An update has been released on Nicola Wilson’s website following her fall at Badminton Horse Trials cross-country yesterday (7 May), the event presented by Mars Equestrian. The rider remains in hospital but is conscious and stable.
The statement reads: “Following her fall from JL Dublin at Badminton Horse Trials on Saturday 7th May, Nicola has had a comfortable night in hospital and is conscious in a stable condition awaiting further tests. She is receiving the best possible care from the team at Southmead Hospital.
“Alistair and the rest of the family are very grateful for all of the messages of support and these are being shared with Nicola. Dubs is in good form and will be making his way back to Yorkshire later today. We will bring you further updates as and when we can.”
Nicola was riding her European champion, 11-year-old JL Dublin and was enjoying a clear round up until the third element at the Mars M complex (fence 27), a basket-style box fence, where the horse fell. The gelding, who is owned by James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston, was making his five-star debut and had produced a competitive dressage mark of 26.5 to lie in 13th prior to cross-country.
Nicola Wilson’s other horse at the event, Erano M, was her second ride at Badminton Horse Trials, and therefore subsequently withdrawn from the competition following her fall.
Badminton final scores
Read our full Badminton form guide in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound (issue dated 5 May 2022). Our bumper 20-page Badminton report will be in our 12 May issue and keep fully up-to-date with all the action during Badminton week via horseandhound.co.uk, where a host of features and reports will be published.
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
