A good year for the girls

This year six mares are on course to complete the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. Not only is the current leader, Headley Britannia, a mare but also fourth placed FRH Serve Well. It is possible that 2007 could see a mare win Badminton for the first time since Bambi ridden by Margaret Hough in 1954. 

British rider Phoebe Buckley is hoping that the little grey mare Little Tiger will provide her with her first Badminton completion. Little Tiger, a daughter of the good Thoroughbred Java Tiger, owned by Polly Taylor and bred by Valerie Gingell in Cambridgeshire, lives up to her name. “She is 15hh on her tip-toes,” said Phoebe, “but a real fighter.” 

The combination collected an unfortunate 60 penalties after Little Tiger slipped on the turn in Huntsman Close and went down on her knees. “Being so small there is nothing to hang to and no-where to go except out the front door,” said 22-year-old Phoebe. “She had jumped all the straight routes and I was so disappointed for her – she really didn’t deserve it.” Phoebe got back on to complete the cross country but also added many time penalties to their score. Little Tiger is another mare due to produce a foal – courtesy of embryo transfer. A surrogate mare is due to foal to Catherston Liberator in July and next week Little Tiger visits the eventing stallion Mill Law in preparation for another embryo transfer. 

Part-time rider Vicky Tuffs from Monmouthshire aims to complete with her mare Tudor Romance. Vicky has brought the daughter of the warmblood stallion Quendel De Bournival through the ranks – from Riding Club one-day-events to Badminton. ‘Canny’ rather had her own ideas in the dressage arena but gave Vicky the ride of a lifetime cross-country.”She didn’t cope with the crowds in the dressage arena,” said Vicky. “But I had an awesome cross country ride – this course is made for her,” said Vicky who hopes to breed from Canny via embryo transfer. The Wexford Lady has already had six foals by embryo transfer and leading mare Headley Britannia is also due to go to stud next week to start her embryo transfer programme. 

Harald Ambros, the first rider to represent Austria, does so with the Irish-bred mare Miss Ferrari.