British rider Bubby Upton and the 16-year-old Cola, her ‘horse of a lifetime’, are leading after the morning session of dressage at the MARS Badminton Horse Trials, with the only sub-30 score, 29.8. This is the pair’s fifth consecutive Badminton appearance, having finished eighth last year.

‘He was a little on his toes, to be honest, but I am really pleased with him,’ said Bubby, who finished eighth at Badminton last year. ‘It wasn’t a perfect polished test but he is established at five-star level now and he is such a beautiful horse.’

Georgie Goss, who now represents Ireland, is lying second on Feloupe on 30.8 penalties and Sarah Bullimore is third on the home-bred Corimiro on 32.1.

The 10-year-old Corimiro is by Amiro out of Lily Corinne, a mare Sarah competed at top level. The pair has excellent four-star form and finished fifth at their first five-star, Pau in France, last year.

Tom Jackson is lying fourth on the first of his two rides, United 36, ahead of Katie Magee and Treworra, who made a brilliant Badminton debut last year in 11th place and taking home the Lawrence Rook trophy for the highest placed British first-timer.

A field of 61 is competing for the world’s biggest eventing prize of £125,000. Next up in front of the judges (president Christina Klingspor from Sweden, Amanda Miller from the US and Britain’s Angela Tucker) after the lunch break will be the Irish combination of Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint, who also made a stellar Badminton debut, finishing second in 2024.