Olympic team gold medallist and record-breaking eventer Ros Canter has been celebrated alongside other global sporting stars.

The Allbright global 40 Over 40 list, in partnership with cosmetics company UKLASH, celebrates women who have stood out in business, science, technology and AI, culture and arts, social impact and public life and sport in the last 12 months.

In the sports category, Ros is named alongside tennis player Serena Williams, boxer Katie Taylor, power lifter Martine Barons, rugby player Maggie Alphonsi, marathon runner Alice Braham and Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor.

Ros and Lordships Graffalo made history in May when they won Badminton Horse Trials for a third time, just over three months after Ros welcomed her second child. In August Ros and Lordships Graffalo led the Brits to team gold at the World Championships in Aachen, where they also won individual silver.

Ros’s Allbright nomination said she had turned her “renowned mental strength” into “one of the sharpest weapons in eventing”.

Ros, who turned 40 in January, said it was “pretty cool” to be named on the list.

A 40 Over 40 spokesperson said Allbright and UKLASH are “incredibly proud to recognise and celebrate” the women featured.

“Each of our five categories is a place where women’s experience is changing what happens next, whether that’s Anita Lim’s research sending cervical screening kits to the homes of millions or Wunmi Mosaku winning a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination for Sinners,” said the spokesperson.

“Every woman here made her mark in the past 12 months, but each drew on the years before: the false starts and hard calls, the second chances and lessons she had to learn herself.”

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Tom McEwen has taken the lead from Yasmin Ingham at the top of the Pau Horse Trials dressage leaderboard.

Tom is riding Quintus, a precocious rising star who is making his five-star debut at the age of nine – one of a trio of his year group at Pau.

The pair scored 28.6, to move just 0.3 ahead of overnight leader Yasmin on another first-timer Gypsie Du Loir.

“He's come here as a nine-year-old, done Boekelo as an eight-year-old, so he’s smashing the numbers but the numbers don’t matter, it’s how he feels,” said Tom of the Quibery 3-sired gelding, who is owned by Deirdre Johnston and Jane Knight. “And he feels amazing. To come out here and do a PB for way of going in an arena is pretty special.

“Today is what he can do at five-star at this moment in time and I believe there’s an awful lot more in there.

“He's a massive horse who works really hard. From the outside he looks super relaxed, but internally he gets a little bit nervous.

“We’re doing things a little differently with him now,” Tom added. “I messed up at the start of the year, nearly put too much pressure on him to get him a little bit more together, and it made him tense, whereas now I treat him like a smaller horse and ride him forward and keep him easy.”

A shift at top of Pau dressage leaderboard

Wiltshire-based American Tiana Coudray was another from this Friday-morning session to catch the eye. She slotted into equal second on her own Cancaras Girl on a score of 28.9.

Despite this accurate and expressive performance, Tiana says the 16-year-old mare isn’t a natural in the dressage arena, but is still getting stronger.

“She’s a horse I can't be greedy with,” she said. “She does everything she does out of good will and a fantastic temperament. She doesn’t actually have the best body for this, so as long as I respect that and nurture it, she gives me everything.

“One change we threw some marks away, but she keeps getting better and better. It’s really exciting to have a horse that tries so hard and keeps showing up to work. She’s very level-headed and on the aids, it’s what we’re all dreaming of.”

This test features a half-circle trot stretch, which has been hit and miss for some horses.

“The trot stretch is very short, so I’ve been training her to show it off as otherwise it’s over before you’ve done it – today in the ring was the first time she’s done it!” Tiana said.

Last year the mare slipped on the flat when she was going well across country, so Tiana is keen to put their French record straight.

“I like the course but I’m nervous I’m too comfortable and am missing a few tricks,” she said. “My first thoughts are that it’s a lovely track with enough to do.”

Izzy Taylor and Ros Canter in the mix

Izzy Taylor continued her impressive return to this level with a sub-30 test on the grey 11-year-old SBH Big Wall, whom she describes as “a really level horse without a crazy side – or he hides it well”.

“I’ve had this horse from the beginning, which is a treat to bring them up to the five-star level because you do know everything about them – and them about you – that’s very special.

“It’s not been the smoothest year for us [after Izzy broke her leg] but he went in there, his five-star debut and gave it a good crack. We always want more but there’s massive room for improvement but for where we are I’m pretty happy.”

Izzy is also ninth currently on Barrington Alice.

Ros Canter conjured a super test from MHS Seventeen – also owned by Deirdre Johnston, as well as Lady Milnes Coates – to lie in sixth on 31.9.

“He hasn’t always found the dressage easy and he doesn’t have the best movement, but this year he’s found his confidence in the work and I’m able to show him off much more,” Ros said.

The gelding cut his hock in the field 10 days before Luhmühlen, which necessitated some time on the sidelines.

“We’ve come here to give it a go, but I’m probably a bit shy of where I want to be with him. He’s been to Pau before and deserved another shot at it.

“It’s nice for him to be here off his own bat, because he's always been to five-stars with Izilot and been the underdog. But actually he’s starting to hold his own and I absolutely love riding him. He’s a phenomenal jumper and I love to gallop him.”

There is still plenty of action to come in the Pau Horse Trials dressage phase, with the final 18 of the 49-strong field set to resume at 2.30pm (1.30pm British time).

Pau Horse Trials dressage standings at the end of Friday morning

1. Tom McEwen/Quintus (GBR) 28.6
2eq. Yasmin Ingham/Gypsie Du Loir (GBR) 28.9
2eq. Tiana Coudray/Cancaras Girl (USA) 28.9
4. Izzy Taylor/SBH Big Wall (GBR) 29.5
5. Hallie Coon/Kapriccio (USA) 31.4
6. Ros Canter/MHS Seventeen (GBR) 31.9

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Ros Canter led from the front to win the Rathbones CCI3*-L at Aspen Cooling Osberton (1-4 October) with “real three-day horse” Broadstone Lion Man.

Ros and “Leo”, owned by Jo Needler and Kate James, added nothing to their class-topping dressage score of 24.8 to land victory in the ring.

The Billy Tudor son, bred by Amy Foulstone (née Hawley), oozed effortless athleticism through his showjumping round on Sunday. It was that class and jumping ability that first attracted Ros’s attention.

“I knew Amy from when I rode for Judy Bradwell,” said Ros. “I taught Amy on him at a clinic when he was a young horse and he really caught my eye.

“I asked that if she ever decided to sell him, would she think of me. She came back to me the next week and said, ‘I’ve been thinking that I need to sell one anyway.’”

Ros added that Kate was looking to become involved in another horse after co-owning Pencos Crown Jewel was sold and that family friend Jo was also interested in ownership, so a plan came together. The now nine-year-old joined Ros in 2024 and the pair enjoyed a couple of great runs, before a setback put the brakes on their progress.

“I did two events on him and then he went through some fencing in a field,” said Ros. “He had to have a little operation, and he also had a fully blocked tear duct at the same time, so he had a very quiet year the first year that we had him, which means that he’s a year behind where we thought he would be.

“He is fantastic. He’s a real three-day horse – he loves sleeping, so being in a stable all week and only coming out for a few minutes of work is perfect for him! He came out for his dressage nine minutes before, we had it all planned, and he showed his best work in the test.”

Course-designer Stuart Buntine’s flowing three-star track, run over excellent ground, received much praise from riders. It encouraged competitors into a forward rhythm, before looping through the woods and over a decent selection of questions.

Faults were well spread. The Bucas Angled Brushes (4ab) caught out a handful, as did the Foran Equine Triple Bars (6ab) arrowheads. The Woodhouses Rail, Ditch, Hedge (8abc) was another influential question, so too was the vertiginous drop to two brush corners at the Uvex Cracking Bank (12abc) and the Aspen Cooling Water (22abc).

Scores were so tightly bunched in this 80-strong class that none in the top 10 could afford a rail and to keep their place. Emma Lawton and Dinarthall Sea King held the runner-up spot after cross-country, but one rolled pole dropped them to fifth and opened the door for Emily King and HG Woods to rise into second (27.4).

The 10-year-old HG Woods, who is owned by Alex Wilcox and Helen Morris, bounded over the coloured poles with charming enthusiasm.

“I adore riding him, he’s the coolest little chap. He was third in the two-star here last year, so nice to go a level up and a notch better,” said Emily. “He’s a pleasure in all phases – he feels like he has everything to be a top one.”

Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon turned her week around, after finding herself on the floor following Borough Tupence’s particularly athletic bronc on Wednesday, ending Sunday on the podium.

“She’s taken time as she is very sensitive and just needed to become stronger and more mature,” said Vittoria. “Her dressage has really progressed in the last year or two, particularly thanks to Flo Dawes and Lisa White. They really understand her.”

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As Ros Canter entered the arena with Armscote Explorer in the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S young horse class at Blenheim, it marked a very special moment for the mare’s owner/breeders Kate Willis and Mel Pritchard.

Kate and Mel have only ever bred two horses – both out of former racehorse Winsome Wendy – and both are competing at Agria Blenheim Horse Trials this week. The grey nine-year-old Armscote Explorer, who is making her Blenheim debut, and her full brother, Ditchford Explorer, who is ridden by Ben Way and competing in the Agria CCI4*-L.

“We’re over the moon, it feels very surreal,” Mel told H&H. “It’s quite a family affair because I bought the mum from my father-in-law Peter Pritchard, who is a racehorse trainer. She wasn’t the best racehorse, but she was an amazing eventer, and then we bred these two from her, and they’ve both just turned out to be wonderful.

“We’re so grateful, happy and lucky.”

Both horses, who are stabled next to each other this week, are in touch with the sharp end of the leaderboard in their respective classes. Ben and Ditchford Explorer scored 34.9 – some nine penalties off provisional leaders Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar (25.6). Ros and Armscote Explorer earned a mark of 30.7, to hold provisional 15th place at Friday lunchtime, less than a pole away from current leaders Bubby Upton and Auckland 7 (26.9).

“I had the dam in the yard to sell and I loved her so much that I kept her,” said Mel. “I evented her at very low level, then a friend of mine competed her a little.”

When they decided to breed from her, Ben and another friend suggested that Cevin Z could be a good choice, as his strengths could complement Winsome Wendy’s thoroughbred qualities.

“Their mum was really laid back. We’ve always said that ’Billy’ (Ditchford Explorer) was a bit like a Labrador; he would follow me around fields and pick up buckets! Both of them are very laid back, and they’ve always been like that, and very friendly,” said Mel.

“Shane Borland broke them both in and said they were so easy, and they’ve always been the kindest, loveliest horses to have.”

Sarah Way, who rode the distinctive five-star horse Dassett Cooley Dun for Mel and Kate, initially competed both siblings. When she stopped eventing, Ben took over the reins of one and the other went to Ros.

Ros added: “She’s a sweet, sweet-natured horse. The owners are fantastic and we are just thoroughly enjoying her.

“I’m delighted with her, she’s got a fantastic brain.”

Ros added that the mare’s changes are there, but not on a straight line yet, which is one of the particularly tricky questions in this four-star test.

“She did her first CCI4*-S at Scone and I practised them on a straight line the week of that, and lost them completely. So I’ve just been rebuilding a little bit,” said Ros. “I haven’t done any on a straight line until today, as I just thought that she’s just not quite there yet. But she got one really well, and just did a really level test, which is what she’s very good at.”

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Members of Britain’s world gold medal-winning team are among those who will take on a new arena eventing challenge at the London International Horse Show this year.

Ros Canter, Gemma Stevens and Tom McEwen have already been confirmed as competitors in the London International eventing challenge, which will be the highlight of the Friday evening performance (18 December).

“The challenge will bring together the speed, skill and excitement of eventing in an action-packed format designed especially for the unique indoor setting of London’s Excel venue,” a spokesperson for the show said. “The class has been developed in partnership with British Eventing, and will showcase one of equestrian sport’s most popular disciplines, while providing a spectacular platform for some of the sport’s leading riders and horses.”

The track, which will be at about three-star level, will comprise a mixture of coloured show jumps and cross-country obstacles, “creating a high-octane challenge that tests speed, accuracy and horsemanship in equal measure”.

The show has worked with British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood and FEI level three course-designer Adrian Ditcham on the class, which will run in the main arena and part of the collecting ring.

Arena eventing at London International: “It’s about time!”

Announcing the new competition on her Talk Horse podcast, class ambassador Pippa Funnell said: “It’s about time!

“It’s brilliant as we’ll be bringing the eventing element to London International. I know we have great stars already signed up to it, including Ros, Gemma and Tom. I think it will be really, really exciting.”

More details on the format and entries will be confirmed in the run-up to the event.

Show director Simon Brooks-Ward said: “We are always looking for new ways to showcase the very best of equestrian sport to our audiences, and arena eventing is a fantastic addition to the programme.

“Bringing together the excitement of cross-country and showjumping in an indoor arena creates a truly engaging spectacle for spectators, whether they are long-time eventing fans or experiencing the discipline for the first time. We are delighted to be working with British Eventing and leading figures within the sport to make this happen.”

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Ros Canter topped the four-year-old Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final aboard Kilcorig Gotcha Talkin, an Irish Sport Horse gelding by Tyson out of Gotcha Nema (by Casall), owned by Patrick Murray and Lauren Painter – on a final score of 84.75, having only sat on the horse for the first time just over a week ago.

“I don’t know a huge amount about him – he only got dropped off to me just over a week ago,” Ros said. “But Lauren, who owns him, produced him in Ireland – he won a four-year-old class at Dublin Horse Show, so he’s quite experienced.

“They were bringing him over and asked whether he might be a horse I’d ride in the future anyway, so I thought it’d be a good opportunity to have a go here and see how we got on together. We were definitely still getting to know each other out there today, but he was just super easy, amazing temperament.”

The class assesses four-year-olds across four judged phases: dressage, jumping, suitability & type, and potential to gallop, with only the top 10 horses after the first three phases going forward to the gallop assessment, judged this year by Clayton Fredericks.

Ros and Kilcorig Gotcha Talkin led that leaderboard comfortably before the final phase, their combined score of 75.75 almost three points clear of Oliver Townend’s Stormbird in second on 72.85 – a lead a strong gallop score of 9 (second-best in the field) only extended further.

Ros also produced the best gallop score in the five-year-old class on Reuben, who went on to finish runner-up behind Caroline Powell and WLS Cula Bula. Asked how she consistently produces horses with such strong gallops, Ros explained: “I haven’t actually galloped them a lot, to be honest. I think it’s just trying to find the horse with the natural attributes and a good brain – get a good starting point, and then hopefully the work we do at home, getting all the basics in place, allows them to shine on a stage like this.”

Kilcorig Gotcha Talkin was first to go in the gallop phase, and his outstanding temperament was on display as he stood patiently in the collecting ring while others circled around him, waiting their turn.

“He was incredible,” Ros added. “He’s been standing at the box waiting his turn, fast asleep, happy as Larry, watching the deer, not bothered at all. Got on him, 15 minutes’ warm-up, and he’s ready to go. He just has the most incredible temperament – quiet as a lamb.”

Asked what lies ahead for the young gelding, Ros was optimistic but realistic about how far it’s possible to predict at this stage. “It’s definitely bright,” she said. “Whatever he ends up doing, a horse with such a nice temperament like that will hopefully always go on to do great things.

“It's so hard to tell at this age quite how far they’ll go, but he certainly is ticking all the boxes at the moment.

“But temperament is absolutely his standout attribute. But he can move too, and he jumps as well – he does seem to have it all. It’s just hopefully trying to do a good job by him, and seeing where the future takes him.”

Top 10: Dubarry Young Event Horse four-year-old final at Burghley

1. Kilcorig Gotcha Talkin (Ros Canter) – 84.75
2. Longfordpass El Quality (Susie Berry) – 81.60
3. WLS Kingston (Caroline Powell) – 78.60
4. Stormbird (Oliver Townend) – 77.85
5. MSHI Rockstar le Tot (Hayden Hankey) – 77.75
6. Swarovski SW (Indie Vaughan-Jones) – 76.10
7. Santessina (Josh Fearnley) – 72.55
8. Royal Herald (Flora Harris) – 71.20
9. Shadow Gesincklaer (Indie Vaughan-Jones) – 71.00
10. Smiling (Georgia Bartlett) – 71.00

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Ros Canter led the British team to a comfortable gold medal in the final reckoning as the eventing World Championships results were decided in Aachen. She also took individual silver with a superlative performance in every phase on Lordships Graffalo (Walter).

“This feels very special – relief and excitement all wrapped into one,” said Ros. “We know Walter is getting on for one of the best of all time and every time I ride him the pressure builds in an atmosphere like this. I know I’ve won a lot but I get to know him better each time.”

Ros came within a whisker of double gold, completing on her dressage score of 23.4, just 0.4 of a penalty behind the new world champion, Germany’s Michael Jung.

With the three British counting scores lying second, third (Laura Collett) and fourth (Tom McEwen) ahead of showjumping, it was an enjoyable watch for British fans, without too much jeopardy. The team had three fences in hand before the final phase, and finished 11.6 penalties clear at the top of the leaderboard.

However, when Laura and Tom both incurred faults at fence 12, two from home, it started the nerves a-jangling.

Happily for Laura, her rail didn’t cost her a podium finish, and she repeated her individual bronze and team gold medal haul from Paris.

Tom’s four faults proved more expensive, dropping him to seventh with JL Dublin, who jumped such a beautiful round, just rubbing that one rail.

