Emily and Valmy Biats, fourth here in 2024, settled into a rhythm for a smooth and assured spin around Eric Winter’s cross-country course.
The pair held fifth after dressage and added 7.2 cross-country time-penalties to their account, for a two-phase total of 34.5.
“He’s one of the best horses here. I’m so lucky to have him – it’s all about horsepower, and David and Paul Evans, who kindly secured the ride for me last year, they have made it happen,” said Emily, of the 16-year-old gelding.
“I’m a bit emotional; I haven’t set any records, I’m not in the lead, but he was just amazing – he listened to me and tried so hard.”
Badminton final scores
She added: “The team here have done an incredible job on the ground, it is perfect. It is fast ground, and we know the time is gettable… These are the biggest fences they’re going to jump in the sport and then coming at them with speed, it makes it tough. It’s up to height. The let-up fences, they’re not let-up fences.
“It’s tough from start to finish. You’ve got to be on your A-game and Valmy was so on it, he was awesome.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
World champion Yasmin and her long-term partner Rehy DJ made their Badminton debut with a foot-perfect performance. Like Emily, Yas settled her horse into a comfortable rhythm and the gelding popped neatly round, picking up 9.2 time-penalties to add to her dressage score of 38.7.
“He was incredible. He kept on jumping till the end and grew in confidence the whole way around. It was a really strong track, huge, very much Badminton. I couldn’t be more proud of him how he coped,” said Yas.
Yas added she “went out with a plan and stuck to it”, the only alteration being to take the slightly wider line around the tree at Huntsman’s Close to ensure Piglet understood the question.
“I’m glad I did that. He flew home, on the nice rolling downhill towards the end he regained a little bit of breath, picked up as he went into the main arena and finished really well,” she said.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, team gold medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, had a hairy moment at the final log on the direct route at the KBIS Chasm (15cd), when “Dubs” left a leg. They later picked up 11 penalties for breaking the frangible device at the first corner at Equidry Huntsman’s Close.
Tom said that Dubs leaving “a couple of legs half-way round just took a little bit of the stuffing out of him”.
“Then it was quite hard work all the way back up the hill,” he said, adding the ground was brilliant and we’ve seen some travel brilliantly on it, but that “just for me and Dub, it was just a bit of a pull up that last hill, but he tried so hard and I’m delighted with him”.
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.
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
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
