Reactions After Cross Country
“I feel incredibly grateful to have a horse who allows me to come out at this level when I’m not at my best [Ros had a baby at the end of January] – Walter makes my life easy. He pricks his ears and says ‘I’ve got it mum’, but never pulls. I feel very proud of my team who did all the early fitness work, and of my mum who has had such a year but keeps going, getting up earlier every day to help make my dreams come true.”
Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo 23.7)
““He loved it. It rode very much as it walked. We set off in the spirit we meant to go on, with his ears pricked, and he finished full of running.””
Harry Meade (Et Hop du Matz 40.9)
“He was unbelievable. He is only a 10-year-old and this time last year he hadn’t even done a 4*L. He just ate it up. The course is reasonably in front of you and I think it does ride as it walks but this morning I thought ‘could he do it?’ He proved he could. The thrill comes when you finish!”
Tom Jackson (United 36 35.4)
“He was totally amazing. I came out thinking ‘come on, let’s do it’. I put pressure on myself because he’s an incredibly fast horse and very polite so doesn’t need much setting up. I don’t think I have ever sat on such a fast horse.”
Holly Richardson (Ballyneety Silver Service 41.2)
“He was amazing, and so genuine at the Hollow. Now I wish I had pressed him a little harder, but he is 17 and and it’s his first Badminton. I am so pleased for all the team.’”
Cosby Green (Jos Ufo de Quidam 48.5)
“This horse is completely different to Colorado Blue. He’s a bit strong, and one you’ve got to train. He’s very brave but, like me, he needs putting in his box. The course rode very, very well.”
Austin O’Connor (Sixmilewater 63.6)
“I was there when he was born – in fact, we had to pull him out, so this feels wonderful to have such a great first Badminton. He is phenomenal, the reason I keep going in eventing and get out of bed in the morning. He’s got the best brain ever and looks for the flags.’”
Sarah Bullimore (Corimiro 48.5)
“He was super and had the legs in him to go faster. He is an amazing cross-country horse to ride, I’m thrilled.”
Lucy Latta (RCA Patron Saint 33.9)
“I love her. She used to be lacking in self confidence and hold herself very tight. I’ve produced her very slowly, and today felt easy – the time could have been tighter.’”
Harry Meade (Annaghmor Valoner 30.3)
“He’s been amazing – it’s our third time here and I was surprised how much it took out of him – but he is on the heavier side. We managed to shave a lot of time off from previously though, so I’m chuffed – and hearing all the cheers really makes a difference.”
Wills Oakden (Keep It Cooley 88.8)
“He really pulled it out of the bag for me – such a champ. He loves a big track. We were really on our minute markers until the last 30 seconds and I know it probably didn’t look pretty but I knew he would jump home OK. It just shows his heart and grit.”
Will Rawlin (Ballycoog Breaker Boy 34.9)
“It was a brand new bit, but he is still so strong. He loves his job so much. When he jumped the bank so well I did think that then we could relax and enjoy it.”
Emma Thomas (Icarus 73.3)
“I love cross-country now! But I think that the time you enjoy it still outweighed by the dread beforehand. This horse is 18 and I am so grateful to be here and to get round. He was so rideable and full of running and it’s all credit to Amy at home who works on his fitness.”
Fiona Kashel (Creevagh Silver de Haar 42.5)
“She was phenomenal. Last year, she was very green but she has learned from it and has come out this year saying “Let me at it”. She has got big shoes to fill [reference to London 52], but if she keeps me coming back to Badminton and Burghley I will be a happy girl.”
Laura Collett (Bling 37.5)
“Badminton has always been a dream, even over the Olympics, which is unusual for a European. As soon as I could use a computer, my mum would find me watching riders like Andrew Nicholson and William Fox-Pitt. I hope I can now inspire girls and boys in Switzerland to do the five-stars.”
Nadja Minder (Toblerone 37.1)
“Cola is not the fastest horse – he goes at his maximum pace and gives me his all. He made it all feel pretty spotless and I’d say that is fairly extraordinary at Badminton.”
Bubby Upton (Cola 41.8)
“ I loved every single second; he was amazing. I have spent 30-odd years watching Badminton on television so to be here is amazing. Nicola [Wilson, trainer] has been wonderful, with me every second of the way. I couldn’t do it without her.”