“Dubs jumped really well, I was delighted with him,” Tom said. “I was a little bit tight at the water tray, I probably should have had more leg. It’s a shame but it didn’t cost the team anything. And I’ve finished fourth so many times, I’m rather pleased not to have done it again!

“Most importantly we have come away with what we came to achieve, which was team gold.”

Eventing World Championships results: the winning round

The German team took silver, with the US completing the podium in bronze.

Germany’s riders – the winner Michael Jung, ninth-placed Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Julia Krajewski in 17th – thrilled the home crowd with their silver medals, but it was Michael Jung’s nail-biter that roused them to their feet in sheer jubilation.

When he went into the ring, Michael knew he could not even a time-fault to retain his lead.

The first half of the course was scratchy, with Chipmunk clonking one fence so hard the rail came right out of its cups – and landed neatly back in them. He rubbed a few more but they stayed put.

Four years ago at the worlds, this pair lost the individual gold medal over the last two fences. This time luck was with them, and they set the record straight that the horse surely deserves.

This iron man of eventing made a rare show of emotion afterwards. The enormity of his achievement, with his 18-year-old partner, was plain to see.

“I’m speechless! I was definitely emotional at the end. Having the World Games at home, with this horse...” he said.

“He was jumping amazingly. Normally a double of verticals at the end of the course is not Chipmunk’s favourite thing but he was super. And you need luck on your side.

“Chipmunk is unbelievable. He’s doing great dressage, running fast cross-country cross-country, showjumping like a showjumper: careful, powerful and athletic. It’s a dream to ride him.”

US completes the podium: final eventing World Championships results

The US won silver in Pratoni four years ago, but had to climb through the field to finish third this time. Three showjumping clears sealed the deal.

Sixth after dressage and fifth after cross-country, they had a tussle on their hands with Switzerland and Ireland for the bronze medal.

Will Coleman and his Kentucky winner Diabolo (Dab) look a seriously class pairing. They finished on their dressage score of 30 for fourth place.

Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker, finished 13th, with Phillip Dutton (Denim) 27th.

“Dab was a star,” said Will. “He’s never jumped in an atmosphere quite like that. Kentucky is one thing but Aachen is kind of another.

“He was a little on his toes when he went in there, but he just knows the job. I knew he was going to do everything in his power to leave the rails up.”

Eventing World Championship results: team standings

Gold: Britain
Silver: Germany
Bronze: US
4th: Ireland
5th: Switzerland
6th: New Zealand

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Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were the anchormen for the British team and smoothly secured the overnight team lead in Aachen, as we review the eventing World Championships cross-country results.

They go forward on their dressage score of 23.4, moving up from fourth to the silver-medal position.

“I’m quite relieved to be honest,” said Ros. “It’s been a long wait today, and it’s a very intense track to ride. The Badmintons and Burghleys feel a bit easier for ‘Walter’ because you can cruise along in between, whereas today you have to go so fast in between, and there doesn’t seem to be any space.”

After watching her team-mate Tom McEwen take a long route late on the course, Ros admitted to a moment of self-doubt.

“I was tempted coming out of the last water to go long, as he felt a bit strung out, but I thought, ‘for goodness’ sake, you haven’t come to the World Championships to wimp out of it. So get on with it because you know you’re on a good horse.’ I’m really pleased I made that decision.”

Ros now sits just 0.4 of a penalty behind Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, who grabbed the lead from third after dressage also with a faultless clear. His compatriot and dressage leader Julia Krajewski (Uelzener’s Nickel) dropped down to 20th with time-faults.

“Chipmunk is an unbelievable horse, he has such a good stride, he’s so powerful, and it feels like he knows every jump,” said Michael. “He’s done all the big competitions, all the championships, he has so much experience, and was very good at listening to me today.

“At the end when I needed to fight for the time, he was really fighting and galloping.”

Just six pairs of the 85 starters jumped clear inside the 9min50 optimum time. Ros and Walter have an impeccable record of making tough times look easy, and today at Aachen was no different.

“What a horse! I’m just incredibly lucky. Walter is out of this world. I’ve been a little bit out of match practice this year – this is only my second three-day event this year,” said Ros, who gave birth to her second child just before the start of the season.

“I haven’t ridden many other horses [this year], so I was watching videos of myself at Badminton earlier to try to remind myself how fast I needed to go.

“But as soon as I got on Walter, I felt much more comfortable. He was amazing as usual.”

Business “as usual” was exactly right. But to say it was an uneventful round belittles the achievement – the pair were wonderfully smooth, with pinpoint accuracy as they galloped from fence to fence.

The biggest factor was simply the pressure Ros was under to deliver a clear as her score had to count, after team pathfinder Gemma Stevens’ uncharacteristic elimination on Flash Cooley earlier in the day.

British team results on the World Championships cross-country

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin put Britain back in the running with a fast clear to move up a place to fourth, adding just two time-faults.

“Dubs for me was brilliant,” said Tom. “I let him set sail, never felt like I was rushing and tried to leave enough petrol in the tank, hoping I was feeling enough to go the direct way in the corner combination near the end, but I made a quick decision and sped as quickly as I could round the long route [fence 24], which is clearly much safer.”

As third team rider, Laura Collett boosted Britain’s hopes with a clear just a whisker outside the time on London 52. They head into showjumping in bronze, 0.2 of a penalty behind Ros. It’s tantalisingly tough at the top – just 0.6 of a penalty covers the podium.

Meanwhile, British individual Caroline Harris also produced a clear, flying round on D.Day to stop the clock just 3sec outside the time.

Eventing World Championship cross-country results: team standings

The top six in the team standings after the World Championships cross-country

1. Britain 75.6
2. Germany 90.4
3. Switzerland 106.5
4. Ireland 110.1
5. US 112.3
6. France 113.9

This means Britain have three fences in hand over Germany, with seven poles covering the podium.

Eventing World Championship cross-country results: individual standings

The top six individual standings are:

1. Michael Jung / fischerChipmunk FRH (GER) 23
2. Ros Canter / Lordships Graffalo (GBR) 23.4
3. Laura Collett / London 52 (GBR) 23.6
4. Tom McEwen / JL Dublin (GBR0 28.6
5. Christoph Wahler / D’Accord FRH (GER) 29.4
6. William Coleman / Diabolo (US) 30

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Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo have kept Great Britain’s gold medal hopes alive following the conclusion of the dressage phase of the eventing World Championships.

The pair were the team anchor and scored 23.4 to keep Britain ahead of Germany. This score puts Ros into provisional fourth.

Ros and “Walter’s” early work stood out and the extended canter was a highlight. Walter showed no signs of tension despite the loud cheers coming from the massive main arena where the grand prix special was taking place at the same time.

It wasn’t quite all plain sailing though; their first flying change was late resulting in two 4s and a 4.5 from the judges. They promptly bounced back to receive two 9s for their halt and one judge awarded a 9 for this wonderful partnership’s harmony.

Ros Canter on her eventing World Championships dressage test

“He’s an absolute superstar,” said Ros. “He’s just so consistent and has the most amazing temperament when you go into a place like that.

“We actually didn’t hear the roar from the crowd next door, but apparently it was fairly huge, and we were walking along, both of us so concentrated.”

Ros said Walter is the “most amazing partner to have”.

“I feel very proud that he can be so close to the top of the leaderboard because he’s quite a blood horse and naturally wants to be a little bit on his forehand, which is why he gallops so well. To allow me to ramp him up like he does is quite amazing,” she said.

“It’s taken time and lots of practice to start to really dance and to suck up. He loves to drop his tummy, which is what he does when he gallops and what makes him such a streamlined galloper. It’s been lots of core work making him strong, and I actually think there’s more in him.”

The four flying changes have been troublesome for many throughout the two days of dressage at the eventing World Championships – and this was no different for this legendary five-star pair.

“He decided he’d quite like to have a walk!” joked Ros. “The changes are our trickiest thing, they always have been and still now I wouldn’t say they’re 100% at home.

“It’s a tricky test for him to do and he really has to have a bouncy canter in order to do a clean change. I went for the bounce and got a walk instead.

“I’m still pretty proud of the fact that he clawed it back and did the next two really well.”

Ros Canter looks ahead to the eventing World Championships cross-country

Looking ahead to tomorrow, Ros said the cross-country track is “extremely technical”.

“When you think back to Badminton and things like that, Badminton’s big but wasn’t overly technical this year, so I think we’ll definitely have to be on the top of our game,” she said.

“I'm a little bit out of match practice this year as well. I think we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then for me to really get focused on it, and I just hope that Walter will help me out and do what Walter does best.”

Going into the cross-country phase Britain is on 72.8, ahead of Germany on 73.6. France is in provisional bronze with 84.5.

As expected with such a strong British team, made up of the Paris Olympic trio of Ros, Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) and Laura Collett (London 52), Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley are currently Britain’s drop score on 29.3.

Team standings top five:

1. Great Britain 72.8
2. Germany 73.6
3. France 84.5
4. New Zealand 84.8
5. Switzerland 90.9

The Brits are in a strong place individually; Laura is second (22.8), Ros is fourth (23.4), Tom (fifth (26.6), Gemma is 16th (29.3). Individual rider Caroline Harris with D.Day is 40th (32.6).

The top 10 individual standings:

1. Julia Krajewski (GER) and Uelzener’s Nickel (22)
2. Laura Collett and London 52 (22.8)
3. Michael Jung (GER) and FischerChipmunk FRH (23)
4. Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo (23.4)
5. Tom McEwen (GBR) and JL Dublin (26.6)
6. Nicolas Touzaint (FRA) and Diabolo Menthe (26.7)
7. Andrew Hoy (AUS) and Vassily De Lassos (26.9)
8. Tamie Smith (USA) and Lillet 3 (27)
9. Jonelle Price (NZL) and Senor Crocodillo (27.2)
10. Alexis Goury (FRA) and Je’Vall (28.5)

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

The British squad for the eventing World Championships in Aachen (12-16 August) has been revealed, following much speculation. Unsurprisingly, the effort is spearheaded by the trio who won team gold at the Olympics two years ago.

Laura Collett (London 52) and Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), the individual gold and bronze medallists at last year’s Agria European Championships, are joined by their Paris team-mate Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), who missed the Europeans owing to her pregnancy but made a spectacular comeback at Mars Badminton Horse Trials with her third win there.

Their selection will shock nobody and will not be in any way controversial.

Gemma Stevens had emerged as a favourite for a place on the squad this spring with Flash Cooley and they have duly landed a spot.

The West Sussex-based rider and this smart grey have banked lots of super four-star form in the past few years, including experience at Aachen. This will be Gemma’s first senior championship since she was on the gold medal-winning team at the 2018 worlds in Tryon with Arctic Soul. Flash Cooley is the only horse or rider on the squad making a championship debut.

One has to assume the fifth and final spot was a tough decision – and whoever received that magic phone call, several others could feel aggrieved.

Caroline Harris is the one heading to Aachen, her recent win at Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials with D. Day evidently sealing the deal. Their two five-star wins bracket five top-10 four-star short results over the past two seasons – and a single, high-profile error at the European Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials.

It will be announced once the British squad are in Aachen for the eventing World Championships which four riders are on the team and who rides as an individual but at this stage, it’s probably fair to assume Caroline, the least experienced rider of the squad, will be the individual.

The reserve list gives us an idea of who narrowly missed out on a spot – alphabetically, David Doel (Galileo Nieuwmoed), Yasmin Ingham (Gypsie Du Loir), Tom Jackson (United 36) and Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal).

The obvious omission from the combined squad and reserve lists? Bubby Upton with Its Cooley Time. Selectors obviously decided their run of falls couldn’t be overlooked, despite their win at Defender Bramham Horse Trials. It will be a harsh blow to Bubby, but she will no doubt come back fighting and has plenty of team appearances in her future.

British squad for the eventing World Championships 2026

Ros Canter with 14-year-old gelding Lordships Graffalo
Owners: Michele and Archie Saul
Breeder: Lordships Stud and Pennie Wallace
Breeding: by Birkhof’s Grafenstolz TSF, out of a mare by Rock King
Groom: Sarah Charnley

Laura Collett with 17-year-old gelding London 52
Owners: Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett and rider
Breeder: Ocke Riewerts
Breeding: by Landos, out of a mare by Quinar Z
Groom: Tilly Hughes

Caroline Harris with 12-year-old gelding D. Day
Owners: Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle
Breeder: Fiona Olivier
Breeding: by Billy Mexico, out of a mare by Dilum
Groom: Nellie Smith

Tom McEwen with 15-year-old gelding JL Dublin
Owners: Deirdre Johnston and Jo and James Lambert
Breeder: Volker Goettsche-Goetze
Breeding: by Diarado, out of a mare by Canto 16
Groom: Adam Short

Gemma Stevens with 14-year-old gelding Flash Cooley, 14
Owner: Pru Dawes
Breeder: Jim O’Neill
Breeding: by CSF Mr Croon, out of a mare by OBOS Quality
Groom: Georgie Driver

Reserves in alphabetical order

David Doel with 15-year-old gelding Galileo Nieuwmoed
Owners: Mary Fox, Gillian Jonas and rider
Breeders: J. W. and A. P. Jurrius
Breeding: by Carambole, out of a mare by Harcos

Yasmin Ingham with 10-year-old mare Gypsie Du Loir
Owners: Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund
Breeder: Pierre Gouye
Breeding: by Herald 3 out of a mare by Canaletto

Tom Jackson with 10-year-old gelding United 36
Owner: Michael Stenning
Breeder: Heinrich Bohmke
Breeding: by Ucello out of a mare by Espiri

Harry Meade with 16-year-old mare Cavalier Crystal
Owners: Charlotte and Peter Opperman
Breeder: Thomas Horgan
Breeding: by Jack Of Diamonds out of a mare by Cavalier Royale

The entries are announced in collaboration with the British Eventing selectors and World Class Programme principal partner Agria.

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Eventing legend Ginny Elliot shared memories of her Defender Burghley Horse Trials wins when she and Ros Canter met at the venue earlier this month. Ros was there to unveil her new plinth, for her win last year with Lordships Graffalo, on Winners’ Avenue.

Every winning horse and rider at Burghley since its inception in 1961 are commemorated along the famous avenue of lime trees, in a series of plinths that are the brainchild of former event director Bill Henson.

More recently, the event has started inviting the reigning champion to view their plinth and this year the Burghley team invited Lordships Graffalo’s owners, Michele and Archie Saul, to join Ros, along with five-time Burghley winner Ginny.

“When I was growing up, I was in awe of all these names,” said Ros, who was meeting Ginny properly for the first time and added she loved watching videos of the legend when she was growing up.

The sport was quite different when Ginny was in her heyday and she shared memories from the days when Saturday involved roads and tracks and steeplechase and horses had to carry a minimum weight.

“I think I had to carry two stones of lead,” she said.

Fan favourite names such as Night Cap and Master Craftsman were in the air. Ginny said Night Cap crammed a stride into a bounce of bullfinches en route to his 1984 win and discussed forgetting the showjumping course in 1986 on Master Craftsman.

“He was really difficult showjumping; I was concentrating so hard on all the bits I had to do to help the situation and I went completely blank. But a guardian angel tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Turn right, you fool!’” she said.

Ginny later passed the grey to Ian Stark as he was too strong for her.

“I literally had no control,” remembered Ginny. “I had to wrap the reins around my hand but he kept pulling and pulling. But had he not taken off, we’d never have got inside the time and won.

“I’ve had so many hiccups; you never seem to have a hiccup… you’re just a joy to watch.”

Ros said people don’t notice that there’s always a moment of panic during every competition.

“Last year’s Burghley came with extra pressures because I was nearly five months pregnant… there is always a story behind a win and that’s what makes each one very special. It is a constant juggling act but having the children and all those extra dimensions makes me a little bit more resilient,” said Ros, who had her baby, Seneh, with her on the day.

Ginny concluded: “Ros is an extraordinary competitor and rider – one of the best I’ve seen for a very long time. The fact she thinks I might have had an influence is very nice for me, but she is extraordinary, and she’ll be there for a long time to come.”

Event director Martyn Johnson added: “Winners’ Avenue is synonymous with Burghley’s history and unique within our sport. It was very special to bring together past and present Burghley champions to reflect on how becoming a Burghley champion changes your life, and to be joined by Lordships Graffalo’s owners Archie and Michele Saul, who, like Ros, are Lincolnshire-based.

“As Ginny said, the heart always beats a little faster when you arrive at Burghley. It’s truly a special place for any equestrian fan and particularly special for those who have won here.”

• To book Burghley Horse Trials tickets, visit burghley-horse.co.uk/tickets
• Read more about Ros’s competition mindset and how she overcame a confidence crisis in our upcoming exclusive interview in 16 July issue of Horse & Hound magazine. To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

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Ros Canter leads after Burghley cross-country with superb performance, tweaking her style to account for her pregnancy

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A pre-Burghley toast to the magical Murphy Himself – the daredevil grey that famously took out strides at the world’s biggest fences

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

Defending champions Ros Canter and Izilot DHI are among the withdrawals from Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials (17-21 June), leaving a depleted CCI5* field.

Ros and Alex Moody’s horse had been the favourite to win again, but it was not to be – and Ros’s other ride MHS Seventeen, owned by Lady Milnes Coates and Deidre Johnston, has also been pulled out.

