For someone who topped the British Eventing leaderboard as the rider with the most cross-country clears in 2025, experiencing two uncharacteristic falls with his top horse, Galileo Nieuwmoed, at both Badminton and Burghley could easily have been difficult to recover from.
But leading Wiltshire event rider David Doel is very...
Ros Canter and the stunning Lordship Graffalo claimed their second MARS Badminton Horse Trials title with a flawless round in the final showjumping phase, cementing the horse's status as one of the best eventers in the world. Canter now joins a select group of just five riders to have won...
The world’s greatest three-day event riders are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which is just about to get underway (Wednesday 7 May).
The Barbury Castle estate saw a welcome return to British Eventing at the weekend with three days of competition, showcasing some of our top riders, including Laura Collett, David Doel, Tim and Jonelle Price, Tom McEwen to name just a few.
Badminton 2025 is nearly here, taking place in early May beytween 7 - 11th. One difference for this year - all tickets must be bought in advance as there won't be any tickets sold on the gate this year. There is the 'early bird' advance ticket discount available, but that...
New Zealander Caroline Powell pulled off a shock victory at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials at the weekend, after Tim Price and Vitali and William Fox Pitt and Grafennacht, who were in first and second respectively, had a number of fences down in the showjumping.
Will Rawlin describes himself as “absolutely fine” as he faces his first ever appearance at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, which begin on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old first timer, based at Rockley, said he is not overthinking the competition, regarded by many in the sport as the pinnacle in the eventing calendar,...
David Doel’s past two seasons, with his star horse Galileo Nieuwmoed, are the stuff that most event riders can only dream of. A sixth place at his debut Badminton Horse Trials, eighth at Kentucky and runner up at Burghley are the highlights - but for him this is not quite...
Three former successful racehorses, stabled and trained now at Overton Manor Farm (and owned by the White family) in Wroughton have qualified for the Horse of the Year Show at Birmingham’s NEC in October.
Trained by the ladies who will be riding them, the three horses will be competing in the...
When Greta Mason drives through the famous Badminton gates for her debut appearance this week it will be a culmination of a three-year plan.
Greta and her 16.1hh gelding Cooley for Sure (Murphy) moved to base themselves with former Badminton winner Rodney Powell at his Bishopstone yard in 2020, with a...
Equestrian Sports New Zealand high performance director Sarah Dalziell-Clout is calling the format change for the Olympic Games agreed by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) a 'real game-changer for eventing'.
She is backed up by New Zealand's most capped Olympian, Sir Mark Todd - one of the country's Rio eventing team who are based near Marlborough.
New Zealand joined ten other nations in voting against the new proposals which cut the athletes in national teams from four to three and allows substitutions. The decision now goes to the IOC executive board for final approval next year.
“We voted against the proposed changes because of the detrimental effect it will have on the discipline of eventing,” says Dalziell-Clout. “While these changes have marginal impacts on jumping and dressage, the impact upon eventing is significant.”
Sir Mark Todd agrees: “The sport didn’t need changing or fixing, but this has been done to try and stay in the Olympics,” says Todd. “But it is disappointing the FEI didn’t pay attention to the opinion of the people involved in the sport. In the end the majority vote was for the change to three riders per team but most of that is from countries that have absolutely no sport representation at all.”
He felt it would be detrimental to the sport of eventing: “I can see a lot of younger people walking away – they will think they have a greater hope of making a team of four than three, so it may put them off. Most people in eventing didn’t want the change – it changes the whole complexion of the sport.”
Todd said the changes would make eventing very confusing for those watching: “They said it was confusing to start with, but now you could end up with a team finishing with horses who have been eliminated . . . it makes a mockery of the sport.”
Dalziell-Clout agreed. “It is crazy – you can be eliminated in one phase but continue on providing your horse is sound. There’s also the suggestion of being able to substitute a combination between phases for ‘tactical reasons’ (with a penalty attached).”
She said the result was not surprising: “It is, however, disappointing the FEI didn’t split the vote between the disciplines – you can’t be voting on something that has such a different effect on eventing, jumping and dressage in a single vote – but we had too.”
Every nation had an equal counting vote despite not necessarily having any representation or interest in eventing. But, Dalziell-Clout went on to say she felt New Zealand riders are both skilled and very adaptable: “I am sure they will take on the challenge.”
St James's Place Wealth Management is to sponsor an award for the leading Trainer at the inaugural Barbury International Point-to-Point at the Barbury Castle Racecourse on January 14.
The FTSE 100 company has been the long term lead sponsor of Barbury's international eventing competitions and supports racing's amateur division through its sponsorship of the Cheltenham Foxhunter Steeplechase at the Festival.
It did not snow. It tried to rain a few times - but failed to bother anyone. All the weather talk was of the wind blowing fierce and cold across the top of the Marlborough Downs for the first ever Barbury International Point-to-Point Steeplechases (Saturday, January 14) at the Barbury Racecourse.
As one punter said as he tried to get his cold fingers to tear up an unlucky betting slip: "It's bloody cold, but it's bloody good racing." One race had seventeen runners, another had fifteen and none of the races had fewer than seven runners - and there were some tight finishes.
Weights were unveiled on Wednesday (January 18) for the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle, staged at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday, February 11 - Betfair Super Saturday. The extended two-mile Grade Three race is Britain's richest handicap hurdle.
