‘Badminton has it all’

THERE are events we are fond of, there are the year’s major championships, and then along comes Badminton to blow them all out of the water. The horse trials’ footfall is the envy of all sporting occasions, not just those catering to equestrians. The appeal this event holds to all, from former competitors to wide-eyed first time attendees repeating “the fences don’t look quite so big on TV”, is immense. Setting, standard, shopping — Badminton has it all.

On my first trip to the event, aged 10, it was beyond my comprehension a horse could clear these obstacles. Then the trailblazer breezed past, jumping each out of their stride — which is precisely why the fences don’t look as big on TV. As I got older, the fences looked incrementally smaller and more manageable, in the way crème eggs appeared to shrink, too. As with the eggs, in fact I just got bigger and a few trips later I’d convinced myself I could conceivably jump a couple of the obstacles — b elements, on the alternative route, with a lead and a following wind…

Two decades on, I may understand more about how such excellence is achieved, and have seen enough to become blasé about the spectacle, but no — arriving at Badminton still takes your breath away, whether you’re Mary King or a 10-year-old Pony Clubber, and the competitors’ excitement and nerves hang in the air, absorbed by us mere mortal bystanders.

I will be on the Horse & Hound stand at Badminton on Thursday and would love to meet as many readers as possible. Do come and say “hello”, and anything else that’s on your mind.