Entries for the CCI5* were already on the lean side; there were only 31 combinations on the original list, but as of today (16 June) only 22 remain.

The other British withdrawals are Laura Collett and Hester, Andrew Downes with Cooley Foxtrot, Elspeth Bryce on Lacoste and Alexander Tordoff with Cool Jack. Harry Meade has withdrawn Jet Fighter; the pair were at Defender Bramham Horse Trials last week, but withdrew before the cross-country.

US combinations Grace Taylor with Game Changer and Lucienne Bellissimo with Kitsch Couture HPK have also withdrawn, as has Australia’s Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane. Bill still has RNH Tom Tom R entered.

There are still six Brits in the five-star, including Pau five-star 2024 winners Caroline Harris and D Day, Stephen Heal with Hagonda and Sam Ecroyd riding five-star debutant Mister Big Ears. Ireland has two entries; Sian Coleman with Carrowgar Je Taime Max and Dominic Furnell on Ivanhoe. The home side has two combinations in the CCI5*; Heike Jahncke with Mighty Spring FRH and Katharina Meyer with Aspen T.

The CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy, which incorporates the German national championship, has reduced from 63 entries to 50. The only Brits in this class, John Tilley with Licence to Cooley and Gordon Murphy riding Highmoon, have both withdrawn.

Germany’s Calvin Bockmann and Altair De La Cense, who finished fifth in the CCI4*-S last year, are out – as is Sweden’s Amanda Staam with her 2025 Europeans ride Corpoubet AT, and Desiree Schmidt on Fairy Tale B, who have made Nations Cup team appearances for Switzerland.

Emily King and Valmy Biats originally showed as entered in the CCI4*-S, but now appear in the CCI5* entries – and New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Delarado, who appeared on the five-star list, now show in the CCI4*-S. Samantha was double-entered at Bramham and Luhmühlen with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, but opted to run at Bramham, where they finished runners-up in the CCI4*-S.

The Luhmühlen Horse Trials trot-up gets under way tomorrow afternoon (17 June). The first day of dressage is on Thursday, beginning with the CCI4*-S at 8am UK time (9am local) followed by the five-star dressage at 1pm UK time (2pm local). Find more information about how to watch Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

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

Can history repeat itself? Ros Canter and Izilot DHI set to defend Luhmühlen CCI5* title

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

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

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Ros Canter and Izilot DHI are among the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries (18-21 June), as the pair look to defend their CCI5* title.

Ros could be on track for history to repeat itself; last year she won Badminton with Lordships Graffalo in May then Luhmühlen five-star with Izilot DHI in June. She showed she is in phenomenal form at this year’s Badminton when Lordships Graffalo won his history-making third title. She is also entered with Lady Milnes Coates and Deirdre Johnston’s MHS Seventeen, who finished 19th in the German five-star last year.

This year’s Luhmühlen Horse Trials takes place just eight weeks before the World Eventing Championships in Aachen (13-16 August) and only 30 are entered in the five-star class, of which 13 are British combinations. Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Cazador are on the list and would make 31 entries, but the pair are already shown as withdrawn.

Pau five-star 2024 winners Caroline Harris and D Day (owned by Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier and Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle) will make the trip to Luhmühlen; Laura Collett will bring forward Lucy Nelson’s Hester, who finished seventh here last year, and Harry Meade is entered with 11-year-old five-star first-timer Jet Fighter, owned by Abigail Bernard. Sam Ecroyd will ride Mister Big Ears (owned by Julie and Michael Hall and Penelope Ecroyd), who is also making his top-level debut.

There are two home-side riders in the CCI5*; Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH (owned by Carsten Küst and rider) and Katharina Meyer and Aspen T (owned by Monika Tietz and rider). Jonelle Price will ride her own and the Grape Syndicate’s Grappa Nera and Tim Price is entered with Susan Lamb, Therese Miller and his own Happy Boy. Last year’s Luhmühlen five-star runner-up Samantha Lissington will ride Delarado, a five-star first-timer owned by Rachel Bessell, Ella and Magnus McGrigor, Kate Maitland, Braydon Lissington and Samantha.

Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries for the CCI4*-S

The CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy, which incorporates the German national championship, has 63 entered, including Emily King and Valmy Biats, who finished 39th at Badminton following some miscommunications across country. The other Brits are Gordon Murphy with Kevin McNab’s Highmoon and John Tilley and his own Licence to Cooley.

Among the 18 German entries are last year’s champions Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel (owned by Bernd Heicke), Christoph Wahler and Stefan Haupt and Hendrik von Paepcke’s D’Accord FRH and Calvin Bockmann with his family-owned Altair de la Cense.

Course designer Mike Etherington-Smith has introduced “several tweaks” to this year’s tracks.

“It’s a privilege to design at events like this. Luhmühlen is a top-class event and that’s exactly why riders enjoy competing here. All the fences are now in place and we are working on the final details,” he said.

“It’s fantastic to work alongside Kai-Steffen Meier, who brings a great deal of experience and is an excellent sounding board for ideas.

“The course is just that little bit more demanding this year to ensure riders stay focused and continue making decisions all the way round depending on how their horses are feeling. We are also using more frangible fences throughout the course to further enhance safety.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘I locked myself in the loo and re-watched videos I’m proud of’: Ros Canter credits new preparation strategy for Luhmühlen victory

New mother Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo make history with third Badminton win: ‘I’m in awe of how he jumped’

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The final Mars Badminton Horse Trials 2026 results are in! Ros Canter was odds on to win today and the script played out, with the British rider piloting Lordships Graffalo to a clear round, so they became the first combination to win the title three times.

Behind her, it was a more topsy turvy situation, with none of the rest of the top 10 holding the same leaderboard position after showjumping as they occupied before the phase.

Badminton Horse Trials 2026 results: how the final day played out

The day started as it went on – with some changes to the leaderboard. Two horses were withdrawn before the final horse inspection.

• Which horses were withdrawn?

Badminton final scores

Three more horses left the competition at the final trot-up, with two not passed when they were re-presented to the ground jury and one withdrawn from the holding box.

• Who was held and what happened to them?

This morning, we also caught up with some of those who didn’t finish the cross-country yesterday for an update on their horses’ welfare.

• Hear what Gemma Stevens, Tom Strawson and more said

Moving into the afternoon, Tim Price jumped first of the eventual podium finishers, his faultless round on Falco putting pressure on the rest of the top pairs.

• Tim finally talks publicly about how he broke his collarbone three weeks ago

Harry Meade had a single fence down to drop one spot with Annaghmore Valoner, a mare he adores.

• Was Harry pleased with the round?

Ros Canter was the final rider in to jump and she and Lordships Graffalo put in one of their best rounds – there was little sign of the pressure of the situation in the way they performed to secure the title.

• Why Ros won’t be celebrating tonight

And so the curtain falls on the 2026 Badminton Horse Trials, with the results set down in the history books and the legend of Ros and “Walter” continuing to spiral – what a pair.

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

‘Badminton is one week of the year, children are forever’: overnight leader Ros Canter on combining motherhood and elite sport

New mother Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo make history with third Badminton win: ‘I’m in awe of how he jumped’

‘We bought Caroline Powell an ice cream as she walked off course after retiring at Badminton!’ But what flavour was it?

Fancy a peek at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course? Of course you do!

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Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo put in a super showjumping round to win Mars Badminton Horse Trials this afternoon (10 May), making history as the first combination to win the event three times.

By the time they entered the arena, the pair had two showjumps and some time-faults in hand, but their round was incredibly assured and “Walter” never looked like touching a rail. Ros piloted Michele and Archie Saul’s 14-year-old gelding round to finish with two time-faults to win by 8.2 penalties.

“I’m kind of stunned – I try not to let myself get involved in all the things people have been saying about him being the first one to do it three times, so I think that will sink in a bit later,” said Ros Canter, who added that Nick Turner and Chris Bartle warmed her up and filled her with confidence before her Badminton showjumping round.

“But gosh, I’m just absolutely in awe of how he jumped today. I thought it was probably one of the best rounds he’s ever jumped, and probably one of the best rounds I’ve ridden as well, so I’m delighted that we were able to pull it off at the right time.”

Badminton final scores

Ros added: “I can’t put into words what it means to ride a horse like that. He loves it, he lives for it, he’ll be so content tonight. He looks and feels a million dollars.”

Ros Canter had her second daughter Seneh less than four months ago and did her final Badminton interviews after showjumping with Seneh in her arms.

“I feel lucky to be able to juggle both jobs – family and sport. I’m privileged to be able to do both at the same time,” said Ros.

Asked about celebration plans, she added: “Seneh is normally a very good sleeper, but last night she was up between 1am and 4am and so I’m pretty exhausted actually. So Chris [McAleese, Ros’s husband] will drive us home, so hopefully I’ll sleep on the way home and so will she. We’ll celebrate at some point, but it definitely won’t be tonight.”

Tim Price finishes second to Ros Canter

Behind Ros, it wasn’t quite so easy. Harry Meade was second overnight on Annaghmore Valoner, owned by Dinah and Stephen Posford and their daughter Juliet Carter, but they toppled the red and white upright over a water tray at fence six and had 0.8 of a time-fault, which ultimately dropped them from second to third.

This was Harry’s second time finishing third at Badminton, as he also collected this placing in 2014 with Wild Lone.

Tim Price moved up from fifth after cross-country to take second with a clear inside the time on Falco – the same spot the horse’s owner Sue Benson took herself in 1979.

The 17-year-old Falco has been first at Pau Horse Trials and second at Maryland 5 Star; his result here, despite Tim riding with a broken collarbone, truly franks his five-star form.

A single second over the time and a faultless round of showjumping secured fourth for Tom Jackson and the 10-year-old United 36, owned by Michael Stenning, who has come of age this week and looks like a serious horse for the future. They rose from eighth at the start of the phase.

Reigning British open champions Katie Magee and Angela Hislop’s Treworra just took out the first part of the orange butterfly double at fence 12 to move down one rank from fourth to fifth, their second good result here after 11th last year.

New Zealand’s Tayla Mason made a remarkable rise from 13th to sixth by just adding 1.6 time-faults on Centennial, while 12a also caught our France’s Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza, but they still rose from 12th to seventh.

It was an expensive day for Sarah Bullimore, who had the red postbox upright at four and the Mars Equestrian oxer at 10 down on the 10-year-old home-bred Corimiro. Their eight jumping faults and 1.6 time-penalties dropped them seven ranks from third to 10th.

Twelve jumping faults and seconds over the target cost both Ireland’s Lucy Latta (RCA Patron Saint) – riding with a dose of food poisoning – and Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (Hooney D’Arville). Lucy dropped from fifth to 17th and Lara from seventh to 19th.

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

‘Badminton is one week of the year, children are forever’: overnight leader Ros Canter on combining motherhood and elite sport

‘It’s a huge relief’: updates from Gemma Stevens and others who didn’t finish Badminton cross-country

Two top-20 contenders among three horses who leave competition at final trot-up at Badminton

‘We bought Caroline Powell an ice cream as she walked off course after retiring at Badminton!’ But what flavour was it?

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

Ros Canter has spoken about combining motherhood and being a top athlete as she rides at Mars Badminton Horse Trials this week, trying to make history with Lordships Graffalo by becoming the first combination to win the event three times.

“I’m very, very happy I’m a mum again – I think that’s overriding everything in that I wouldn’t change my situation for anybody else’s at this moment in time,” said Ros as she led the dressage yesterday evening (8 May).

Ros gave birth to her second daughter, Seneh – named after a house at the Black Country Museum, which she and husband Chris McAleese took their first child Ziggy to visit last year – in late January.

Ros said that she’s very short of time this week because “any spare moment I get I’m feeding her and things like that which is actually great, I’m really enjoying it”. So while she talks to people about the course and so on, those conversations are aimed at gaining information to help her performance and she tries not to get too worried about what others are doing.

Badminton final scores

“I’ve had two sports psychology sessions in the last few days, not really to learn anything new, but just to remind myself of the things I need to be a top performer at this level, in this environment,” Ros said.

“With my time being stretched, I’ve got to really utilise the bits of time I have by myself to use visualisation and all those sorts of things to make sure I’m in the right head space to compete.”

Ros Canter admitted she had “a little wobble” on arrival at Badminton Horse Trials on Tuesday.

She said: “We were later arriving than we wanted to be, we realised we had no water in the lorry, everything got really late and I suddenly felt a bit sorry for myself and I thought, this isn’t fair, everyone else is the enjoying the fact they arrived three hours ago, it’s getting dark, we’ve got four dogs in the lorry. We were just all over the place.

“Then I gave myself a bit of a talking to and when I got into bed I thought, but you don’t want to be anywhere else, you wanted to have this baby and you’ve got her, so as far as I’m concerned I’m very lucky.”

Ros said Seneh is “a great distraction, sometimes she takes up too much of my time, but I wouldn’t change it for the world”.

“I’m thoroughly enjoying having her in our lives. Badminton is one week of the year and hopefully we have children to be part of our lives forever,” she said.

Ros said that she knows she hasn’t had the same preparation as other riders for this week, but she believes physically she is in good enough shape, although not the same shape as she has been previously.

“So my expectations are more realistic,” she said, going on to address the huge expectations around her and Lordships Graffalo, who have a superb record including two Badminton and two Burghley Horse Trials wins, a European title and an Olympic team gold medal.

“I’m also aware as a horse and rider, with two brains and everything else, that we’re not going to win every competition and at some point one of us is going to make a mistake.

“I’m not saying it would be a relief because it wouldn’t, but he is just a horse and I am just a rider so if I make a mistake or he makes a mistake, I will try to tell myself not to be too disappointed because that is life and it will happen one day. But I’ll be doing my best to prepare to stop that from happening tomorrow.”

Ros Canter on family at Badminton Horse Trials: “I gave Chris a good lecture”

At the public chat zone on Friday evening, third-placed Lara de Liedekerke-Meier talked about the fact she discusses the cross-country course with her husband, course-designer and former top-level rider Kai-Steffen Meier.

“I’d love to say that I have a husband to discuss my round with, but I know my discussion with my husband tomorrow would be how early he’s allowed to go to the beer tent and to remind him he has two children to look after while I concentrate on my job,” joked Ros.

The rider followed up on the conversation in the chat zone this evening, after going clear inside the time across country to keep her lead.

“I gave Chris a good lecture last night about my expectations of him today and he actually behaved really well,” said Ros.

“I also gave myself a bit of a talking to – thinking about the fact that if it wasn’t quite the normal that I didn’t have a bit of time to focus, that maybe I was at a stage in my career where I shouldn’t get too worried about that, and I should pull on previous occasions where it’s gone right.

“So that was fine and I did have a bit less time today. But I wrote a plan last night so everyone in my team knew at what point they weren’t to come back to the lorry, because I wanted a little bit of time by myself this morning, just to get myself in the groove. And fortunately they listened.”

Tomorrow, Ros Canter will be the final rider to showjump as she bids to defend her title successfully and set a new Badminton Horse Trials record with the incomparable Lordships Graffalo.

Whether she wins or not, she’s certainly an inspiration for mothers and mothers-to-be everywhere.

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

Badminton Horse Trials 2026 results so far: Ros Canter retains top spot on leaderboard after action-packed cross-country

New mother Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo hold their lead with foot-perfect Badminton cross-country round: ‘I believe I can do it because of him’

‘Focus is a very different thing at the moment’: new mother Ros Canter blasts into Badminton dressage lead

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials live from anywhere in the world

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

The phenomenal Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are a step closer to another five-star title as they remain at the top of the leaderboard following an action-packed day of cross-country. If you want a quick run down of the key stories, here is a speedy review of the Mars Badminton Horse Trials 2026 cross-country results.

The reigning champions maintained their leading position, while some others who tackled Eric Winter’s five-star cross-country track came unstuck, prompting a reshuffle of the lower podium places ahead of Sunday’s second horse inspection and all-important final showjumping phase.

Badminton Horse Trials 2026 cross-country results: how the day unfolded

North Yorkshire rider Holly Richardson posted the first clear inside the time with Ballyneety Silver Service – while Caroline Powell walked away from a fall on the first of her two rides.

• Find out how the opening stages of cross-country day played out

Before we move on to the rest of the news, here are the top five scores.

Badminton final scores

Sarah Bullimore’s home-bred Corimiro posted a round wise beyond his years as one of the youngest horses in the field.

• Read how this rising star shone to sit in third overnight 

A problem for Tiana Coudray resulted in her tumbling from her second place overnight, a Brit gained a long-awaited Badminton cross-country finish, and a US rider had a water mishap.

• Read about some of the ups and downs of cross-country day

Will Rawlin’s assured performance has him on track for his best five-star finish to date – while Wills Oakden’s Keep It Cooley took away some valuable learnings.

• Read how the cross-country played out for Will and Wills

The crowd was with Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo all the way as they stormed home clear 13 seconds inside the time, after being held before the start.

• Read what Ros had to say about the mental challenge of today

There was mixed fortunes for top names including Emily King, Laura Collett and Sam Watson.

• Find out why Emily is annoyed with herself and who climbed an impressive 33 places

Tim Price and Falco enjoyed a good round – despite Tim riding with a broken collarbone.

• Read what Tim had to say about his round

The Badminton Horse Trials cross-country phase came to a close with a surprise fall for world number one Harry Meade and the retirement of a former winner.

