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Dream is over for Badminton debutante


  • The dream is over for Sarah Clark, after she withdrew before the trot-up at Badminton Horse Trials, presented by Mars Equestrian, on 4 May 2023. Sarah felt that her ride, LV Balou Jeanz, was not 100% and elected not to present him.

    “We got dressed up, we went to the party of our dreams, but we didn’t get to dance,” Sarah posted on her Instagram. “I’m more sorry than I can put into words, but Jeanz’s long-term wellbeing must come first and foremost. I know if I asked him to, he’d run forever and jump anything, even if it broke him.”

    LV Balou Jeanz had an interrupted preparation in the spring, missing their intended run at Thoresby due to a setback with a bruised foot. They did fit in one advanced run at Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International, jumping double clear.

    Sarah’s achievements with the New Zealand-bred are already remarkable. Last year, she made the journey from Adelaide to Burghley – which she completed with a clear cross-country round. Badminton, she told H&H, was “more icing on the cake”.

    “If you had told me 20, 10, two years ago, we’d even make it this far I’d be overjoyed,” she said. “Thanks more than anyone to this phenomenal horse, who by saving for another day, I hope will be back out chasing down our dreams before too long.”

    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 Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later.

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    Keep up to date with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from Nick Burton and Mark Phillips, in Horse & Hound magazine (on sale 11 May).

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