Biography

British rider Harry Meade (39) has eleven completions of the event with five top twenty placings. He gained his eleventh completion last year (29^th Away Cruising) one of his entries this year also. It will be a first Badminton for Tenareze who completed Pau 5*L last year (24^th) and a first 5* for Cavalier Crystal 12^th in the 4*L at Blenheim last year.

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 organising committee and in recent times been part of the BBC commentary team and often writes a column in 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 (11) and a son Charlie (9). Harry trains with Ian Woodhead and Grant Wilson.

Away Cruising, owned by Jane Dear and Charlotte Opperman is a 16-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 has been brought the levels by Harry since a five-year-old. In June 2017 he completed his first (then) four-star at Luhmuhlen and has since twice completed both Badminton and Burghley.

Tenareze owned by David Bernstein, Sophie Caruth and Nigella Hall is 16-year-old French-bred Anglo Arab. He is by the leading sire Jaguar Mail out of Utopie du Maury by Quatar Du Plape (also the sire of Cathar de Gamel 2^nd Pau 2103). With former owner Thomas Carlile and as a stallion Tenareze was the winner of both 6&7 year-old classes at the World Championships for young horses in Le Lions (2013 &’14). He was gelded and has frozen semen available. Tenereze completed Pau in 2022.

Cavalier Crystal owned Charlotte Opperman is a 13-year-old Irish Irish-bred Irish Sport Horse. Bred by Thomas Horgan he is by Jack of Diamonds out of a mare by Cavalier Royale. Badminton will be a first at the level for Cavalier Crystal