• Find out how cross-country day concluded

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

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

Rare fall for Harry Meade as Badminton cross-country concludes – but he holds podium position on another ride

‘I learnt to do showjumper plaits on TikTok!’ – meet Georgie Driver, groom to Badminton competitor and showjumper Gemma Stevens

New mother Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo hold their lead with foot-perfect Badminton cross-country round: ‘I believe I can do it because of him’

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials live from anywhere in the world

Ros Canter has held her dressage lead at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials with a clear inside the time over the cross-country course today (Saturday, 9 May) on her defending champion Lordships Graffalo (Walter).

“I just feel incredibly grateful to him, to have a horse that allows me to come out at a level like this not maybe feeling at my best, but believing I can do it because of him,” said Ros, who had her second daughter, Seneh, in late January.

Ros said the challenge for her in riding Michele and Archie Saul’s Lordships Graffalo was more mental than physical.

“Physically I’m not up to where I was, but I was confident with him, because he makes my life quite easy, it wasn’t going to be a massive physical battle,” she said. “It’s more mental and about time – the time isn’t there, I’m feeding a baby – so the question was could I do it without having those moments to myself that I usually get?”

Badminton final scores

Ros added: “I feel very proud, not really just of myself but of the team I have around me. They’re the ones who have enabled me to do it. I didn’t sit on Walter until well into February and they put the fitness work into him when I wasn’t there – there’s a period just before and after having a baby when you just aren’t there.

“And my amazing mum, who’s been through a lot this year. She gets up earlier and earlier and works so hard to make my dreams come true.”

Dressage leader Ros Canter was held at the start of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country because the rider before her, France’s Luc Chateau, fell when Viens Du Mont hit the second brush bucket coming out of the Equidry Huntsman’s Close (fence 6ab). The horse galloped away and Luc walked home after receiving medical attention.

Once Ros and Lordships Graffalo got going, their partnership looked as superb as ever, with Ros riding with her customary longer reins and Walter putting his mealy nose forward to seek each fence.

They were copybook through the early combinations at the Equidry Huntsman’s Close (fence 6ab) and the Mars Lake (fences 9ab and 10ab), as well as through the Spillers Sustainability Bay (fence 20abcd), where Ros’s pupil Cassie Sanger fell earlier today.

Lordships Graffalo drifted slightly over the ditch at Mike Weaver’s Farm Yard (fence 22ab) and got a little close to the rail out, touching it, but the frangible device did not break.

They made the time easily, finishing 13 seconds inside the target without looking under any pressure, and will start tomorrow’s showjumping with a rail in hand.

Ros said of her brilliant partner: “He’s amazing – he pricks his ears and says, ‘I’ve got it’ but never tows me through it, never tows me onto a difficult spot. He’s always light in the gallop and enables me to get into a position where I believe I can be one of the fastest riders in the world.”

In the section immediately before Ros, Emma Thomas finished with 20 penalties at the Mars Lake (fence 9ab) with Icarus, plus six time-penalties, and fellow Brit Fiona Kashel jumped round clear on Creevagh Silver De Haar with 12 time-faults.

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

Dressage podium finisher drops down order as Badminton cross-country influences leaderboard

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A fall, a retirement and a clear inside the time: mixed fortunes for early riders on Badminton cross-country

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials live from anywhere in the world

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

No one could topple Ros Canter at the top of the the Mars Badminton Horse Trials dressage results, but Caroline Powell came closest in the final session today (8 May), moving into fifth.

The New Zealand rider and her 2024 Badminton winner Greenacres Special Cavalier, owned by Chris and Michelle Mann and her rider, scored 29 for their test, which was particularly well marked in the second half, with plenty of eights, plus one nine from Amanda Miller at B for their second flying change.

“I’m very pleased,” said Caroline. “It’s tough to get a good mark out there. She went out and put her game face on and I’m very happy with her.”

Caroline also has the less experienced High Time here, who sits 45th after dressage and will be the fourth horse out across country in the morning.

Badminton final scores

Comparing her two horses, Caroline said: “They both jump. High Time would be a bit bigger in stride and more fiery. Greenacres Special Cavalier would just trot through – she’s a funny horse, she won’t jump a ditch and she won’t go over a piece of string and you can’t do polework with her, but you put your legs on and she’s off, so that’s just her and that’s the way she is.”

Badminton Horse Trials dressage results: six nations in the top six

The dressage phase finishes with defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo holding a 4.4-penalty lead over second-placed Tiana Coudray with Cancaras Girl.

The top six has a truly international look with six nations represented – US rider Tiana is followed by Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier in third (Hooney D’Arville), Switzerland’s Felix Vogg in fourth (Cartania), New Zealand’s Caroline Powell in fifth (Greenacres Special Cavalier) and Brazil’s Marcio Carvalho Jorge in sixth (Royal Encounter).

The cross-country phase gets under way at 11.30am on Saturday (9 May) with Harry Meade first out of the start box on Et Hop Du Matz. View more Badminton cross-country times.

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

‘Focus is a very different thing at the moment’: new mother Ros Canter blasts into Badminton dressage lead

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials live from anywhere in the world

What time does your favourite start? Badminton cross-country times released

‘It’s mean to make us jump that ditch five times!’ Gemma Stevens, Harry Meade and Bubby Upton react to Badminton cross-country course

Fancy a peek at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course? Of course you do!

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

Ros Canter has blasted into the Mars Badminton Horse Trials dressage lead with a super test this morning (8 May) on four-time five-star winner Lordships Graffalo.

The defending champions scored 23.7 and so sit 4.4 penalties ahead of the overnight leader, Wiltshire-based US rider Tiana Coudray with Cancaras Girl, at this stage.

Michele and Archie Saul’s Lordships Graffalo demonstrated a super frame during his test, with his nose just in front of the vertical. His trotwork was very secure and relaxed and he gained two nines from Angela Tucker at H and Amanda Miller at B for his mid-test halt.

If there was a moment of tension, it was towards the end of the walk, but the following canter work was excellent, including a nine for one of the changes from Amanda Miller – particularly pleasing as the changes have been where this pair have sometimes lost marks in the past.

Badminton final scores

Badminton dressage after a baby for Ros Canter

Ros had her second daughter Seneh three and a half months ago and so has made an impressive comeback to ride at Badminton.

“It’s been a funny few weeks, having just had a baby, and focus is a very different thing at the moment, so I’ve had to work really hard the last few days to make sure I’m in the right frame of mind,” said Ros Canter after her Badminton dressage test.

“I was possibly a little bit stressed this morning, but I gave myself a word, had a bit of time by myself, and came out with a real plan. So I’m just delighted that it paid off.”

Ros has Seneh with her at Badminton.

“I said goodbye to her a good hour and a half before my test, because I didn’t want to be anywhere near her – pumped a load of milk out my boobs to flatten me off a bit – and then away I go,” she said, adding that her older daughter Ziggy and husband Chris McAleese are coming to Badminton later today.

Talking about coming back from having Seneh to ride at the top level so quickly, Ros said: “It’s just been a process. It’s one of those things where, when you are on a timeframe, like I’ve been, you perhaps get on a little bit sooner than you ought to, and then you start worrying that the tummy is never going to knock back into shape and things like that. And then all of a sudden, it gradually just does.

“I just haven’t had the time to let it do that and then get back on. I’ve been doing it as part of the process, so it always makes me a bit worried in my head.

“But physically, I feel good and mentally, I feel good when I’m on a horse. There’s just lots to do at the moment and my time is pushed so it’s just trying to factor in those moments to be a mum and to be an athlete.”

Ros added that her flying changes weren’t on point this morning and explained how she has to balance that movement with “Walter”.

She explained: “I’m absolutely delighted because I think I rode them just how he needs me to ride a change. He’s not a horse that really would ever just choose to do a flying change, so I have to change the canter slightly. Last year I had the canter a bit hot and then I missed the changes, so it’s a really fine balance with him to get them relaxed, but on the ball.”

“She would have gone into her shell like a tortoise”

Harry Meade was first into the arena this morning with his second ride, Dinah and Stephen Posford and their daughter Juliet Carter’s Annaghmore Valoner. The pair put in a super test, with the mare demonstrating lovely uphill balance, and scored 30.3 to hold sixth at this stage.

“For me with her, it’s all about the softness of her brain and then allowing everything to come out and up and in front of her, said Harry.

“She’s a horse that would naturally have gone into a shell like a tortoise, shrinking back with a short neck, and gone quickly and breathed heavily. And so for me, it’s all been about filling her with confidence and enjoyment, never ever making her feel like she’s done something wrong.

“If there’s a mistake, I say, ‘Sorry, that’s my mistake’ and then I do it again. It’s really important for her confidence that she’s able to exhale and then really grow and travel with that freedom and liberty and flair.”

Wills Oakden’s Badminton dressage performance

Harry was followed by Wills Oakden, who had an early mistake when Elspeth and Geoff Adam’s 11-year-old Keep It Cooley misunderstood the aids to change from shoulder-in to half-pass and cantered. They then pulled off a good test to receive a mark of 29.4. They sit in fourth at the break.

“We love the horse and he’s still young and immature at this level, so this week’s about just trying to give him mileage and exposure in this kind of atmosphere and around that kind of track,” said Wills.

“We’re delighted with him around his test other than that one mistake and it’s so annoying, because it’s normally his best movement as well, but it is what it is. Everyone has a hard luck story somewhere in the week and if that’s the worst that’s going to happen this week then that’ll be fine and we’ll move on.”

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

You may also be interested in:

‘I changed my riding style after the accident’: Badminton first-timer Sam Ecroyd on coming back from serious injury

‘She proves correct training does develop a horse’: US rider holds Badminton dressage lead overnight

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials live from anywhere in the world

‘They treat their horses as horses and not like glass animals’: Cassie Sanger’s groom Meigs Rutherford on learning from Ros Canter’s yard

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

The 2026 Mars Badminton Horse Trials entries are out – and champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are set to return to defend their title.

Ros, who won Badminton Horse Trials with “Walter” in 2023 and 2025, and gave birth to her second child this year, tops the stellar list of entries for this year’s event (6-10 May), all competing for a top prize of £125,000.

“Ros Canter, who is number five in the world, and the great Lordships Graffalo have already galloped into the record books as the only combination to win two Badmintons and two Burghleys,” a Badminton spokesperson said. “A third victory here together would seal their place in the sporting canon of all time.”

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent and Austin O’ Connor with Colorado Blue, who came second and third last year respectively, are on the list. Harry Meade, the world number one, has five horses to choose from as he eyes a first five-star victory and is likely to start on three of the five.

European champion Laura Collett is entered with the up-and-coming Bling, Emily King with Valmy Biats, with whom she has been placed for the past two years, and Gemma Stevens with Chilli Morning sons Chilli Knight and Chilli King.

Badminton final scores

David Doel has three horses entered. He is expected to start on Midnight Rollercoaster and Ferro Point, and fly Galileo Nieuwmoed to Kentucky instead. Bubby Upton brings forward her veteran campaigner Cola.

Former winners in 2026 Badminton Horse Trials entries

Boyd Martin and Tim Price will represent the US and New Zealand respectively, with Miks Master C and five-star winner Falco. Tim’s countrywoman Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, the 2024 champions, are also in the mix as well as 2018 Badminton winner Jonelle Price, with Chilli’s Midnight Star.

“It’s always a thrill that so many of the world’s top riders want to return to Badminton as well as the first timers aiming to ‘tick the box’ and be part of history,” said Badminton director Jane Tuckwell. “It’s going to be another exciting competition and will provide, we hope, some pointers to medallists at the World Championships in Aachen this year.”

Austin O’Connor has also entered with Sixmilewater, who made his debut at CCI5* last year.

“Badminton is the pinnacle of the sport and I am excited to be heading there again,” he said.

Badminton first-timers include Sam Ecroyd, who said the ambition to ride at the British spring five-star has “driven my whole career”.

“It’s been a long-time ambition for as long as I can remember and to be there this year with Boleybawn LeCrae feels surreal,” he said. “I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”

How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials

To watch every phase of Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.

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 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.

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

Ros Canter is planning to return to competition this week after having her second baby in January.

The reigning Mars Badminton Horse Trials and Defender Burghley Horse Trials champion shared the news of the safe delivery of her daughter on 2 February. On 4 March, she published a video on social media of her jumping top horse Lordships Graffalo over an oxer in the school at home with the words, “We are back! Let the road to Badminton commence…”

Ros and Lordships Graffalo are entered for the open intermediate at Lincolnshire this Friday (20 March). Ros will also ride Broadstone Lion Man and Armscote Explorer in the open novice at Lincolnshire on Sunday.

This return marks a first competition for Ros Canter since she won Burghley last September while pregnant with her baby daughter.

The organisers of the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby over the Easter weekend (3-5 April) have also shared that Ros and Lordships Graffalo – who belongs to Michele and Archie Saul and is known as Walter at home – are scheduled to compete there.

As many riders do, Ros is following a similar spring schedule to the one she has used in previous years. Since 2022, when Walter stepped up to five-star level, she has always run him once or twice at open intermediate and advanced intermediate level before stepping up to CCI4*-S at Thoresby for her major spring prep outing.

Judging by her previous form, Ros will not be out to win at Lincoln but to have a steady run across country for her season opener, with a slightly faster run perhaps on the cards for Thoresby. She has generally still held something back at Thoresby, though, and has not finished higher than fourth in the CCI4*-S there with Walter.

It’s obviously a system that works for Ros Canter as Lordships Graffalo has finished first twice and second once on his three Badminton starts – a brilliant record. At 14, he is very much in his prime and, assuming the build-up goes smoothly, will start as favourite at Badminton again this year.

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

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

Six-time five-star winner Ros Canter and her husband Chris McAleese have welcomed their new baby.

Ros announced she was pregnant in August last year, withdrawing from selection for the European Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials but going on to ride at – and win – Burghley Horse Trials in early September with her top horse Lordships Graffalo.

The child is a girl, a little sister for the couple’s first daughter Ziggy. Ros shared a picture on social media of Lordships Graffalo (Walter) with his head over his door and his tongue out, as she held the baby in her arms in front of the stable.

“The newest member of the team is here! Walter welcoming her with his usual charm and sense of humour! Chris, Ziggy and I are very proud and feeling extremely lucky,” said Ros’s update.

Ros and Chris have not yet revealed their new daughter’s name.

Burghley posted on social media to congratulate Ros, describing the new arrival as “the first Burghley-winning baby – already a record-breaker!”

Paris Olympic team gold medallist Ros Canter had her first baby, Ziggy, in July 2019 and returned to eventing a month later.

She said after her Burghley victory last year that she would be aiming to ride at Badminton Horse Trials this year (6-10 May) – if she competes at Badminton, she will be defending the title she won for the second time last year with Lordships Graffalo.

“You never know with childbirth, it can throw all sorts of spanners in the works, but the plan is to be at Badminton next year,” she said at Burghley.

Ros did not compete again last season after Burghley but said her intention was to continue to train at home and that she was looking forward to having more time to help her team and watch them at competitions.

“They give me so much time – it’ll be lovely to be able to teach them, to go and watch them in competitions. They get abandoned when they go to places because I’m so busy so I’m looking forward to that too,” she said.

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

You may also be interested in:

Happy 40th birthday, Ros Canter! We celebrate with a look back at the British eventing star’s career highlights…

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo win Burghley: ‘The overriding emotion is relief – every time I ride Walter the pressure builds’

Ros Canter leads after Burghley cross-country with superb performance, tweaking her style to account for her pregnancy

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

Many happy returns, Ros! We’re marking the 40th birthday of British eventing star Ros Canter with a look back at her career highlights.

Ros hit the big time relatively late – she didn’t ride at five-star until she was nearly 30 – but over the past decade, her career has gone stellar, with six five-star wins and seven senior championship medals, including two individual golds.

Ros’s first eye-catching result at the top level came at Badminton Horse Trials in 2017 when she finished fifth and best of the Brits on Allstar B.

Off the back of her Badminton performance, Ros was selected for her first senior championship, the Europeans in Strzegom, Poland, that autumn, where she finished fifth individually and helped the Brits to team gold.

The following spring, the pair returned to Badminton and landed their first podium place at five-star, third. Ros followed up with third at Luhmühlen Horse Trials that summer on Zenshera, proving she was no one-horse wonder.

At that year’s championship, the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, Ros took things to another level when she piloted Allstar B to the individual gold, as well as leading the British team to victory.

After the World Championships, Ros and her partner (now husband) Chris McAleese decided to start a family and their daughter Ziggy was born in July 2019. She returned to eventing a month later and began a campaign towards the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020. Of course, Covid-19 resulted in a delay and the Toyko Games actually happened in 2021.

With hot competition for the British team, Ros and Allstar B ended up as the alternate combination, supporting the Brits out in Japan and ready to step in if needed, but ultimately, having to watch from the sidelines as the trio collected their gold medals. The experience fuelled Ros’s ambition to make the team next time around.

At the European Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, later that year, Ros and Allstar B claimed another team gold, although after a strong start in the dressage, their cross-country round didn’t quite go to plan so they missed out on individual honours.

In 2022, Ros introduced a new superstar to five-star – Lordships Graffalo made a hugely impressive debut at the top level with second at Badminton.

The pair were members of the British team at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, that autumn, finishing fourth – on the same score as individual bronze medallists Tim Price and Falco, but placed behind because they were further from the optimum time across country, having had a quicker round.

