United States Eventing Association

All 78 horses that came in front of the Ground Jury of President, Mrs Sue Baxter (GBR), Mr Christopher Hess (GER) and Dr Katrin Eichinger Kniely (AUT) were passed as fit to compete in this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in South Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.

Caroline Powell was first up the runway, with Up Up And Away and then On The Brash. She looked fabulous in a long tweed coat, and was followed by Georgie Spence who had to have worked her outfit to match Halltown Harley’s colouring.

Other eye catching outfits were showcased by Kate Honey, Danielle Dunn and Georgie Strang, although Canadian Selena O’Hanlon was perhaps expecting warmer weather, with her very pretty but sleeveless dress. Our ‘stand out’ man was Italy’s Giovanni Ugolotti, sporting his military uniform and impossibly shiny boots – or contrastingly Harry Meade wearing near-luminous green trousers.

Plenty of riders had their hands full, with horses bursting out of their skins. Looking particularly impressive was Tom McEwen’s Toledo de Kerser, Harry Meade’s Away Cruising (perhaps slightly embarrassed by the crowd’s reaction to his rider’s outfit) and Regis Prud’hon’s Kaiser HDB 4175. Defending champion Nereo, however, took it all in his stride, trotting politely beside Andrew Nicholson.

Cedric Lyard was asked to trot Qatar Du Peuch Rouget twice, and Tom Crisp’s Coolys Luxury was sent to the hold box to be more carefully inspected by one of the team of vets here at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, but was passed by the Ground Jury when re-presented.

Dressage starts tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. EST). See ride times here. There are three U.S. riders and one Canadian competing their dressage times are:

Selena O'Hanlon and Foxwood High - Thursday - 2:16 p.m. (9:16 a.m. EST)
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica - Thursday - 3:56 p.m. (10:56 a.m. EST)
Madeline Backus and P.S. Arianna - Friday - 2:16 p.m. (9:16 a.m. EST)
William Coleman and Obos O'Reilly - Friday - 2:48 p.m. (9:48 a.m. EST)

Backus is in England due to receiving both the Rebecca Broussard International Riders Grant and the inagural Wilton Fair Grant. Read about her trip here and here. Kieffer received a Land Rover/USEF Traveling Grant and Coleman won the Dutta Flight from his second place at the 2017 Fair Hill International CCI3*.

Want to follow along? You can watch in the U.S. on Horse & Country TV, keep up with the live scores here, and see photos from Shannon Brinkman photography on the USEA website.