Katie Magee (Treworra 33.3)
“He just jumped off the bank at the Quarry and suddenly we were heading in the wrong direction, so I had to do a squiggle. I was very conscious of not crossing my tracks so I hope it’s OK. This meant we were behind from the get-go. He started a little bit green but got better and better – it was a good trip. He is a strong horse for me – bigger and stronger than my usual type.”
Jonelle Price (Chilli’s Midnight Star 44.3)
“’It was hard work and not much of it went to plan. She felt pretty good for some of it but struggled with some distances. I’m immensely proud that she’s here in the first place, but it wasn’t our day.”
Tiana Coudray (Cancaras Girl 95.7)
“Every time I ride this horse it’s such a privilege. Every day is awesome with him. He is such a kind person. He always wants to do the right thing. We bred him, so the partnership is really strong. It’s like going out there with your team mate, your best friend. You both find it scary, but you find some bravery as well. Mark Todd has been mentoring me for a while now so I am really privileged to have that as well. He is a fount of knowledge. He has put so much work into me and I am so grateful..”
Tayla Mason (Centennial 36.5)
“It’s been a bit of a challenging few weeks as I damaged my clavicle [falling off a bicycle] but Falco is an old friend – I’ve been riding him for 10 years. Coming here with my knowledge and with that of his owner Sue Benson [2nd at Badminton in 1979] helped and he was a dream across country. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Tim Price (Falco 33.9)
Reactions After Dressage
“I’m delighted. It’s been a funny few weeks having just had a baby – focus is a very different thing at the moment so I have had to work very hard the last few days to make sure I’m in the right frame of mind. I was posssibly a little bit stressed this morning so I had to have a word with myself and spend some time on my own. My changes weren’t going well but that was probably me panicking – he’s not a horse that would choose to do a flying change so I have to change the canter slightly – it’s a fine balance.”
Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo 23.7)
“If you are going to do a PB, Badminton is the right place to do it. She felt fantastic in there, she knows she’s at Badminton and was quite a lot to handle when we arrived and I think today I made everyone proud.”
Lara de Liedekerke (Hooney d’Arville 28.6)
“I’m very pleased. The atmosphere here – the dogs [hounds] barking is not something she is used to seeing, but she always seems to pull it together.”
Felix Vogg (Cartania 28.7)
“You never quite know what you are going to get when you go out there with her, it’s dealing with the environment and the atmosphere. She’s very sensitive, and even at the ripe old age of 16, she is what she is. She’s not a big moving horse and can go a bit like a sewing machine. I’ve just got to accept it really.”
Alexander Bragg (Quindiva 39.0)
“Everyone who has seen him before knows that he can contort his neck very tight and get tense; you can keep him together that way but he then gets a tight back. This has been a different approach and it’s early days. This is the first test we’ve tried this approach – it’s not polished yet but we will work on it before Burghley.”
Sam Watson (Ballyneeety Rocketman 39.6)
“I’m really pleased with him. He’s just so correct – he’s 18 years old now and he gets better and stronger with age.”
Fiona Kashell (Creevagh Silver de Haar 30.5)
“He finds this kind of atmosphere really tricky. I was trying to leave it as long as possible to come over and ended up leaving it too late and having to canter straight in. When I did my first halt I thought ‘oh no’ but he did come back a bit and the changes are his party piece.”
Emma Thomas (Icarus X 47.3)
“We love the horse and rate him highly. He’s still young and immature at this level so this week is about trying to give him mileage and exposure in this kind of atmosphere. We’ll see where we are at the end of it, there’s still a lot to do.”
Wills Oakden (Keep it Cooley 29.4)
“It was definitely a different atmosphere to yesterday [when she scored a similar mark on Ballyneety Silver Service] but he held it all together. It might possibly have been better for Ballylouis to have gone first of my two horses, but it won’t matter tomorrow – they are both bold cross-country horses.”
Holly Richardson (Bally Louise 41.8)
“She is a good campaigner at this [five-star] level. It was a good test for her and often finishes on that score at the end of the competition. I will be riding all three horses first thing and might jump the second and third. I won’t have much time in between rides, but I do like to try and watch a bit.