The following year, 2023, was a huge one for Ros. She kicked things off by claiming her first five-star title, at Badminton, with Lordships Graffalo.

Selection for the European Championships in Haras du Pin, France, followed and Ros and Lordships Graffalo lived up to all expectations when they claimed the individual gold and spearheaded Britain’s team gold.

Ros topped off the year with a second five-star victory, at Pau Horse Trials on Izilot DHI.

Ros got her Olympic call-up for Paris 2024, but the event itself was a mixed bag – she helped the British team to a second consecutive Olympic gold, but a controversial flag penalty on the cross-country denied her a top-six individual finish.

Feeling Lordships Graffalo had another big run in him that year, Ros took him to Burghley Horse Trials for his first run there and the pair finished top of the leaderboard for Ros’s third five-star win.

And at Pau that autumn, Izilot DHI continued his trend of being a Continental five-star specialist with second place.

In 2025, Ros took Lordships Graffalo back to Badminton and the pair scored their second win there.

Ros followed up with her first victory at Luhmühlen, on Izilot DHI.

Ros announced she was pregnant with her second baby towards the end of the summer of 2025 and that she was withdrawing from selection for the European Championships at Blenheim.

However, she felt fit and well to ride at Burghley – where she did not have the pressure of letting down a team if she had needed to withdraw – and put up an outstanding display to defend her title successfully on Lordships Graffalo, who became the first horse to win both British five-stars twice. This was a sixth five-star win for Ros Canter and definitely one of her career highlights.

We look forward to seeing what comes next for Ros Canter and wish her all the best for the delivery of her second child in the meantime. Have a great birthday, Ros!

All pictures by Peter Nixon, except where otherwise stated.

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

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The curtain has closed on the 2025 Defender Burghley Horse Trials – and what a competition it was. It’s time to find out who won this year’s Burghley special prizes and trophies. 

It was a thrilling week of heart-filled performances at the British five-star, and one that will go down in the history books. We bring you our winners’ gallery below.

Burghley Horse Trials special prizes

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo left fans in awe when they became back-to-back winners of the prestigious Lincolnshire event, with an astounding nine-penalty margin. It was their second five-star win of the year, having won Mars Badminton Horse Trials in May, and Lordships Graffalo is the first horse to win both Burghley and Badminton twice.

Along with the Burghley crown, the pair and their connections bagged a host of prizes…

The Defender Perpetual Challenge Trophy, awarded to the winning owners (miniature replica to the owner and the rider of the winning horse): Archie and Michele Saul for Lordships Graffalo, ridden by Ros Canter

The Burghley Challenge Cup, awarded to the winning rider: Ros Canter

The Burghley Cakes, awarded by Jeremy Topham-Smith from The George Hotel, Stamford, to the winning rider and horse: Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo

British Breeding prize for the highest-placed British-bred horse: Lordships Graffalo, bred by Lordships Stud, Writtle College and Pennie Wallace, by Grafenstolz, out of Cornish Queen (by Rock King)

The Avebury Trophy, presented by Mark and Rosemary Barlow in memory of their three-time Burghley winner, to the rider of the best cross-country round as judged by Yogi Breisner: Ros Canter for Lordships Graffalo

The British Horse Foundation presented the Richard Matson Memorial Trophy and a £1,000 prize to the breeder of the highest-placed British-bred horse: co-breeder Lordships Stud, Writtle College for Lordships Graffalo

Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue finished second. This is the pair’s fourth five-star podium finish, their most recent was at Badminton, where they were third. 

They received a number of awards for their efforts:

The Henry Tate Challenge Cup, awarded to the owner of the second-placed horse: The Salty Syndicate

The Sugden Challenge Trophy, awarded to the rider of the second-placed horse: Austin O’Connor 

A Crystal Champagne Cooler, awarded to the owner and rider of the second-placed horse: The Salty Syndicate

World number one Harry Meade continued to show he is a five-star machine, taking third, fourth, and ninth. This is the third year running Harry and Cavalier have been third at Burghley. 

They once again collected:

The Stamford Challenge Cup, awarded to the owner of the third-placed horse: Charlotte Opperman

A silver photo frame, awarded by Dawson of Stamford Ltd to the rider of the third-placed horse: Harry Meade

A Crystal Tulip Bowl awarded to the owner and the rider of the third-placed horse: Charlotte Opperman and Harry Meade

The Twemlows Burghley Scholarship for two embryo transfers, awarded by Twemlows Stud farm to the owner of the highest-placed British domiciled mare to finish in the top 20: Charlotte Opperman for Cavalier Crystal

One of the Burghley Horse Trials special prizes was given to a rider outside the top three…

A Miniature of the Defender Perpetual Challenge Trophy, awarded to the highest placed first-timer: Cassie Sanger riding Redfield Fyre

Pol Roger Champagne presented a jeroboam of Pol Roger Champagne to the top three riders: Ros Canter, Austin O’Connor and Harry Meade

Fairfax & Favour presented a prize to the best-dressed male and female riders at the first horse inspection: Matthew Heath and Samantha Lissington

There were also prizes for unsung heroes behind the scenes…

Spillers Horse Care Prize, to the grooms of the best-cared-for horses, in recognition of their hard work and dedication – winner: Francesca Denning for her care of Austin O’Connor’s Colorado Blue

Runner-up: Tilly Hughes for her care of Laura Collett’s Bling

The Worshipful Company of Farriers best shod horse award: Stephen Hill (pictured left) for Alexander Tordoff’s Cool Jack 

Lady Victoria award: awarded to George Burnham, groundskeeper

Unsung hero award, in memory of Justin Llewelyn: Annette Grundy, catering steward for more than 30 years

Burghley Horse Trials special prizes – winners’ pictures by Peter Nixon and Nico Morgan

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

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Ros Canter topped the Defender Burghley Horse Trials results 2025 today, winning on Michele and Archie Saul’s Lordships Graffalo with a comfortable nine-penalty margin.

“Walter” becomes the first horse ever to win two titles at both Badminton Horse Trials and Burghley. He won Badminton in 2023 and this year and took the Burghley honours last season too.

Ros had two fences in hand by the time she went into the arena but never looked like needing them – she and Walter put in a totally assured performance. They finished just over the optimum time to add 1.2 time-faults to their dressage score.

“The overriding emotion is relief that I managed to pull it off – every time I ride Walter the pressure builds and I know one day I won’t be perfect and he probably won’t have my back at some point as he won’t be able to,” she said. “But I’m so grateful for the opportunities for myself, my team and my owners that we get to have with him. He’s the horse of a lifetime and hopefully an inspiration to many.”

Ros said that it had been helpful that she was training US rider Cassie Sanger today so she had something to distract her – often when riding here she has had two horses or a Burghley young event horse entry, but because she is pregnant, she finishes her season now and has been focusing just on Walter over the past few weeks.

“As soon as Cassie went I went into a Portaloo – that smelt lovely – and sat on the toilet for a few minutes with headphones in, drowning everything out and trying to remember who I was riding and how I wanted to ride him,” she said.

Ros added she had gone through phases with her nerves through the day.

“It’s never a prospect you look forward to, something like this,” she said. “I’m always a bit of a self doubter and hope that I can see a stride at the right time and everything else. But I’ve become quite well practised, fortunately, in a situation like this.

“Sometimes it’s easy when you’re nervous not to focus, because it’s an avoidance tactic. I set my alarm a lot to stop, think, and then have an alarm to make sure I switch off again. I have an alarm to make sure I get changed at the right time and things like that. I worry about missing things then I never switch off and that’s a dangerous place to be too.”

Ros said her day had included a lot of walking, lunch with her husband Chris and daughter Ziggy – “I didn’t manage to eat much” – and reading her book and somehow she had “whittled the day away”.

After his triumph in the Burghley Horse Trials 2025 results, Lordships Graffalo’s name is being thrown around in conversations about the greatest event horses of all time.

“I hope he goes down as a legend of our sport, a legend of all time, not only for his performances but for his character as well,” Ros said. “He’s an unbelievable horse to have at home and he thrives on these occasions. I could have dropped the rein, waved at the crowd for 15 minutes and I don’t think many horses would do that.”

“I have had nothing but support”

Ros said that the goodwill since she announced her pregnancy has been “amazing”.

“It’s a big deal announcing a pregnancy when you know you might be coming to an event like this. It was a necessity in my case because I wasn’t going to the Europeans,” she said. “I can’t believe I haven’t had a single person saying ‘What are you doing?’ – I’ve had a few people saying, ‘Are you sure?’ and ‘Be careful’ – but on the whole I have had nothing but support and the sense people just wanted to see Walter again.”

Ros said that she felt “bodily self conscious” at the start of the week before she had “performed and performed well”.

“I know I’m bigger than I was, but the moment I’d done my dressage test and I was up there, and I felt I rode well, I pretty much had no doubt after that that I’d be running cross-country,” she said.

“I’ve actually felt better and better to be quite honest – I think the more I’ve done, the more active I’ve been [the better]. I’ve got myself a bit more sorted, last week I felt pretty full and bloated and uncomfortable. I’ve changed a few things this week. I think the more I think of myself as an athlete, the better I feel.”

Ros confirmed she plans to be back eventing next season after having her second child.

“You never know with childbirth, it can throw all sorts of spanners in the works, but the plan is to be at Badminton next year,” she said.

Ros will continue to train at home now and said she is looking forward to having more time to help her team and watch them at competitions.

“They give me so much time – it’ll be lovely to be able to teach them, to go and watch them in competitions. They get abandoned when they go to places because I’m so busy so I’m looking forward to that too,” she said.

Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue finished second in the Burghley Horse Trials 2025 results, with Harry Meade and Cavalier Crystal third for the third year in a row. Harry was also fourth on Annaghmore Valoner, in a further echo of last year’s result.

Alice Casburn was fifth on Topspin, their fourth consecutive top-10 finish here, with Tim Price and Vitali sixth. The New Zealand pair dropped down three placings today with fences 5a and eight down.

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout Burghley and other major shows this year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website, from £1 a week. Horse & Hound’s 20-page magazine report on Burghley is published in 11 September issue, including full analysis and exclusive comment from six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt.

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Defending champion Ros Canter will lead at the conclusion of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country today (Saturday 6 September), having put in the only round inside the time over Derek di Grazia’s course.

Ros and Lordships Graffalo, owned by Michele and Archie Saul, had an absolutely foot-perfect round – they appeared to cruise over Burghley’s undulations, with Ros barely moving in the saddle as she set up the 13-year-old in perfect balance for combination after combination. The tricky fences which have caught out so many – the Trout Hatchery, Joules at the Maltings, Defender Valley – looked like schooling exercises for this superlative pair.

“Lordships Graffalo is the most incredible horse – there is no other horse where you can spend time preparing for the fences to make sure you get it right and still cruise home inside the time. He gives me every opportunity to ride well,” said Ros Canter, who finished eight seconds inside the time over the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course.

“I do always move the minute markers up 10 seconds to give me a buffer. I felt I was a bit down on the way round, which is quite good for me as it makes me keep trying harder, and he did feel a bit wearier in his gallop than usual,” she said, adding that the “insane” crowd lifted “Walter” as she came back through Defender Valley over the Defender Lodge (fence 27).

“I nearly had half a smile and thought, ‘Don’t you dare’ as he was getting a bit lower and I had to concentrate.”

‘It was down to me to make a calculated decision’

Ros is pregnant with her second child and said she had to change her style slightly today, riding with longer reins, because she is not as strong in her upper body as usual.

“I felt good this morning,” she said, when asked about the decision to run across country here. “On Thursday, there was lots of chat about my condition and everything else – it sews the seeds of doubt a little bit.

“But once I got my dressage test done, I felt good doing that and I walked the course and got in the right frame of mind. I felt very much in the competition. I did hop on him this morning for my benefit, just to pop a few fences and thought, ‘You are just Ros and it’s Walter and we can go and do what we do.’

“I always wanted to do it, so up to a point it was mind over matter because of course you have many people with many different opinions, who’d like to tell you what they think, which is absolutely fine. I just had to make a choice with the people who were important to me and I had unwavering support from my family and my husband Chris.

“[Lordships Graffalo’s owners] Michele and Archie always wanted me to come, but never put me under any pressure to come. I felt like I was riding well and it was down to me to make a calculated decision.”

Asked if she would sleep well tonight, Ros said: “I hope so – I slept really badly last night, partly because I was feeling nervous, partly because Chris and [our daughter] Ziggy came yesterday and it was three in a bed on the Luton and I was feeling cold because they took all the duvet.”

Ros was second after dressage, but first-phase leaders Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent had a run-out today so have slipped down the leaderboard.

Just before Ros set out, Emily King, sixth after dressage, lost her chance of a good placing when she had a run-out at the angled brush shoulder at the Boodles Raindance (fence 7bc) with Valmy Biats and then retired.

The following rider, Germany’s Christoph Wahler (seventh after dressage), had a risky moment when he scraped over the second two elements at the Defender Dairy Mound (fence 9abc) with D’Accord, and then was jumped off at the Burghley House Turrets at fence 14.

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout Burghley and other major shows this year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website, from £1 a week. Horse & Hound’s 20-page magazine report on Burghley is published in 11 September issue, including full analysis and exclusive comment from six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt.

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Ros Canter has slotted into second in the Defender Burghley Horse Trials dressage standings, just 0.4 of a penalty behind leaders Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent.

Ros and Lordships Graffalo, owned by Michele and Archie Saul, put in a super test – accurate, smooth and powerful – to score 22.4. They earned the first 10 of the competition, from Christina Klingspor at E for their final centreline and halt.

Ros and Lordships Graffalo are the defending Burghley champions and won Badminton Horse Trials for the second time this spring. They start this year’s Burghley as favourites.

“There’s a fair amount of pressure when it comes to riding Lordships Graffalo – he doesn’t often do a bad test or make mistakes – so it’s all about trying to eke out as many marks as we can,” said Ros Canter of her Burghley Horse Trials dressage test.

“But I was particularly thrilled with the flying changes today – we missed two of those at Badminton. They have always been something that we kind of get, but they wouldn’t necessarily be 100% believable. I’ve worked hard on those since May and today, they just felt really secure.”

Ros is pregnant with her second child.

“I feel good. I felt good in there, maybe a touch out for breath occasionally,” she laughed. “Tomorrow’s another day. We’ll go out for another bike round the course and we take every day as it comes. But at the moment, it’s all systems go.”

The rider withdrew from selection for the European Eventing Championships in two weeks’ time when she announced her pregnancy and she explained the decision to come to Burghley rather than potentially go there.

“Very simply, the Europeans is a team competition. Pregnancy progresses day by day and I wouldn’t know whether I would want to compete in two weeks’ time or not. It wouldn’t have sat well with me if I’d had to pull out last minute or if I had not been able to ride at my best for a team championship.

“Burghley is a completely individual event and it’s entirely down to me if I choose to go or not. It’s up to my family and my owners and we’ve all been working together to make the decision.”

Ros added that Lordships Graffalo has been high maintenance in the stable this week and her groom Sarah Charnley has had her work cut out.

She said: “I’m coaching Cassie Sanger, who is based with me at home, and he’s got quite attached to her horse. So he’s running around the stable a little bit and he escaped yesterday morning. He’s probably given Sarah a few bruises. He’s been fairly high maintenance, like a pop star.

“I get the pleasure of riding him and the moment you put his tack on and I get on him, he’s happy as larry, so it doesn’t translate to that – he’s been kind of bright, but only in a nice way.”

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout Burghley and other major shows this year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website, from £1 a week. Horse & Hound’s 20-page magazine report on Burghley is published in 11 September issue, including full analysis and exclusive comment from six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt.

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Defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo head up the initial Defender Burghley Horse Trials entries (4-7 September), although riders still have the opportunity to enter before the closing date tomorrow (Friday, 15 August).

Ros announced on Monday evening she is pregnant and will not be in contention for selection for the Agria European Eventing Championships at Blenheim Horse Trials two weeks after Burghley, but has obviously decided to keep her options open on riding at the autumn five-star for now.

Others in contention for the title include Tim Price and Vitali – who managed his best ever performance in five-star showjumping, which can be his Achilles’ heel, here last year for just one down and second place – and Emily King and Valmy Biats, who have twice been in the top five at Badminton.

World number one Harry Meade again has three horses entered – Annaghmore Valoner, Cavalier Crystal and Et Hop Du Matz – after three top-12 placings here in 2024.

Ros, Tim, Caroline Powell and Piggy March are the four former Burghley winners currently entered. Caroline brings forward High Time V and Piggy returns for her first time since her 2022 triumph, this time with new ride MCS Maverick.

Other pairs to watch include Ireland’s 2023 Maryland 5 Star winners Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue.

From the 14 debutants currently among the Burghley Horse Trials entries, the most prominent are new British open champions Katie Magee and Treworra, who were 11th on their Badminton debut this spring, and Ireland’s 2024 Badminton runners-up Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint, who have not managed to get back to a five-star since owing to a colic episode at Burghley last year and a cut before Badminton this season.

Another first-timer, Christoph Wahler, will be the first German to compete at Burghley since three-time Olympic individual gold medal winner and 2015 Burghley champion Michael Jung tackled it in 2018.

Burghley Horse Trials entries: what does this mean for European Championship selection?

The British squad for the European Championships two weeks after Burghley is expected to be announced imminently and horses selected to go there will not run at Burghley as the events are too close together for a horse to be on top form for the second event. Of those long-listed for the Europeans for Britain, Emily King (Valmy Biats) and Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal and Et Hop Du Matz) are the only ones currently entered at Burghley.

