Every type of weather made itself known at the first Badminton Horse Trials trot-up this afternoon (4 May), which made for some fresh moments from horses at the five-star event, presented by Mars Equestrian.
One of the most excitable was Vitali, the mount of New Zealand’s Tim Price. The 13-year-old, who is owned by Tim and Alexander and Joseph Giannamore, seemed to be taken aback by the abundance of crowds and photographers as they walked out under Badminton House’s iconic archway.
RSH Contend OR, who is owned by Vicky Collins and Avrina Milton and ridden by Felicity Collins, was also keen to get on with things, as was Solo, who is owned by John and Janette Bodenham and Emily Botsaris, and who will be ridden by New Zealand’s Hollie Swain.
The ground jury consisting of Angela Tucker, Andrew Bennie and Xavier Le Sauce, passed all 65 horses that were presented, with none being sent to the hold box.
Badminton final scores
There was a late withdrawal prior to the Badminton Horse Trials trot-up as Australia’s Sarah Clark did not bring LV Balou Jeanz forward to the first horse inspection.
Sixty-five horses will go forward to the dressage, which will get underway at 9am when first to go, Wills Oakden and Oughterard Cooley, will enter the main arena.
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials
If you are interested in watching Badminton Horse Trials live from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the BadmintonTV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
