Badminton Horse Trials 2016

The Mitsubishi Motor Badminton Horse Trials have once again played host to some of the best eventers in the world, and there was definitely plenty of exciting moments to keep me gripped. I was unable to watch the coverage of the cross country on Saturday, which is why this post is so late - I spent Sunday and Monday catching up with the cross country, and was only able to watch the show jumping of coverage last night! There were many hours that had to be dedicated to watching all the footage the BBC had to offer on iPlayer, and it was definitely worth it!

As always, there were some riders that really stuck out for me. The first of these was Ben Hobday, because he's had such a difficult year what with battling cancer and on top of that he is now patron to Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony charity, a fact highlighted by the fact he had Willberry strapped to his back when he rode the course. It was such a lovely thing to do, and I think it highlights the entire Willberry's Wishes aspects of the charity. The course he rode was brilliant, and I think the entire crowd were right behind him. A fantastic rider, and I certainly wish him all the best in both riding and for supporting such a great charity. 

The second rider that stood out from the crowd for me is someone who didn't finish the cross country course but chose to retire. Nicola Wilson had a bit of a fall at the PHEV oxer after Mirage Pond. She stayed on, and the horse managed to stand, but nevertheless the two retired and I thought it was such a brilliant thing to do. I think it would have been tempting for many to try and carry on, seen as the horse almost immediately set back off, but she put the horse first and pulled up a little bit further on. The commentators noted how the horse looked fine, and I think that in itself demonstrates her consideration. She was never going to place with her horse anyway, so the pin related penalties wouldn't have made much difference if her aim was to simply get around the course. Her compassion is inspirational to me. 

Taken from the Badminton Horse Trials website

I could name so many more riders (Mark Todd, Jock Paget, Oliver Townend, Andreas Ostholt, Emily King) but to keep this blog post somewhat concise, I'll discuss just one more. Michael Jung. What a rider! I felt very privileged to see history being made, so I'm quite envious of people who got to see him ride in person. First German and second Rolex Grand Slam Winner! Not something that happens every year, but he really deserved it. His horse is brilliant. Did you see the show jumping? Not a hoof put wrong! Many congratulations to him and the German team because they had a brilliant result every day.

Well done to all the riders, horses and teams that took part, and to everyone who suffered an injury then I wish you all a very speedy recovery. Let's hope next year will produce equally outstanding performances.

Until next time...