That leaves Laura Collett (London 52), Caroline Harris (Cooley Mosstown and D Day), Yasmin Ingham (Rehy DJ), Piggy March (Halo), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin and Brookfield Quality), Gemma Stevens (Flash Cooley), Oliver Townend (Ballaghmor Class and Cooley Rosalent) and Bubby Upton (Cola and Its Cooley Time) not currently entered at Burghley on their long-listed horses.

Of course, not every horse is suitable for Burghley and those pairs may have other autumn targets – or may yet enter Burghley.

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

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Ros Canter is pregnant with her second child and will miss this autumn’s European Eventing Championships. The double Mars Badminton Horse Trials winner and reigning European champion posted on Facebook this evening that she, her husband Chris McAleese and daughter Ziggy “are very excited to say that we are expecting our second baby in early 2026”.

“Whilst I’ll be missing the upcoming European Championship selection, I’ll be cheering the team on every step of the way!” she added.

Ros won the Magic CCI4*-S at the NAF Five Star Hartpury Horse Trials last week with her top horse Lordships Graffalo, with whom she has contested the last three senior championships, winning double European gold in Haras du Pin 2023 and Olympic team gold in Paris in 2024.

She was long-listed for the Agria European Championships at Blenheim Palace in September with three horses – Lordships Graffalo, Luhmühlen Horse Trials winner Izilot DHI and MHS Seventeen.

While Ros Canter will undoubtedly be missed from the British team effort having announced she is pregnant, the home side still has the potential to field a very strong squad at Blenheim.

The other long-listed pairs are Laura Collett (London 52), Caroline Harris (Cooley Mosstown and D. Day), Yasmin Ingham (Rehy DJ), Emily King (Valmy Biats), Piggy March (Halo), Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal and Et Hop Du Matz), Tom McEwen (JL Dublin and Brookfield Quality), Gemma Stevens (Flash Cooley), Oliver Townend (Ballaghmor Class and Cooley Rosalent) and Bubby Upton (Cola and Its Cooley Time).

Harry faces a race against time to be fit for Defender Burghley Horse Trials and the Europeans, should he be selected, following a recent bicycle accident.

All nations have to file their nominated entries (up to 18 pairs from which their squad will be chosen) by the end of 18 August and their definite entries (the final squad) by the end of 1 September, although the British squad is likely to be revealed before then. Nations can field up to six pairs – a team of four and two individuals.

The British long-list of 18 nominated entries was announced in June, but it’s very possible that the selectors will now replace Ros’s three entries with another three horses before the entries are actually submitted, to give themselves multiple options in the case of injury or loss of form.

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

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Ros Canter added a fifth five-star victory to her CV when topping the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials results, following a dramatic final showjumping phase today (15 June).

Izilot DHI jumped a clear round, inside the time allowed, and when overnight leaders Laura Collett and London 52 lowered the first part of the treble at fence 10a, it catapulted Ros from second into the top spot, finishing on a score of 28.8.

“I’m a bit surprised, really – I’d have been absolutely delighted with second – we’re just so thrilled that ‘Isaac’ has come out again with confidence,” said Ros of the 12-year-old she co-owns with Alex Moody. “He hasn’t been an easy character, but he is a really, really genuine horse. Sometimes I think some people think he’s a bit naughty, but actually, he’s just really genuine, but also genuinely spooky.”

Isaac already has a five-star win to his name in the form of his 2023 Pau victory and, although he has the reputation of being tricky, thanks to Ros’ expertise, he has finished in the top six 13 times from his past 16 international runs.

This win is redemption for this combination, who dropped from first to fourth with two fences down and two time-faults in the final phase here last year.

“I blamed myself for losing the win and worked quite hard on how I presented myself today and the mental side behind it,” explained Ros. “Last year, I felt because the showjumping was early in the morning, I wasn’t quite prepared for the rush of it all. So I changed a few things and I was more relaxed today, and I gave him a much better ride.”

The five-star showjumping was completed shortly after 11am local time this morning, which is much earlier than other five-star events.

“Last year, I didn’t travel in my own lorry – I was with other people – and that gave it a different vibe. I mean, it was absolutely fine, but I just got caught out last year with the showjumping happening so early, and I’m definitely the type of person that needs to put work into the mental side of things. I need to prepare myself for a round.”

Ros was third into the ring today on her other ride MSH Seventeen (Vinnie) and duly jumped the first clear round of the day.

“I knew after Vinnie’s round that Isaac was going to be coming down ready for me to get on, so I went and locked myself in a loo and re-watched a video of me riding that I was proud of, and really got the plan in my head, so I felt more relaxed in the warm-up,” said Ros. “Whereas last year, it just all felt a bit rushed.

“I’ve also changed his bit to a nathe pelham, which has made a huge difference. Because he’s got such a long stride, when I used to try and shorten it, it went slower and I didn’t feel I could compress him very easily. That’s why last year I got the time-faults in the showjumping, which cost me the win. Whereas now I’m able to get that little bit more spring into the canter and he just loves it and he’s very happy in it.”

When asked about what it feels like to add another five-star victory to those already secured at Badminton in 2023 and 2025, Burghley in 2024 and Pau in 2023, Ros said that she “can’t believe it”.

“I didn’t think when I was growing up that I was ever going to do anything like this. It’s hard to believe that I keep doing it, but I’m just lucky that I’ve got horses like him [Isaac], aren’t I?”

Luhmühlen Horse Trials results: triumph and heartbreak

Of the 47 starters in this year’s five-star at Luhmühlen, not one combination finished on their dressage score. The USA’s Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious were the closest to achieving this feat – they just added .4 of a time-fault in the showjumping and ultimately finished fourth on 35. New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington also added just .4 of a penalty – this time across country – to finish second on 29.3.

Of the 25 showjumping starters, six jumped clear inside the time allowed of 82 seconds. Faults were well-spread around the course, with most fences coming down during the final phase.

Laura Collett and London 52 dropped from first place to third when picking up four faults, while New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ capitalising on a clear round inside the time to move from third to second.

Austria’s Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line also jumped clear inside the time to finish fifth – this 18-year-old has now been retired from competition after a successful eventing career that includes competing at two Olympic Games.

Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K also jumped clear inside the time to rise from 12th to sixth, while 8.8 penalties in the final phase dropped Laura Collett and her second ride, Hester, one place into seventh.

Cosby Green finished eighth on her second ride, Jos UFO De Quidam, Australia’s Isabel English was ninth with Cil Dara Dallas and Ireland’s Robbie Kearns and Chance Encounter were 10th in the Luhmühlen Horse Trials results.

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Fast clear rounds were few and far between during the five-star Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country today (14 June).

Just four of the 46 cross-country starters completed clear inside the time around the 11 minute 2 second track, which was designed by Mike Etherington-Smith.

The fastest of those was dressage leader Laura Collett on the second of her two rides, London 52, who stopped the clock with five seconds to spare and remain on their 25.4 dressage score.

“He’s sensational – I’m not very good with words and I genuinely don’t have enough to do him justice, but he’s insane,” said Laura, who is looking to maintain this horse’s unbeaten record at five-star having won this event in 2023, Badminton in 2022 and Pau in 2020.

“The feeling he gives is like no other, so to be in my position and sat on a horse like that is something that I just have to treasure.

“Everything he does, the way he gallops, the way he listens – he’s a big horse, but he’s so adjustable and nippy around these tracks, and at the end of the day, he just loves it.

“He’s so honest, and he looks for the flags, and he makes my job very easy.”

Of the 46 combinations that started the cross-country, there were 20 clears, while 32 completed. This means that 10.8% of the field jumped clear, inside the time, 43.5% of the field jumped clear and 69.6% of the field completed.

“There was nowhere you felt like you could just sit and breathe and gather your thoughts,” explained Laura of the track. “It was, bang, bang, bang, whether it was turning and twisting through the trees or setting up for a combination.”

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI maintain their second place after the dressage. Ros and the 12-year-old she owns alongside Alex Moody, picked up 2.8 time-faults, a contributing factor of which is this horse’s inherently spooky nature.

“I rode him earlier this morning and he wouldn’t go near one of the showjumps, which was slightly concerning,” laughed Ros. “But when he got out there, he really settled. I think having the woods to gallop through at the beginning really channelled and helped him focus. He ducked and dived all over going into the main arena and coming out of it again.

“He doesn’t find it so easy to gallop for so long, but that’s why he can dance so easily in the dressage, so we know his strengths and weaknesses, but I couldn’t fault his attitude today.”

“It felt fast!”: other top riders reflect on performances

British-based New Zealander Samantha Lissington continues her superb run of form, having recently filled the top three spots in the CCI4*-L at Royal Jump in France, where she also finished third in the CCI4*-S on her ride this weekend, Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ.

Sam and this striking black 14-year-old gelding, who she owns alongside her husband Brayden and Pip McCarroll, had the pedal to the metal around today’s track and finished with just .4 of a time penalty, one second over the optimum time.

“I’m really proud of him, and it felt fast!” said Sam, who said she was still wracking her brains this morning about today’s track. “I like to watch some go and then make decisions for myself, but this course was one of the ones where I was a little undecided going out the start box, and I didn’t know quite what I was going to do in the main arena, so I felt like I just had to ride it off feel, and thankfully, it came off.”

The most influential fence on Mark Etherington-Smith’s Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country track was the much talked about fence 8abc, the Longines Kombination. This consisted of a maximum width oxer at the first part, followed by a right-handed turn to two acutely angled brush fences with blue water trays below on a forward one stride distance.

Some riders opted to put in a small curve in-between the b and c elements and clever horses made this look comfortable, however, with the nature of the main arena, with plenty of crowds and marquees to distract horses, some quite simply didn’t lock on to the c element and ran out. Ultimately, this fence caught 15 combinations out – almost a third of the field (32.6%).

Kitty King fourth after Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country

Kitty King and the now incredibly consistent Vendredi Biats – who both really deserve a five-star win having knocked on the door so many times with three top-five five-star placings, including finishing second here last year – finished bang on the optimum time and go into tomorrow’s showjumping in fourth on 31.2.

Kitty was emotional following her round, dreading the day this 16-year-old, owned by Diana Bown, John Eyre, Sally Lloyd Baker and Samantha Wilson, retires from top level sport.

“It wasn’t our tidiest of rounds and we were a bit scrappy in places, but I think that’s the makeup of the course.,” explained Kitty. “It’s very twisty and fast with lots of lines, and the horses don’t really know where they’re going, but he kept helping me out, and I helped him occasionally. He’s just such a dream and I’m going to miss him so much when he has to retire.”

This marked “Froggy’s” fifth run of the season and Kitty has been experimenting with bitting after this horse’s original Myler combination bit was banned for 2025.

“We’ve been trying to find new bits for him – he’s very sensitive and tricky, so this year we’ve run in a different bit at every event,” said Kitty. “Therefore we haven’t really got that continuity yet, because on his first few runs, the bits didn’t work, so we had to keep swapping, so for an older horse, he’s been quite confused.”

Kitty and Froggy finished fourth in the CCI4*-S at Bicton on their most recent run and she decided to stick with the new combination bit she used there for Luhmühlen.

“Although we had a good run at Bicton, we’re probably still a little bit at sea,” said Kitty. “I was really nervous going out the start box here, because I sometimes when you put the bit on the second time, they don’t work at all and he was a bit stiff and wooden in the warm up – I was thinking, ‘oh gosh, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to turn’.

“But he just did his job and was fast as we could be – I was smacking my head into branches everywhere in an effort to save time!”

Young US rider impresses on Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country day

US rider Cosby Green, 24, who is based with Tim and Jonelle Price in Dorset, impressed with polished performances aboard both of her rides today.

She clocked the second fastest round of the day with the second of her rides, Highly Suspicious, finishing four seconds inside the optimum time to move from 16th after the dressage into fifth.

Cosby also finished just one second over the optimum time on her other ride, Jos UFO De Quidam to rocket from 36th after the first phase into ninth.

Laura Collett is another rider to have two horses inside the top 10, with the grey mare Hester seeming to have grown in confidence over the past 12 months – she retired across country at Badminton last year and then picked up 20 penalties in the five-star here last year, but today she finished just three seconds over the optimum time and has moved from 13th into sixth.

“She was phenomenal. The improvement in her in 12 months from where she was here last year was amazing,” said Laura. “And for me, that’s what it’s all about, is building that partnership.

“I’ve had her all the way through her career, like Dan [London 52], so it’s taken years but she feels amazing. She’s like my little unicorn that I get to fly around.”

Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country: the rest of the top 10

Origi, the mount of last year’s winner, Belgium’s Lara De Liedekerke-Meier, finished one second inside the optimum time to currently sit in seventh, but the gelding pulled up lame at the finish. Lara has since posted on social media to say that “he is being taken care of by the vet team and is happy in his stable”.

Rounding off the top 10 is Austria’s Lea Siegl, who at the age of 26 is another young rider to have two horses inside the top 10 following the Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country. She has DSP Fighting Line in eighth having picked up 3.2 time-faults and Van Helsing P in 10th. Van Helsing P dropped from sixth after the dressage having picked up 11.2 time-faults. Lea has been given a yellow card by the ground jury for “abuse of horse for excessive use of the whip” aboard DSP Fighting Line.

Some of those who dropped out of the top 10 today included Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno, who were in fifth after the dressage. Gemma pulled this 17-year-old mare up quickly after jumping through all elements of Manske’s Irish Bank at fence 20. Jalapeno was loaded onto a horse ambulance and Gemma posted on Instagram to say the mare was “comfortable in her stable”.

Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp dropped from third to 12th with Carlitos Quidditch K after activating a frangible device jumping into the second water at fence 11, while Piggy March and Halo dropped from seventh to 24th due to a run out at the final part of this same water fence at 12b. Finally, Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat, who held ninth after the first phase, opted to retire after a run out at 8c was followed by a run out at the middle part of the second water at 12a.

The final showjumping phase will get under way tomorrow morning after the final trot-up, which is at 7.45am (6.45am UK time), with less than one fence down separating the top three.

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

You may also be interested in:

‘He deserves to win every event he goes to’: Laura Collett and London 52 throw down the gauntlet in contentiously marked Luhmühlen five-star dressage

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The 2025 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country times have been released – and the five-star is not to be missed with British riders holding seven of the top 10 places after the dressage phase.

The five-star cross-country gets under way on Saturday morning (14 June) at 8.45am (7.45am UK time), and is due to complete at 12.08pm (11.08am UK time).

Britain’s Aimee Penny and the first of her two rides, PSH Encore, will be the pathfinders across cross-country course-designer Mike Etherington Smith’s five-star track, which features 28 numbered fences with an optimum time of 11 minutes and eight seconds. The final rider on course will be Ros Canter riding Izilot DHI.

Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country times: five-star top 10

• Laura Collett and London 52: 10.49am UK time (11.49am local time)
• Ros Canter and Izilot DHI: 10.57am UK time (11.57am local time)
• Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K: 9.21am UK time (10.21am local time)
• Samantha Lissington and Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ: 10.05am UK time (11.05am local time)
• Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno: 9.25am UK time (10.25am local time)
• Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P: 10.53am UK time (11.53am local time)
• Piggy March and Halo: 9.53am UK time (10.53am local time)
• Kitty King and Vendredi Biats: 10.21am UK time (11.21am local time)
• Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat: 8.57am UK time (9.57am local time)
• Aaron Millar and KEC Deakon: 8.29am UK time (9.29am local time)

The CCI4*-S class is then due to get under way at 1.20pm (12.20pm UK time). This class hosts the German Championship – known as the Deutsche Meisterschaft – but, as opposed to 2024, there are no British entries this year.

View the Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country times in full.

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

You may also be interested in:

‘Like being in a tumble dryer’: riders react to the challenge facing them on this year’s Luhmühlen five-star cross-country track

7 standout cross-country questions at Luhmühlen five-star where riders will need to be on their A game

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

‘He deserves to win every event he goes to’: Laura Collett and London 52 throw down the gauntlet in contentiously marked Luhmühlen five-star dressage

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Laura Collett and the indomitable London 52 lead the way after the CCI5* dressage at the 2025 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

The duo have an enviable record at five-star having won all their starts at this level – this event in 2023, Badminton in 2022 and Pau in 2020. They scored 25.4, which puts them 0.6 of a penalty ahead of second-placed Ros Canter and Izilot DHI.

Their test was virtually fault-free, scoring two nines from the judges – which have been a rare commodity in this class this year – one for their mid-test halt and one for their final halt.

“He’s an absolute dream to ride. He knows what he’s doing now, so it’s just about trusting the process and not getting caught up working in too much,” said Laura. “I rode him this morning and he was very, very fresh, but I just trusted that he’s old enough to know what he’s doing now. He was on the edge in there – it’s quite an atmosphere, but he loves an atmosphere.”

On whether she felt more or less pressure riding such an accomplished horse as London 52, Laura said: “I came into this year saying that after last year with the pressure of the Olympics and everything, I just wanted to enjoy him and enjoy having him around and not having the pressure. But the closer we got to here, I was definitely feeling it, mainly because I don’t want to let him down and he deserves to win every event he goes to, so it’s my job to allow him to do that.”

Going more into her test today, Laura said: “In the trot, he was wanting to show a bit of piaffe and show off a little too much, but we could have had just a bit more rhythm and connection.”

