Biography

British rider Harry Meade (40) has 12 completions of the event gaining six top-twenty placings. He gained his 12th completion last year (16th Away Cruising) one of his entries this year also. The pair is now in its 13^th season together.

It will be a first Badminton for Cavalier Crystal with who Harry was 5^th at Bramham last June going on to take 3^rd place at Burghley – a first 5* for the horse. It is also a first Badminton for Red Kite with who Harry was 11^th in the 4*L at Bramham and later contested the horses first 5* at Pau but did not complete.

Harry is currently #5 in the world FEI rider ranking.

Harry was born and grew up in the Beaufort Hunt country, close to Badminton. In 2000, as a member of the Beaufort Pony Club, Harry was the National Pony Club eventing champion and the following year a member of the British Junior team. After leaving school he combined horses with university and gained a degree in history of art from Bristol University. Before running his own yard Harry was apprenticed to several riders including William Fox-Pitt from who he took the ride on Midnight Dazzler, with who he made his four-star debut at Burghley in 2005 winning awards for the ‘best first timer’ and ‘best Under-25’. Midnight Dazzler and Harry completed Burghley three times and Badminton on four occasions. In 2009 Harry became the youngest person ever to receive an Armada dish awarded for five Badminton completions.

In 2013 whilst competing at Wellington horse trials Harry suffered a rotational fall which resulted in two fractured and dislocated elbows requiring much re-constructive surgery and incapacitation.  He started riding again mid-February and in 2014 gained a fairy-tale third place at Badminton with Wild Lone with who he subsequently gained his first senior flag as a member of the British team for the 2014 WEG in Caen. Sadly Wild Lone died after the cross country – albeit Harry braved the podium to collect team silver. He was voted rider of the year by the Event Horse Owners Association, (EHOA), Event Riders Association (ERA) The British Equestrian Writers Association and Horse & Hound.  He has since brought on younger horses and with Away Cruising made a successful return to top level competition at Burghley in 2017.

Harry is also involved of other aspects of the sport; he is Chairman of the FEI International Riders committee, a member of the Burghley Horse Trials Directors Advisory Group and in recent times been part of the BBC commentary team and occasional columnist for Horse & Hound Magazine.

His father the late Richard Meade, won three Olympic gold medals in eventing, won Burghley in 1964 and completed Badminton 16 times winning the event twice (1970 & ’82).

In 2010 Harry married Rosie Bradford – having proposed during a Badminton course walk – and they have a daughter Lily (12) and a son Charlie (10). Harry trains with Ian Woodhead and Grant Wilson.

Away Cruising, is a 17-year-old Irish-bred grey gelding. He is by Cruise On (a son of Cruising) out of Parklands Princess by the thoroughbred Able Albert. He was acquired by Harry as a four-year-old and has since been brought the levels by Harry. In June 2017 he completed his first (then) four-star at Luhmuhlen and has since completed both Badminton and Burghley three times.

Cavalier Crystal owned Charlotte Opperman is a 14-year-old Irish Irish-bred Irish Sport Horse mare. Bred by Thomas Horgan she is by Jack of Diamonds out of a mare by Cavalier Royale. She was initially produced by Alice Montgomery and Tiana Coudray and Harry took the ride in 2016 and has since been produced through the FEI levels by Harry. At the end of a successful season last year the pair was 3^rd in its first 5* at Burghley.

Red Kite is a 13-year-old Westfalian. Bred by Bernard Niehoff he is by the Oldenberg Z7Cordanos V (a son of the well know grand prix jumper Catoki) out of a Westphalian mare by Diamantino. He has been produced by Harry