I’ve been first to go about 10 times at five-star level and it does take a bit of character to be first to go “over the top” but I don’t really mind..”
Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal 34.6)
“It’s a fine line between asking too much and him getting tense, and keeping him a bit quiet. I wanted to be as accurate as possible.”
Max Warburton (Deerpairc Revelry 31.8)
“I was thrilled with her, she was supple, soft and accurate. I don’t think she left anything behind. It’s a bit of a dud being first to go on both Thursday and Friday. This is a horse I like to do little and often with and ideally I would like to have ridden her once or twice more this morning.”
Harry Meade (Annaghmore Valoner 30.3)
“I was generally pleased but there were costly mistakes due to the horse opening his mouth. We have been trying a new noseband which has generally been working well but, of course, a big event like this is the litmus test and we won’t be using it again. But is still a youngish horse and has a cool head on him.
‘The two horses to come are better at this phase. And I am looking forward to the cross-country. It should be a great day’s sport.”
Harry Meade (Et Hop du Matz, 36.5)
“I’m very pleased with him, he tried his very best. He stayed with me throughout. I think I lucked out going early on Thursday morning – I got the chills trotting in to the arena, it’s so special.”
Cosby Green (USA) (Jos UFO de Quidam 34.9)
“It’s his first five star and he’s naturally quite a spooky horse so to do quite a solid test like that is really pleasing. Hopefully there is plenty to build on over the next few years.”
Tom Jackson (United 36 32.2)
“I am really happy, although you always want more. We work towards events like this all our lives. This is our seventh five-star together – he’s a wonderful horse.”
Grace Taylor (Gamechanger, 30.8)
“This is the first time she has been in a big environment for a while – she is back from an injury in 2023. She moves a bit like a sewing machine – she’s not really built to do dressage and stuck her head in the door. There wasn’t a lot I could do but she loves her jumping and will be looking forward to Saturday. It’s not a dressage competition, and that is the joy of five-star. Her owner lives just down the road and this is a dream of hers to have a horse at Badminton”
David Doel (Ferro Point, 41.9)
“That was rubbish! It’s really frustrating. He was feeling the best ever and everything was going to plan and then it all went wrong at the halt, which he must have done 150 times without fault this year. And then he changed in the canter – I was, like, what are you doing? But he feels blooming well and Saturday will be a matter of keeping the lid on him”
Gemma Stevens (Chilli Knight, 34.0)
“I am a little bit disappointed as he can be quite flashy, but he got rather lit up. But both my horses are big, bold cross-country horses; they’re pretty cool.”
Holly Richardson (Ballyneety Silver Service, 41.2)
“You always want a slightly better mark, don’t you, but he tried really hard and is green at this level. I’m always on catch up because dressage is my weakest phase, but we’re getting there.”
Simon Grieve (Autograf, 36.4)
“He was a little on his toes, to be honest, but I’m really pleased with him. It wasn’t a perfect, polished test, but he’s established at the level now, and he’s such a beautiful horse.”
Bubby Upton (Cola, 29.8)
“I’m a little bit disappointed really, I feel I let him down. The trot work was lovely but the changes, which are usually on point weren’t quite on the button. But he is only 10, and it’s a bit atmosphere in there.”
Sarah Bullimore (Corimiro, 32.1)
“Every time here is more and more exciting, especially when you can’t predict what is going to happen. He is improving daily, but when he’s out he can be any way”
Aistis Vitkauskas (Commander VG, 50.5)
“I’m delighted with the test, just a bit frustrated with myself. She never misses her changes and we missed that first change, so I’m a little bit disappointed.”
Georgie Goss (Feloupe, 30.8)
“He was a really good boy and stayed soft in the back. I could perhaps have been a bit more positive. He is a gorgeous horse – I am so lucky to have him. I haven’t had a Thursday dressage before here and it’s a nice way to do it. I’m looking forward to another look at the cross-country now – the going is brilliant”
Katie Magee (Treworra, 33.3)
“I’m delighted. The horse gave me everything he had and was really rideable. He can get worried in the atmosphere, but this is his third five-star and he’s getting used to the big stadiums. He has some lovely flying changes and a good canter. I have taken a career break [from working for a soft drinks company] because the horse is now 15 and I want to enjoy him a bit at five-star level.”