Laura explained that she rarely rides London 52 on the flat at home.

“It’s just a case of keeping him happy, to be honest – he knows all the movements now, so I probably only school him once a month on the flat when I have a lesson.”

Ros Canter: “He was an absolute delight”

Ros was delighted with the efforts of “Isaac”, who can be spooky. But the 12-year-old, who was fourth here and second at Pau last year, who won Pau in 2023, held it together in the first phase, which was bathed in 27°C sunshine but with a brisk breeze.

“I’m absolutely over the moon – he’s a spooky chap, but time and time again he pulls it off and he’s an absolute delight,” said Ros. “We’re much more secure and with each other now he’s 12 years old. We’ve been together a long time and I think he’s trusting me a bit more, and I’m certainly trusting him a bit more and I know him inside out – it’s just about building that relationship.”

Ros said Isaac’s neck is “tricky for her to gauge”.

“I have to rely on people watching me to tell me how it feels, and sometimes he feels elastic and sometimes he doesn’t. But I knew his neck was good because my supporters told me it was – sometimes it doesn’t feel as good as it I’d love it to and I would like to have him a little bit lower and rounder, but when you have him in a place where you’d have another horse, he always looks over-bent, so we just have to have him that little bit more up and out than maybe I feel comfortable with.

“I think I could always get more elasticity in the canter, and that’s kind of his weakness. He’s very comfortable in trot, which is quite unusual for event horses, as most do their best work in canter, but he’s more elastic in the trot.”

Ros said she rode Isaac “a little bit on the safe side” today but that although he is spooky, his brain is “really easy”.

“He’s not a horse that blows up and gets tense – he’s just spooky, and he’s got a real flight instinct, so if he spooks at something, it’s a bit more dramatic than maybe some other horses, but on the whole, he’s pretty chilled so it’s always about balance of having worked enough so he doesn’t spook but not having worked him so much that he doesn’t show off his true nature.”

The home crowd was delighted when Malin Hansen-Hotopp slotted into third with her 2022 Blenheim CCI4*-L winner, Carlitos Quidditch K, who also finished fourth on his five-star debut at Kentucky last year. They were another pair who made no obvious mistakes and went on to score 28,9,

“He was just awesome,” said Malin. “He came into the arena and was a bit ‘Ooh’ at the crowd, but if I stay cool and just ride, I get him like that.”

Samantha Lissington on “finding the balance”

British-based New Zealander Samantha Lissington, who is on flying form having finished in the top three with all three of her rides in the CCI4*-L at France’s Royal Jump event at the end of May, is hoping to capitalise on that, this week. She sits in fourth on Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, who finished second in the CCI4*-S at Royal Jump, on 28.9.

“He’s just so obedient and so easy to ride – I came out here and didn’t have to do a lot because he knows his job so well. It’s more just making sure we’re both sharp enough,” said Sam. “It is tricky finding that balance – you want them rideable enough, but quick enough to be on your leg for the changes, I wanted him relaxed and easy and rideable, but not too rideable that I missed a change.”

Gemma Stevens on the Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage: “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do”

As was the case on the first day of Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage yesterday, there were many murmurings about the marks in the first phase. One of the riders rueing the mark given was Gemma Stevens, who sits in fifth with Jalapeno on 29.4

“I’m thrilled with her – I don’t know what we’re supposed to do though. That is the best test she’s ever done and she has scored 22s in the past,” said Gemma. “The changes were on the button, she was soft, through and over her back, good in the frame and her transitions were amazing and she didn’t make a mistake. She normally scores in the low 20s and I don’t know why [the judges] have to be like that – I don’t know what they’re trying to achieve, what are they looking for?”

Austria’s Lea Siegl is sixth and 15th riding Van Helsing P and DSP Fighting Line respectively on scores of 29.8 and 34.4. Piggy March sits seventh on 29.9 riding Halo.

“I was absolutely delighted. I’m in my own bubble all week and I’ve got a cute little horse,” said Piggy. “The field is very hot, but I’m here for my own interest to find out where I’m at with my horse.

“It will be his first time galloping 11 minutes across country – he’s a lovely galloping horse, I just hope he settles at the beginning so he doesn’t run his race too early. But he’s 12 and I think he’s a real championship horse – he’s not the finished article yet and there’s lots more to come.”

On the scoring in the Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage, Piggy said: “I was watching Gemma’s [Stevens] work all morning and it’s been looking very, very smart, and so it’s quite demotivating. It’s nice when you do something good and judges give it a deserving mark, but they’ve stayed pretty miserable this week.

“Riders need to know what they’re training to – marks inspire them. I’ve spoken to ground juries before about it , but have never found the answer to the problem. Dressage is Marmite, isn’t it? But at this level, [this kind of marking] is actually not good enough. Riders have come back in tears and demoralised – these good sportspeople are trying to get to the very top.”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats put in a polished performance to score 31.2 to sit in eighth. This is ‘Froggy’s’ worst dressage mark since scoring 32.8 in the CCI4*-S at Belton in March 2019.

“They’re just being fairly miserable, but I thought he did a nice test,” Kitty said.

Day one Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage leader Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat sit in ninth on 31.5; Aaron Millar and KEC Deakon, who were second at the end of yesterday, are 10th on 31.6.

The cross-country gets under way at 8.45am tomorrow (7.45am UK time, 14 June).

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

You may also be interested in:

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

7 standout cross-country questions at Luhmühlen five-star where riders will need to be on their A game

‘Like being in a tumble dryer’: riders react to the challenge facing them on this year’s Luhmühlen five-star cross-country track

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Some riders have shared their initial thoughts on the five-star 2025 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country course.

The 6,340m track, which has been designed by Mike Etherington-Smith, and has 28 numbered fences and 46 jumping efforts has got some of this year’s five-star competitors scratching their heads.

Ros Canter, who has two rides this week in the form of MHS Seventeen and Izilot DHI, describes the track as “pretty intense”.

“You get a nice gentle start and then there are lots of combinations,” she says. “Each individual combination is very jumpable, but riders have to put it all together.”

Ros’ compatriot, Laura Collett, who has two rides this week – Hester and London 52 – says that she thinks riding the track will “feel like being in a tumble dryer”.

“I think it’s very intense and it’s not going to be a smooth ride, that’s for sure, and I think the time is going to be near on impossible to achieve,” she states.

Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country course: ‘Combination after combination’

Selina Milnes, who leads after the first day of five-star dressage aboard Cooley Snapchat, agrees with Laura’s sentiments about the course being intense.

“There is combination after combination and horses aren’t going to get much of a breather,” she says. “I’d like there to be just a few more galloping fences where you can just say to your horse, ‘well, that was good, well done’.”

In terms of a specific fence that Selina thinks will cause problems, she pinpoints fence 8abc, the Longines Kombination, in the main arena.

“I think it looks a hell of a long way in one stride between the b and c element. I think you’ve just got to jump the parallel first and then give yourself time to jump the final two elements. The skinny fences at the the Meßmer-Teich water at 11 and 12ab are very skinny too.”

Aaron Millar, who holds second place with KEC Deakon after the first day of dressage, describes the course as “twisty”.

“It’s a good test,” he says. “There’s a lot of combinations where you’re going to have to think quickly about where you’re going and where you’re turning and there’s a lot of acute angles – the course is going to keep us working and thinking.”

Swiss rider Nadja Minder is in agreement, saying that there are “ a lot of angled combinations”.

“It seems like you have to jump everything on an angle,” she says. “But I think it’s clear for the horses and there are set up fences before combinations too, so I think if you can have a good rhythm and gallop, you can use the set up fences to re-balance and I think it will be a lot of fun to ride.”

The Luhmühlen Horse Trials cross-country course has an optimum time of 11 minutes and 8 seconds and gets underway tomorrow (14 June) at 8.45am (7.45am British time).

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

You may also be interested in:

7 standout cross-country questions at Luhmühlen five-star where riders will need to be on their A game

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

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British rider Selina Milnes and the exciting Cooley Snapchat lead the way after the first day of dressage in the five-star at the 2025 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

There were consistent mumblings among riders that the ground jury of Katrin Eichinger-Kniely from Austria, Merel Schurink from the Netherlands and Ernst Topp from Germany were being frugal awarding marks. Indeed, not one of the 23 combinations who came forward in the first phase today broke the 30 barrier.

Selina and the 11-year-old Cooley Snapchat, who is owned by Angela and William Rucker, sit atop the leaderboard on 31.5. Their test was smooth with no obvious errors, so Selina, although delighted with the efforts of her horse, was left wondering why her mark didn’t reflect their performance.

“I’m disappointed with the mark – I actually thought he’d get into the 20s,” said Selina, who was third in the seven-year-old World Championships with this horse at Le Lion d’Angers and went on to win the CCI4*-S at Bramham in 2023.

“He didn’t really do much wrong, did he? Dickie [Waygood] said my first centre line was slightly quarters right, but other than that, I thought he was on the button.”

The judge at C, Katrin Eichinger-Kniely, placed Selina in eighth on 64.81%, while the other two judges placed them in first and second on 70.96% and 69.62%.

“I saw the judge at C’s mark first and I was surprised, but the other two judges liked it, and as long as the judge at C’s marking doesn’t change, that’s the main thing,” continued Selina. “He’s a super horse. He always stays really relaxed, so you can ride him. He needs a little bit of buzz to spark him up a bit, but he was really good today.”

Fellow Brit Aaron Millar is just 0.1 of a penalty behind Selina in second on 31.6. He was another rider to produce a virtually fault-free test and was pleased with the efforts of his horse, KEC Deakon, a 15-year-old owned by Heidi Bates.

“I slightly, slightly overworked him beforehand,” admitted Aaron. “He doesn’t need much work before he goes in, but he just dropped in the poll a little. His trot work would normally be better, we had a slight mistake in the last flying change and one of his halts wasn’t square, but he’s a performer and he always just wants to go in and do a good job.”

Further explaining his warm-up today, Aaron said: “We were down here for 25 minutes, but his best work probably came before we went in. He had last year off through injury so he hasn’t been in this sort of atmosphere for a while, so perhaps it was better to have him slightly underpowered, rather than [boiling over].”

Ros Canter on MHS Seventeen: “I’m over the moon with him”

Ros Canter and the former Nicola Wilson ride MHS Seventeen sit in third after day one of Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage. Ros and this 12-year-old, owned by Deirdre Johnston and Lady Milnes Coates, put in a solid performance to score 33.5.

“I’m over the moon with him as he’s a horse that really hates being by himself, so going into the main arena has historically been quite a difficult experience for him as he has tended to get quite tense,” explained Ros, who used the opportunity to perform one of the guinea pig tests at Bramham last week as preparation for this week.

“We’ve worked really hard to develop a system for the run-up to the event and while we’re here, and I’m just really pleased that the system worked. He came out happy and relaxed, and he went in happy and relaxed, and I think he was probably a bit harshly marked, to be honest.”

Expanding further on the system Ros has implemented to try to ensure a good first-phase performance with MHS Seventeen, she said: “He’s come out to be ridden quite a few times since he’s been here, but not for too long and never so long as to make him tired or frustrated.

“He’s been practising the trot work in the test over and over again – yesterday he probably went through the trot work 12 times. I haven’t done any other movements that weren’t in the test so as not to confuse him, because he gets better and better when he knows what he’s doing and gains confidence.

“He knows all of the movements now, but when he goes in there, sometimes he completely loses his concentration, and then me asking an aid is in the back of his mind, not in the forefront of his mind, but today he was definitely listening to me, so that was great.”

Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage: Laura Collett and Hester sit fourth

Laura Collett and the 14-year-old grey mare Hester, who is owned and bred by Lucy Nelson, sit in fourth on 33.9. Their score was trending in the mid-20s throughout some very smart trot work, but their flying changes let them down.

“It would be good if it was just a walk/trot test!” said Laura, who rides the favourite for this event, London 52, tomorrow afternoon. “She’s got so good now – she used to be hot through the whole test. She really struggles with the changes and when there’s four of them in the test, it’s really costly.

“That was a big atmosphere for her and historically it was like riding on eggshells the whole time, so for her to be able to let me in and ride her in the trot work today was great. It’s all going in the right direction and she is really starting to trust me and relax – she just makes mistakes because she struggles to wait for instructions because she’s trying too hard.”

The five-star Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage continues tomorrow (13 June), with 24 combinations – including 10 Brits – still to go. The action in this class kicks off at 12.15pm UK time (1.15pm local time), after the CCI4*-S dressage in the morning.

• Check out all the key Luhmühlen dressage times.
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Last week, Lordships Graffalo, the ride of Ros Canter, galloped into the Mars Badminton Horse Trials history books by becoming the first horse in the five-star event’s history to reclaim the title in non-consecutive years, after first winning it in 2023.

Here, we take a look back at how Ros and “Walter” won their second Mars Badminton trophy from start to finish…

First horse inspection

Ros and Walter kicked off their week looking fantastic at the first horse inspection, which is held in front of Badminton House. Ros wore a denim jacket that held a special emotional connection to her mentor Caroline Moore, who passed away recently.

Badminton final scores

Dressage

Ros and Walter performed their dressage test on Friday morning. The ground jury of Xavier Le Sauce, Nick Burton and Robert Stevenson awarded Ros a first phase score of 25.3, which left them in fourth going into cross-country.

Their otherwise splendid test was only marred by mistakes in the two double-marked flying-changes movements.

“I was really pleased with it,” said Ros. “His work was in line with what he’s doing at home now and he’s getting stronger all the time. I was delighted.

“I got a little bit distracted at the beginning as he started sneezing, which isn’t always a good sign, but he then settled and he was great.

“The changes have always been something he has struggled with a little bit, and I probably just didn’t help him quite enough in those. I thought he was a bit more established than he was, so that’s my fault – hand in the air for that one!”

Cross-country

On cross-country day, Ros gave her equine partner a masterful ride, with many quipping that it was one of the smoothest rounds they had ever seen at Badminton.

Ros and Walter finished comfortably within the 11min 40sec optimum time, with 11 seconds in hand. They were initially awarded a 15 penalty flag penalty at the second corner at Huntsman’s Close at fence 26b, but there was little doubt that it would be removed.

Ros was surprised by the news of the flag penalties saying: “I wouldn’t have said he did anything but jumped the jumps so hopefully it’s not another situation like the Olympics, but we’ll see.”

The 15 penalties were duly removed, which meant Ros moved into second going into the final day.

“He’s an extraordinary horse – I’m not the fastest rider in the world but Walter has such acceleration right until the end,” Ros said of her cross-country round.

Final horse inspection and showjumping

Walter flew through the final horse inspection on the Sunday morning, before entering the main arena to jump later in the afternoon. Ros admitted after that she had felt very nervous before jumping and the round wasn’t as slick as some of their previous performances, but all the fences remained in their cups and they jumped clear inside the time allowed.

This piled the pressure on overnight leader Oliver Townend, who was less than a rail ahead, and when Cooley Rosalent lowered a pole, victory was Ros and Walter’s, winning by one penalty

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

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There are plenty of Mars Badminton Horse Trials special prizes awarded each year, from those for the breeders of the top horses to the rider with the best judge of time, debutants and more.

Read on to find out who picked up special prizes at the 2025 event last week…

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were the winners of Badminton and they and their connections picked up a raft of Badminton Horse Trials special prizes, as well as £117,600 in prize money.

“‘Walter’ enjoys his life. He knows what he wants, he tells us what he wants, and in between, he’s pretty chilled and happy,” said Ros after their win. “He’s like a puppy in the stable and he licks you to death. He knows he’s the best and he’s full of self-importance, but at the same time, he’s just completely lovable. I love him to bits.”

Badminton final scores

The Challenge Badminton Horse Trials Trophy: to the winning owners: Michele and Archie Saul, pictured below with Ros Canter and the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort

Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain prize to the owner of best horse sired by a SHB(GB) graded stallion or premium stallion, provided it is in the top 12: Miichele and Archie Saul for Lordships Grafalo

Butler Challenge Bowl, with replica for the highest-placed British rider: Ros Canter

Mars Equestrian Yeti Cool Box to the winning rider: Ros Canter

LeMieux rug to the winner: Ros Canter

Mars Equestrian and Spillers prize of £1,000 to the groom of winner and Mark Holliday Memorial Trophy: Sarah Charnley

The British Horse Foundation £1000 to the breeder of the highest-placed British-bred horse, provided it finished in the top 20: Lordships Stud and Pennie Wallace

Replica of the trophy to the top three riders and the winning owner: Michele and Archie Saul, Ros Canter, Oliver Townend, Austin O’Connor (pictured below finishing third on Colorado Blue)

Runners-up Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent also picked up several special prizes.

“She’s just a natural athlete. Her pedigree is second to none, with her mother being a racehorse that won the Scottish Borders National, her father a 1.50m horse. Somehow, the magic happened for once in breeding,” said Oliver.

“She can go around any course in the world, be competitive in any class in the world. She’s blood enough for Burghley, she moves and jumps well enough for a championship horse. Ability-wise, she’s got everything.”

