The 2022 Badminton Horse Trials presented by Mars Equestrian in Badminton, England kicks off today with the first horse inspection taking place at 4:30 p.m. local time / 11:30 a.m. EST. There are 85 entries on the list to compete in the CCI5*-L, seven of which are U.S. riders and two of which are international riders based full-time in the U.S. Learn more about the horse and rider pairs who are making the trek across the pond to compete in one of the most iconic events in history in this edition of Fast Facts.
The U.S. Based CCI5* Field:
The five-star field represents 12 different countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, and the U.S.
There are nine U.S.-based riders on the roster, seven of which will represent the U.S. and two of which will represent their home countries. The list of U.S. riders is made up of Lillian Heard, Phillip Dutton, Tamra Smith, Ariel Grald, Will Faudree, Matthew Flynn, and Emily Hamel. The two U.S.-based riders representing their home countries are Dom Schramm representing Australia and Karl Slezak representing Canada.
Of those nine, three riders are heading into Badminton after having just competed in the 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L in Lexington, Kentucky last week: Phillip Dutton (who is coming off of a 10th place finish in Kentucky, Tamra Smith, and Will Faudree.
Only two of the nine riders have competed at Badminton before: Dutton and Faudree. Both Dutton and Faudree are riding Badminton first-timers with Dutton riding the Z Partnership’s 14-year-old Zangersheide gelding Z (Asca x Bellabouche) and Faudree riding Jennifer Mosing and Sterling Silver Stables’ 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding Mama’s Magic Way (Mighty Magic x Straightaway).
The remaining seven U.S. based horse and rider pairs are all going to be giving Badminton a go for the first time, but each have previously competed in a five-star competition.
All of the nine horses who flew to England from the states are geldings.
Mama’s Magic Way is the youngest horse of the group at 11-years-old, while Schramm’s mount, the KWPN gelding Bolytair B (Polytair x Nobelle) owned by Team Bolytair B, LLC, and Heard’s own Irish Sport Horse gelding LCC Barnaby (Guy Cavalier x Lady Tanjour), are tied for the most senior horse of the group at just 16-years-old.
The Irish Sport Horse is the most popular breed of choice from the nine riders with three horses representing Irish breeding. The rest are KWPN (two horses), Zangersheide, German Sport Horse, Hanoverian, and Holsteiner.
The last time a U.S. rider stood atop the podium was in 1997 when David O’Connor won the event riding Jacqueline Mars’ Irish Sport Horse gelding Custom Made (Bassompierre x Purple Heather).
Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby will be the U.S. pathfinders with a draw number of 20. Emily Hamel and Corvett will round out the group at number 95. Ride times will be released after the first horse inspection.
The Facts:
Markin Konarski (POL) is the technical delegate with Simon Grundy (GBR) assisting.
Christian Landolt (SUI) is the president of the ground jury and will be assisted by Seppo Laine (FIN) and Anne-Marie Taylor (GBR).
Eric Winter (GBR) is the cross-country course designer.
Philip Kelvin Bywater (GBR) is the show jumping course designer.
How To Watch:
The only way to watch the Badminton Horse Trials is via Badminton TV live or on-demand (full on-demand coverage will be available the Monday following the event). A subscription costs 19.99 euros which equals $21.06 U.S.
The BBC will be airing a highlights program on BBC2 at 2:30 p.m. BST Sunday, May 8. The program will also show the final 10 show jumping rounds live.
The Competition Schedule:
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
4:30 p.m. BST / 11:30 a.m. EST First Horse Inspection
Thursday, May 5, 2022
9:30 a.m. BST / 4:30 a.m. EST Dressage
Friday, May 6, 2022
9:30 a.m. BST / 4:30 a.m. EST Dressage
Saturday, May 7, 2022
11:30 a.m. BST / 6:30 a.m. EST Cross-Country
Sunday, May 8, 2022
11:30 a.m. BST / 6:30 a.m. EST Show Jumping first half
3:00 p.m. BST / 10:00 a.m. EST Show Jumping top 20
This holiday season I’d like to begin a series of Pressure Proof tips dedicated to helping us all become a little more joyful and thankful…and we’ll do that by discussing two opposing mindsets: the growth and fixed mindset.
The final USEA Classic Series event took place at Ram Tap Horse Park Horse Trials from Nov. 15-17 in Fresno, California. Read on to learn more about the winners!
The horses in trainer Joe Davis’ barn at Horseshoe Indianapolis don’t just get standard hay in their nets each day. Throughout the afternoon, Davis or one of his employees opens the HayGain machine that sits at the end of his shed row and pulls out a warm, beautiful-smelling bale of freshly-steamed hay to fill their nets.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.
Official Corporate Sponsors of the USEA
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Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA