It also looks as if riders will be tackling an owl hole-type fence on top of the Outlander Bank for the first time.

“I’m excited about this year’s event, especially as we’ve had record sales in the first two weeks since the box office opened,” said Hugh.

James Willis, who is responsible for the courses for the BE90 and BE100 finals at the Mitsubishi Motors Grassroots Championships, said those tracks will be stronger again this year.

“We didn’t want to go way too hard from the start, so we hope to increase the difficulty every year until we find a balance,” he explained.

“We’re still limited by the number of efforts and the size of the jumps, but we’re trying to test the riders a bit more.”

Among the changes will be a new step up and down near the four-star quarry.

Badminton’s title sponsor Mitsubishi Motors has recently signed up for another three years.

By 2015 the sponsorship will have been running for 24 years, one of the longest such relationships in the sport.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (26 January 2012)

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The organisers of Badminton Horse Trials say they have been compelled to reinstate entry fees for 2012.

This is to stem the increasing numbers of horses being entered with little or no prospect of actually taking part.

It represents a U-turn for the event, which scrapped its entry charge in 2008.

Event director Hugh Thomas told H&H: “The inevitable consequence [of removing the fee] was a deluge of entries.

“But it was unfair to those on the waiting list desperate to get in, but not knowing whether they would be able to run until the eleventh hour.”

Badminton final scores

But leading riders have expressed doubts.

Lucinda Fredericks, who won in 2007, tweeted: “Just noticed Badminton has reintroduced entry fees – what a disgrace!”

Sweden’s Dag Albert, who was the final waitlisted rider to be accepted before last year’s event, doubts that the move will make a difference.

“I would only ever enter a horse if I intended to run it,” he said.

“Perhaps a better solution would be to refund the entry fee to those who take part, while those who withdraw without a good reason should have to forfeit their money.”

But Andrew Nicholson said that he could understand.

“On the one hand, Badminton is the most prestigious event in the world, so really riders should be paid to take part,” he said.

“But if having an entry fee helps reduce the waitlist that will be a good thing.”

Mr Thomas said the extra revenue created will be put back into the prize-fund.

An email sent to riders read: “The money will be returned by way of increased prizes and an increase [from £400 to £750] in the expenses paid to all owners whose horses complete.”

The entry fee will be £312.24 – in line with other FEI three-day events.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (12 January 2012)

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Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials director and course designer Hugh Thomas shares his thoughts on this year’s competition and the changes he has made to the course for 2011.

Listen to Hugh Thomas interview

Don’t miss our Badminton preview magazine

Find out what Andrew Hoy thought of the 2011 cross-country course in our special Badminton preview issue, on sale Thursday 14 April.

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As the anticipation continues to build in the run up to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2010, members of the press got their first look at Hugh Thomas’s cross-country course earlier today.

Listen to Hugh Thomas interview

Download course map [PDF]

Badminton cross-country course summary

Badminton final scores

Riders start over the inviting MITSUBISHI STARTER, (1) the flower bed in the main arena, then head left out of the gate this year to HIGHAM’S BRUSH, (2), named in honour of Badminton’s retiring stud groom, Brian Higham and onto the charity fence, the WORLD HORSE WELFARE QUARRY (3, 4, 5, 6). This is the first real test on the course where the direct route involves turns in and out of the pit, over massive logs both at the bottom and top of steep inclines.

There is a good gallop to the IRISH SPORT HORSE STUDBOOK HUNTSMANS CLOSE (7, 8, 9, 10). Riders leap a big spread in open country followed very quickly by an upright gate. Then it is left over the now familiar brush corner and a sweep round to a relatively narrow log on an angle.

Next is a photographer’s favourite, the WADWORTH BARRELS (11) with Badminton House as a backdrop and on to the crowd pulling LAKE (12). All riders have to jump the Mitsubishi Pickups and the brave will turn sharp left and splash into the water over the narrow willow ‘wave’, aim for a narrow ‘skinny’ brush in the water and out over a bullfinch.

The MARLEY ETERNIT BARN TABLE (13) is a relative let up, but will need respect and then comes another serious test, the COUNTRYSIDE COMPLEX (14). This starts with a ‘barrel top’ roundel, into the Sunken Road, up, out and over a second and third roundel on the turn.

Tackling the double of open corners at the HS1 FARMYARD (15) will require spot on steering unless competitors wish to waste a lot of time taking the scenic route, which involves the familiar Mike Weaver’s Haycart.

Now down to the series of fences that cross the Vicarage Ditch. The direct route at the COLT POND (16) consists of two hedges on a tight angle, similar to the old Luckington Lane crossing, but this time instead of a lane there is a water splash to negotiate.

Recent Badminton competitors have got the hang of the very narrow HSBC HEXAGON HEDGE, (17) but first-timers may blanche a bit before heading to the OUTLANDER BANK (18), where familiarity should not breed contempt. A right handed loop back over the ditch takes in a good old fashioned oxer at THE ASX CROSSOVER (19).