Frank Weldon Memorial Trophy to the rider of the youngest British-owned and ridden horse in top 12: Oliver Townend, for 11-year-old Cooley Rosalent

Stud Voucher £500 to the owner of the highest-placed British-owned mare: Paul and Diana Ridgeon for Cooley Rosalent

Embryo Transfer or OPU (ovum pick-up) session to the highest-placed British-bred or domiciled mare, courtesy of Tomlinson Equine: Cooley Rosalent

Worshipful Company of Saddlers saddle to the rider with the best score who is under 25 on 1 January 2026 and who has not previously won a Company saddle in the calendar year: 23-year-old Alice Casburn, who rode home-bred Topspin to 17th place

Silver Jubilee Plate to the most successful rider, the horse to be owned by the rider alone, or in conjunction with immediate family: Will Rawlin, 23rd on Ballycoog Breaker Boy

Laurence Rook Trophy to the best British rider who has not previously completed Badminton: Katie Magee, riding Treworra, who finished 11th

Glentrool Trophy to the horse and rider who have made greatest improvement on their dressage placing: Tayla Mason and Centennial, who moved up 52 places to finish 19th

Cotswold Life Trophy to the best British rider who is not entitled to wear the adult Union Jack Badge and whose permanent address is in the county of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire or Somerset: Tom Rowland, 12th on Dreamliner

The William Miflin Memorial Trophy to the rider of the horse with no cross-country jumping penalties and closest to optimum time: Harry Meade, who finished sixth on Superstition and was bang on the 11min 40sec optimum time

Farriers Prize – plaque to the owner and farrier of the best shod horse: Robert Shave for High Time, owned by Jo West, Serena Greenwell, Ruth Armstrong, Tom and Annabel Jenks-Craig and rider Caroline Powell

David Beaufort Memorial Trophy to the person who has contributed to the running of the horse trials over many years: Pamela Twissell, Badminton administrator

Stable manager’s grooms award, sponsored by Treehouse Sporting Colours: Debbie Carpenter, groom to New Zealand rider Lauren Innes and Global Fision M

Armada Dishes for five Badminton completions, presented a year after the fifth completion: Sammi Birch (pictured at this year’s event on Finduss PFB), Pippa Funnell (should have been presented in 2024), Tom Jackon, Tim Price, Zara Tindall, Sam Watson

Badminton Horse Trials special prizes – winners’ photos by Peter Nixon and Nico Morgan Media

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With the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials now behind us, we have been fondly remembering what a fabulous competition it was – and keeping up with plenty of social media posts from riders of their Badminton horses back in their respective homes.

The wonderful combination of Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were worthy winners of Badminton this year – “Walter” becoming the first horse to reclaim his title at this iconic Gloucestershire five-star event.

And he wasn’t left out when it came to social media updates; the Ros Canter Eventing social media account posted a video of the 13-year-old, owned by Archie and Michele Saul, tucking into some grass while lying down in his field at Ros’s base in the Lincolnshire Wolds in northeast Lincolnshire.

The post was captioned: “Oh Walter! What a way to spend your first day as double Badminton champion. Thank you buddy.” 

• Watch the video

Badminton final scores

Ros and Walter’s victory at Badminton last week (7–11 May) is yet another huge result to add to an already incredibly impressive CV, which includes a win at Burghley last September, being part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, team and individual gold at the 2023 European Eventing Championships and a win at Badminton in 2023, to name just a few.

Hopefully Lordships Graffalo will enjoy his time at home following his latest triumph before we see him producing even more awe-inspiring results in the highest echelons of eventing.

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you want to watch the action on demand 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 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 in 2025 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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Ros Canter has claimed the Mars Badminton Horse Trials trophy with Lordships Graffalo, who at the age of 13 is already deserving of the title “all time great”, for the second time. From fourth in the Badminton Horse Trials results after dressage, to second after cross-country, the pair seized victory when the long-time leader Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent lowered one rail to finish second.

Like Kauto Star regaining the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Michele and Archie Saul’s Lordships Graffalo (Walter) has become the first horse in Badminton history to win the title twice, but not back-to-back. In 2023, Ros and Walter won their first Badminton title, and have since gone on to win European gold and Burghley.

Ros was visibly emotional afterwards.

“This was for Caroline Moore, she was by my side my whole career and passed away a couple of months ago,” she said. “I’m so pleased I managed to make her proud. It’s the first time I’ve done anything without her. Not only was she my trainer and mentor, but also the best friend.”

Just like his immaculate cross-country round, Walter’s clear in the famous arena appeared foot-perfect. Perhaps they took off on a smidgen of a long stride at fence six, but this was a class act confirming their legendary status.

Badminton final scores

“I’m not sure it was my best round,” said Ros. “I was really nervous. I am so used to having Caroline keeping me occupied, and I was sat by myself quite a bit this morning. It was mind over matter. But I had Nick Turner and Chris Bartle helping me and they filled me with confidence.”

The great horse played a big part on that front, too.

“He just relishes it; he absolutely loves anywhere that people are watching him,” Ros said. “Most horses as they get older, they almost get trickier, because that anticipation is there. But Walter relaxes into the environment in a nice, bubbly way and just thoroughly enjoys himself. I feel like he helped me out quite a lot, because I was quite nervous.”

Ros explained how she approached the showjumping, after Kelvin Bywater’s track yielded just two clears inside the time in the morning session.

“I re-walked the course at lunchtime and made sure I had a clear plan of where I wanted to go,” she said. “I went straight down to let Walter have a look around.

“Some in the morning session, when the bell went they hadn’t had a chance to go up the gears, so I made sure I got down quickly to give me time to get the gears going. Walter would sit pretty in a fairly average canter if I let him!”

Ros admitted she couldn’t watch Oliver’s round.

“I didn’t want to wish bad on anyone else,” she said. “I would have been quite happy with second and this win is the icing on the cake. Oliver is a fantastic performer, and his horse will definitely have her day here.

“Weeks like this are always rollercoasters, and I am quite pleased it’s finished – though maybe I could do it all again now,” she smiled.

“I am just so lucky to have Walter – he’s a cool customer, a bit of a pet who likes to lick and chew and play games. I am forever grateful to Michele and Archie for buying him, and Pennie [Wallace] for breeding him.”

How the Badminton Horse Trials results played out

Although the minor placings were very tight, there was more room for manoeuvre at the top. Oliver had only three time-faults in hand over Ros, but these two had a couple of rails to spare over third-placed Gemma Stevens. When Gemma and Chilli Knight had a very uncharacteristic five fences down, there was still Austin O’Connor in striking distance thanks to his clear round, a whisker outside the time on Colorado Blue. They finished third in a virtual copy of the 2023 podium, although with Oliver runner-up on Cooley Rosalent rather than Ballaghmor Class.

Harry Meade set the target for the top 20 going in the afternoon session. Jumping out of order because he was riding two horses, he put in a beautiful fault-free clear on his Burghley third Cavalier Crystal – to move up from seventh to eventual fourth.

He had less luck on Superstition, who was looking fantastic until a miscommunication saw them plough through fence 10, but they regrouped incredibly well to finish with two down. They slipped one place to sixth.

One of the favourites for the title at the start of the week, Tom McEwen produced a copybook clear, on JL Dublin, leaving us all to wonder quite how close he might have come had he not activated a frangible across-country to add 11 penalties to his second-placed dressage. They moved up from 14th to finish ninth on 44.2.

Badminton Horse Trials results: top 10

1. Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) 25.3

2. Oliver Townend (Cooley Rosalent) 26.3

3. Austin O’Connor (Colorado Blue) 31.2

4. Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal) 33.8

5. Emily King (Valmy Biats) 38.5

6. Harry Meade (Superstition) 39.8

7. Christoph Wahler (D’Accord FRH) 40.2

8. Bubby Upton (Cola) 44.2

9. Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) 44.2

10. Tim Price (Vitali) 46.2

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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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 Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country phase provided a classic day of sport. There was plenty of drama with an ever-changing leaderboard under blue skies, and the top two horses were reinstated after their initial flag penalties were reviewed.

The 44 clears from the 79 starters gives a 56% clear rate. On the fast going, six horses made the time, which is the joint-highest number since Eric Winter took over as course-designer in 2017.

Top 10 at the conclusion of the Badminton Horse Trials cross-country phase

• Oliver Townend/Cooley Rosalent: 22.3
• Ros Canter/Lordships Graffalo: 25.3
• Gemma Stevens/Chilli Knight: 29.5
• Austin O’Connor/Colorado Blue: 30.8
• Harry Meade/Superstition: 31.8
• Christoph Wahler/D’Accord FRH: 32.2
• Harry Meade/Cavalier Crystal: 33.8
• Oliver Townend/Ballaghmor Class: 34.1
• Tim Price/Vitali: 34.2
• Ian Cassells/Master Point: 34.3

Oliver Townend’s second ride Cooley Rosalent has retained his dressage lead, after a brief spell outside the top 10 while his flag penalties at Huntsman’s Close were reviewed and then removed by the ground jury.

By the time Rosalent started out across country, Oliver had a bit of breathing room as the first phase runner-up Tom McEwen had broken a frangible device and clocked time-faults on JL Dublin. Rosalent finished just 3sec outside the time for 1.2 time-faults.

Badminton final scores

Before this leading round, Ros Canter’s superbly smooth clear inside the time on Lordships Graffalo had put her up to the top of the leaderboard. However, she, too, was initially penalised for a flag at Huntsman’s Close.

Gemma Stevens spent most of the day at the head of affairs after a brave and positive round inside the time on Chilli Knight from fifth draw, and she retained a podium spot once all the flag reviews were complete.

A notable climber from the dressage phase was Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, who went round on rails to add nothing to their 20th-placed dressage score of 30.8 to leapfrog up to fourth.

The final horse inspection is scheduled to take place at 8.30am tomorrow morning (Sunday, 11 May), after which the order of jumping will be confirmed.

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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Ros Canter puts in stunning cross-country round at Badminton, but flag penalty is under review

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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

History seems to be repeating itself as Ros Canter was awarded 15 penalties for a flag at Huntman’s Close in the Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country phase. In Paris last summer, Ros was also given controversial flag penalties on Lordships Graffalo, which were deliberated over long into the night. Immediately after her clear round today, she had 15 on her card for the second corner at fence 26b.

Although Ros did knock a flag out on the corner, Lordships Graffalo (Walter) appeared to jump through cleanly, so it will be an agonising wait to see what the ground jury decide.

The pair were fourth after dressage on 25.3, but there was room to climb for this speedy partnership after Tom McEwen and JL Dublin had actioned a frangible device at the first corner at Huntman’s Close.

Ros and Walter cruised round to win Badminton in 2023 in the mud; here in opposite conditions the result was much the same: a simply superb event horse coasting round Eric Winter’s massive track – finishing 11sec inside the time.

Badminton final scores

This was an ultra smooth, copybook round. As always, Ros looked to be cantering round a novice course in a delightful rhythm, Walter in perfect balance with pricked ears and plenty in the tank.

Ros was surprised by the news of the flag penalties straight after: “I wouldn’t have said he did anything but jumped the jumps so hopefully it’s not another situation like the Olympics, but we’ll see,” she said.

“He’s an extraordinary horse – I’m not the fastest rider in the world but Walter has such acceleration right until the end.

“My approach was to go for it, but my morning has been different to usual, because Caroline Moore passed away recently and she’s always been by my side on cross-country day, or on the phone and messaging, so I’ve had to get what she gave me and remind myself I could do it without her. I have had to have the chat with myself.”

End of day update: Ros’ flag penalties were removed after review. She sits in second place on 25.3, three penalties behind Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. 

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.

You may also be interested in:

A dazzling young mare delights, a dressage favourite disappoints and a waitlisted rider makes the top 10: catch up on all the action from day two at Badminton

‘I booked my flight across the world at 3.30am and left at 6am’ – what happens when your faraway daughter is called up from the wait list on eve of Badminton

‘Badminton is almost mythical. So to actually be here is tingly, goose-bumpy and a great feeling’: the debutante relishing the moment, and why she has a Piglet mascot

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

Just 12 days before her dressage test at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, Ros Canter was pounding London’s roads in the TCS marathon. She managed to combine training Lordships Graffalo up from his fluffy winter self to his five-star prime with preparing her own body and mind for the 26-mile challenge in the capital.

The horses have clearly taken priority.

“I wouldn’t train a horse like I trained myself,” she said after posting one of the leading dressage tests at Badminton. “I struggled to fit in the training. I could only run once a week, and never ran more than 15 miles. I had pain in my IT band [a long, fibrous band of flexible fascia that runs from the hip to just below the outside of the knee] from upping the miles so quickly.”

While she’s not planning any more long-distance challenges on her own feet, Ros thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“What was really great was that we come to these places [like Badminton] and the crowds are amazing, but we’re on the job and we can’t really celebrate, enjoy it and soak it in,” she said.

Badminton final scores

“But when I was in the marathon, I didn’t have that pressure as I was just trundling along. I could soak in the atmosphere more than I would at a place like this.”

She clocked a decent time of 4hr 15min.

“I did cross-country at school, but I hadn’t run further than 10k until January,” she said. “I don’t run at all normally – I go to the gym for fitness. So I thought I’d be nearer to five or five and a half hours.”

Ros Canter’s marathon plans

Ros Canter’s decision to run the marathon has a poignant aspect. She was fundraising for the charity Spinal Research to support her friend Saffron Cresswell, who was paralysed in a cross-country fall last summer.

“It was all through Saffron,” she said. “She was training with me the previous winter, and we got chatting about all sorts of things – we’re like minded people. We both wanted to run a marathon, so we said, ‘let’s enter the ballot together’.”

Three weeks after Saffron’s life-changing accident, they got an email to say they hadn’t been successful in the ballot. But within 10 minutes of applying for a charity place with Spinal Research, Ros was in the line-up.

“Saffron was still in hospital so I contacted her and said, ‘it’s entirely your call whether I do it’, and she said, ‘don’t even think about it, please run it’,” Ros said. “Then I shoved it to the back of my mind until December.”

So far, she has raised around £11,000 for Spinal Research. Click here to donate

Ros performed her dressage test on Friday morning (9 May), scoring 25.3 to go into second place behind Tom McEwen and JL Dublin.

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.

You may also be interested in:

A runaway leader, a stunning debut and riders’ course reactions: all you need to know from day one at Badminton Horse Trials

‘Wild yesterday, but a bit quiet today’: Oliver Townend sets the early standard at Badminton

‘That’s my fault – hand in the air for that one’: Ros Canter reflects on expensive flying changes with Badminton favourite

‘He’s a showman who could go up another level’: Tom McEwen wows to claim Badminton lead at end of day one despite costly error

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

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 Mars Badminton Horse Trials winners Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo slotted into provisional second behind their Paris 2024 teammates Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, with blips in two flying changes proving costly.

Ros and “Walter”, owned by Michele and Archie Saul, were favourites coming into Badminton this year. But this is live sport, not a coronation. The emerging picture at the top of this star-studded leaderboard is shaping up to be a close fight between the world’s best.

Ros, reigning Burghley and European champion with this horse, was trending ahead of Tom in the early stages. Walter looks stronger in his body every time we see him and his effortless transitions – both between and within each pace – combined with his professionalism and quality meant it looked for a time that this test would go close to their five-star personal best of 22.

Then a slight stutter in the first flying change on the long side after the half-pass was met with fours across the board from the judges, and the marks dipped again for their final flying change, when he stepped together with his hind legs. Their final score of 25.3 is testament to the overall calibre of their work and puts them 2.9pen behind Tom (22.4) ahead of cross-country.

“I was really pleased with it,” said Ros. “His work was in line with what he’s doing at home now and he’s getting stronger all the time. I was delighted.

Badminton final scores

“I got a little bit distracted at the beginning as he started sneezing, which isn’t always a good sign, but he then settled and he was great.

“The changes have always been something he has struggled with a little bit, and I probably just didn’t help him quite enough in those. I thought he was a bit more established than he was, so that’s my fault – hand in the air for that one!”

Ireland’s Ian Cassells showed considered test riding and elegant work with Master Point for a five-star personal best on his Badminton debut, and the second highest score of the morning so far. This 12-year-old gelding, owned by Brian and Bridget McGing, is so consistent in his frame. A blip in their final flying change prevented this test from breaking the 30 barrier, but their score of 30.7 still puts them at the business end of the leaderboard.

“He wouldn’t be the most extravagant mover – he’d be a little bit downhill, but he’s really blood, really sits and tries his hardest, sometimes a little bit too hard,” said Ian, who has completed Burghley, Luhmühlen and Pau on the road to Badminton.

“He was a little bit spooky at the camera down the end, but he really held his nerve and really allowed me to ride every stride, so I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Wills Oakden and the 2023 Blair CCI4*-L winner were first into the main arena on Friday morning. Their score of 34.4 puts them in mid-division at this half-way stage of the dressage.

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.

You may also be interested in:

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

‘He’s a showman who could go up another level’: Tom McEwen wows to claim Badminton lead at end of day one despite costly error

‘You either growl and get on with it, or you don’t – there’s a lot to jump and it’s big’: top riders share their thoughts on the 2025 Badminton cross-country course

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

Kirsty Chabert will be the first down the centre line at the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials (7–11 May) as the draw for the Gloucestershire five-star is revealed.

Kirsty will start as number one with Classic VI, and will wear number 89 with Opposition Heraldik Girl. Last year’s Badminton champions Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier will go second, and Caroline is 98th with her second ride High Time.

Britain’s Paris Olympic team gold medallists Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are drawn 58th and Tom McEwen and JL Dublin are 44th. Their teammate Laura Collett, who is riding Bling, will wear number 87. Laura has withdrawn Hester. Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ are 45th.