Lucy Latta (RCA Patron Saint, 31.9)
“Dressage isn’t our easiest phase and we have worked hard on it over a long time. I heard I was trending third in the trot work which I’ll take – he can have a Jackie Chan moment in a flying change, but I’m very proud of him.”
Sarah Ennis (Grantstown Jackson, 34.5)
“I never like to say too much about the cross-country course but I think it’s got more flow and will be more open for the horses. Mine was wild at an event recently – he knows what is going to happen and feels better than ever.”
Kyle Roddy (SRS Kan Do, 32.9)
“The horse has actually made quite a bit of improvement over the winter, thanks to help from Chris Bartle and Pammy Hutton, but he went into the arena today and let out a squeal so I knew I was in for a tricky time. But we got through it and I am looking forward to Saturday. Chris says the cross-country course is certainly imposing, which means it really is!”
Tom Bird (Cowling Hot Gossip, 45.1)
“I have barely ridden the horse today because you need to keep him calm. We’ve done a lot of lungeing and kept him away from the shops and food bars because, although he’s a well-trained horse, he gets upset but he was looking quite soft in his eye and so as soon we heard the clapping for Kylie, I hopped on.”
Jesse Campbell (Cooley Lafitte, 38.0)
“He’s never going to be in the lead after this phase, but he really tried his best in there today so I’m really happy.”
Helen Bates (Carpe Diem, 39.4)
“That was her best test in terms of strength and quality of her work. To be honest, there were quite a few little mistakes which almost makes it more exciting because with a clean test it can be that much better again. She improves year after year and gets more presence. I’m lucky, changes have always been her highlight, though she messed up the first one a little today when she saw the cross-country fence but it’s really exciting – it’s a dream to be at Badminton, let alone be in the lead.”
Tiana Coudray (Cancaras Girl, 28.1)
“I was really pleased with that because dressage is not our strong phase, but most of the time she listened to me although she made an annoying few mistakes. Her son is doing well at 4* at the moment.”
Arne Berhendhal (Luthien NRW, 38.8)
“I would have taken that score at the start of the week – to get that at his first five star is great. He coped well with the atmosphere – at home he can be a bit of a Jack The Lad, but he knuckles down when he has to and he was very rideable.”
Michael Owen (Monbeg Darwin, 34.3)
“I’m over the moon. Even from Burghley last year, we have stepped up a level. There were a few things in there… my last change was diabolical, but overall it felt fantastic. I would have been disappointed not to be in the top three at the end of today.”
Will Rawlin (Ballycoog Breaker Boy, 29.3)
“I’m really thrilled with him. He’s such a trier, if not the most talented in this phase. Today I really felt he was with me – I could have maybe taken a few more risks.”
Alex Hua Tian (Chicko, 32.8)
“I am really happy, although you always want more. We work towards events like this all our lives. This is our seventh five-star together – he’s a wonderful horse.”
Grace Taylor (Game Changer, 30.8)
“It was definitely a different atmosphere to yesterday [when she scored a similar mark on Ballyneety Silver Service] but he held it all together. It might possibly have been better for Ballylouis to have gone first of my two horses, but it won’t matter tomorrow – they are both bold cross-country horses.”
Holly Richardson (Ballylouis, 41.8)
“She is a good campaigner at this [five-star] level. It was a good test for her and she often finishes on that score at the end of the competition. I will be riding all three horses first thing and might jump the second and third. I won’t have much time in between rides, but I do like to try and watch a bit.
“I’ve been first to go about 10 times at five-star level and it does take a bit of character to be first to go “over the top” but I don’t really mind..”
Harry Meade (Cavalier Crystal, 34.6)
“I am very pleased. It’s tough to get a good mark but she put her game face on.”
Caroline Powell (Greenacres Special Cavalier, 28.9)
“I am pleased enough. He feels on the form of his life so it was annoying to have those mistakes [in the canter and flying change]. I have two very different horses to ride so I will have to adapt as best as I can.”
Tom Jackson (Hawkeye 33.9)
“”
Rider