The SHOGUN HOLLOW (20) is an upright post and rail with drop into the hollow, up, out and over a boxed corner followed by a chance to put the foot down if there is enough gas in the tank and take a flyer at the SHOOTING BUTT (21).

After that spin riders will need to come back to show jumping mode if they want to make a success of the HSBC FEI CLASSICS CORRAL (22) an upright, an oxer and another upright on a tight right turn.

The JOHN WHITAKER INTERNATIONAL TRUNKS (23) make use of a vast fallen tree, but there are still some challenges ahead. The ALTERIAN STAIRCASE (24) is used going up, this way round the course, and there is a narrow obstacle waiting at the top.

There isn’t much difference between the choice of routes at the LANCER VILLAGE (25, 26), a small housing estate on varying terrain, and there’s a final chance to kick on over the KEEPER’S BRUSH (27) before the OWL HOLE (28), now attractively situated in a copse.

THE ROLEX CROSSING (29, 30), has caught out one or two of the very best in the past, but once cleared it’s back into the arena and the welcome sight of the MITSUBISHI GARDEN (31) and the roar of the delighted crowd as riders pass through the finish.

Don’t miss H&H’s Badminton preview special issue, on sale 22 April, to find out Pippa Funnell’s thoughts on this year’s course, with an accompanying online video of her walking some of the more influential fences.

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

Read the latest Hugh Thomas news

Hugh Thomas took over from the legendary Frank Weldon as director and course-designer at Badminton in 1989.

He was also responsible for the track at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and has designed for five junior and young rider championships.

He held the chairmanship of the British Equestrian Federation for three years until 2008.

Hugh previously evented at the top level himself, most notably finishing second at Badminton on Playamar in 1976, and rode at the Montreal Olympics in the same year.

Badminton final scores

He graduated from Oxford in philosophy, politics and economics, and worked in sponsorship with BEP in London before taking over at Badminton.

He is married to second wife Mandy, with whom he has two sons, and also has a son and a daughter from his first marriage.

Pictures of Hugh Thomas and Jeanette Brakewell walking the 2008 Badminton cross-country course

Contenders for the 2008 Queen’s Award for Equestrianism are British Olympic team trainer Yogi Breisner, Hickstead’s Douglas Bunn, chairman of the Indoor Horse Driving Trials Club Richard Carey, national hunt trainer Leslie Crawford, Riding for the Disabled’s Jill Gibson, World Horse Welfare field officer Hamish John Lochore, International Equestrian Federation vet John McEwan, chairman of the British Equestrian Federation Hugh Thomas and Major Richard Waygood, from the Household Cavalry.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (3 July, ’08)

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

Hugh Thomas, chairman of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), will stand down when his term of office ends in June.

“I have seen major developments with the BEF ” he said. “I hope we have laid the foundations for the tasks that lie ahead.”

There will be an election for this position.

BEF director for marketing Clive Hetherington, director for international affairs Toby Vincent and director for commercial affairs Lotte Olsen will stand for re-election.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (6 March, ’08)

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

In the wake of the storm of criticism that greeted this year’s Badminton Horse Trials in May, organiser Hugh Thomas has revealed a swathe of major changes.

More than 25% of the field withdrew, complaining of rough and hard going on the cross-country course and in the warm-up arena. Afterwards, riders criticised Badminton for lagging behind other major three-day events (news, 26 July).

The key changes (listed below) include major work to the ground — on the course, warm-up and main arena — and a number of incentives for riders and their teams, including the abolition of entry fees and a major increase in prize-money.

“Obviously, Hugh has taken heed of what we all had to say, and made a huge effort,” acknowledged Clayton Fredericks, chairman of the Event Riders’ Association (ERA). “If we could have run the competition on the ground we saw, it would have been perfect — the warm-up area looks like a golf fairway — but the proof will be in how the event runs next year.”

He added: “No entry fee is a milestone, completion grants, higher prize-money and improvements to the lorry park — it’s very commendable, but there is still a way to go to have riders and owners completely happy.”

Badminton final scores

The 2008 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials will take place from 1-4 May.

Badminton’s new initiatives

• Turf consultants appointed, ground maintenance equipment purchased
• Course pegged out and mown, to be aerated, sanded, fertilised etc during the year. Park users — including Duke of Beaufort’s hunt — asked to keep off the track
• Ground on warm-up area reseeded and prepared. Planning application sought for an all-weather warm-up area
• Waiting list kept for event, with aim of starting 85 horses
• Prize-money increased to £60,000 for first prize (25% more than any other event in the world) and £1,000 for 20th, the lowest prize. Overall fund, £251,000
• Riders’ entry fee scrapped
• Award of £200 to grooms of horses starting cross-country (previously £175 for grooms of finishing horses)
• Extra money given to Event Riders’ Association dinner
• One more pair of passes available per horse
• Improvements to access of and ground in lorry park, installation of additional, modern toilets and showers

www.badminton-horse.co.uk

Read other top rider’s views on the changes in Horse & Hound (15 November, ’07)

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