United States Eventing Association

South Gloucestershire, England—May 8—She led from the start of the competition on Michelle Saul’s 11-year-old Lordships Graffalo, a horse that has won the hearts of a cheerful Badminton crowd, who remained undaunted by the terrible weather on a historic coronation weekend.

South Gloucestershire, England—May 7—Rosalind Canter was the star of a dramatic and thrilling day of cross-country sport at Badminton Horse Trials. The 2018 World Champion has two show jumps in hand to win her first five-star after a stirring performance at the end of the day aboard Michelle Saul’s 11-year-old Lordships Graffalo, the runner-up at Badminton and fourth at the World Championships (Italy) in 2022.

South Gloucestershire, England—May 6—Rosalind Canter and her hugely popular horse Lordships Graffalo lit up a damp Coronation Day when producing a superb dressage test to take the lead at Badminton Horse Trials.

South Gloucestershire, England—May 5—Oliver Townend looks to have the best chance of becoming the first rider to finish first and second at Badminton since Ian Stark way back in 1988. He is heading the leaderboard after the first day of dressage at the 2023 Badminton Horse Trials on Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Chillout x Kilila) Swallow Springs.

With just a few days to recover from the excitement of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, we’re on to the Badminton Horse Trials CCI5*-L! The event, which is located in South Gloucestershire, England, is being held a day later than usual so cross-country day won’t coincide with Coronation Day in England.

From horse trials in her home state of California where she prepared herself and her horses to take on the best in the nation and around the world to five-star events overseas where she represented the United States on some of eventing’s biggest stages, Tamie Smith had a remarkable season and finished 2022 as the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year for the second year in a row.

Laura Collett topped the first British one-two-three at Badminton since 2002 - and emulated her heroine Pippa Funnell, winner of the event that year - by adding just 0.4 of a time-fault in the showjumping to her leading dressage score of 21.

Although British riders are in control after cross-country day at Badminton, holding nine of the top 10 spots, most of the US-based raiders were delighted with their horses after a dramatic day of action.

Laura Collett and London 52 (Landos x Vernante), Olympic team gold medallists for Britain last year, snatched first place after dressage at Badminton from their Tokyo teammates Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser (Diamant de Semilly x Ariane Du Prieure II) with a beautiful test on Friday morning.

Tamie Smith and Alexandra and Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell's 16-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Mai Baum (Loredano 2 x Ramira) are firmly in the lead of the large U.S. contingent at Badminton Horse Trials after the first day of dressage, and their score of 25.3 means they are in fourth place overall behind three British riders.