Betfair's 15/2 favourite is Ballyandy (Nigel Twiston-Davies), who has been allotted 10st 6lb for what would be his handicap hurdle debut.
The highlight of Newbury Racecourse's Betfair Super Saturday (February 11) is the Betfair Hurdle - Britain's richest handicap hurdle with prize pot of £155,000. One trainer with his eye on the winning enclosure is ten times champion trainer Paul Nicholls: "The Betfair Hurdle is a very, very valuable race - and a good one to win."
Nicholls' Movewiththetimes is joint favourite to take the race. The six-year-old chestnut has won three of his races. In December he came home a length clear under a six pound penalty at Wincanton in a two mile novices' hurdle.
Tattersalls Ireland is offering wild card entries to its Cheltenham Select Sale following Festival Trials Day, to all winners at the Barbury International Point-to-Point on January 14.
This incentive is part of a range of measures designed to encourage travel from Ireland and the rest of the UK to the meeting. These incentives include travel allowances of £75 for any unplaced horses travelling more than 200 miles to run.
The day of the inaugural Barbury International race meeting – the first ever point-to-point in Britain to welcome Irish-based and professionally trained horses, and the first to include a “bumper” (National Hunt flat for horses fairly new to racing) – dawned crisp, cold and sunny (Saturday, 14 January 2017.)
Organisers were rewarded with a big crowd of supporters, an eight-race card and 92 runners from the entry of 166, of which six had travelled across the Irish Sea - including five from “Shark” Hanlon’s yard in Bagenalstown, County Carlow.
For sixty years it was known as the Hennessy Gold Cup - but last month the firm announced their sponsorship had run its course. Today (January 23) Newbury racecourse announced Ladbrokes as the new sponsor of the two-day winter meeting - and of the Gold Cup - in a five year deal.
The highlight of the two days will be the race formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup, a handicap chase over three and a quarter miles, with a rich history going back 60 years. The prize money for the Ladbrokes Gold Cup will be increased by a quarter to £250,000 for its first running.
The general assembly of the International Equestrian Federation (or Fédération Equestre Internationale) has voted (November 22) in favour of changes to the four equestrian sports for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The decisions now go to the International Olympic Committee's executive board for final approval in 2017.
Under the new proposals, the number of athletes in national teams will be reduced from four to three, and the drop score, which previously allowed for a team’s worst score to be discarded, will disappear from the regulations.
As Marlboroughequestrian.News has reported, some local eventers thought these changes might go through and are worried that it will lower the standard of the Olympic eventing competition.
The use of a reserve combination for teams will remain in place, but will be even more important and will be a key element in ensuring horse welfare.
A total of eleven national federations - out of 107 represented - voted against this proposal: Albania, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Monaco, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Romania and Switzerland.
“This was a really important vote for the future of our sport if we are to increase universality in accordance with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos.
“We need to increase the number of participating nations at the Olympic Games but within our existing quota of 200. Reducing team members to three per nation was probably the only way to boost the number of flags. Of course this now has to be approved by the IOC, but it opens the door to countries that previously could only see the Olympics as a distant dream."
“There were some national federations that didn’t agree with the proposal, but that’s all part of the democratic process. Now we need to work together to make this a success.”
Voting on the proposed sport-specific changes to rules for the three individual Olympic disciplines—show jumping, dressage and eventing—was unanimously in favour.
The vote on changes to the Paralympic class saw one national federation, Great Britain, against the proposals. The proposed changes are detailed below.
Marlborough riders and horses feature in British Eventing's 'season's best' list
British Eventing's list of the top twenty riders and horses for the 2016 season brings good news for Marlborough's New Zealand eventers. Four local New Zealand riders feature in the top ten.
Andrew Nicholson is in second place (behind Britain's Oliver Townend.) Tim Price is joint seventh, Sir Mark Todd is ninth and Jonelle Price is tenth.
And British Eventing's list of the season's top twenty horses is headed by three ridden by Marlborough's New Zealanders: top is Leonidas II (owned by Mrs Diane E Brunsden and Mr Peter Cattell - and ridden by Sir Mark Todd.)
Second place goes to Classic Moet (owned by Mrs Trisha Rickards - and ridden by Jonelle Price.)
And in third place is Ringwood Sky Boy (owned by Mrs Varenna Allen and Mr Tim Price - and ridden by Tim Price.)
The new proposed Olympic rules: Eventing: • Teams of three horse/athlete combinations per nation, no drop score • One reserve combination per team will be allowed. The reserve combination is an important element of the proposal in order to preserve horse welfare. If a reserve combination is substituted, it will incur a penalty for the team. The exact penalty will be finalized in the Olympic regulations • Maximum of two individuals per nation not represented by a team • Order of tests to remain unchanged (first dressage; second cross-country; third show jumping team; fourth jumping individual) • Olympic eventing to take place over three days (dressage test reduced to one day) • Technical level of the three tests to be defined as the “Olympic level”: dressage and show jumping CCI****; cross-country: 10-minute optimum time, 45 jumping efforts and CCI*** technical difficulty • Qualification of athletes/horses to be achieved on the same cross-country technical level to ensure implementation of the recommendations of the FEI independent audit in eventing • For the purpose of the team classification only: any horse/athlete combinations not completing a test can continue to the next test if accepted as fit to compete at the relevant horse inspection • For the purpose of the team classification only: penalties for the non-completion of a test for any reason, dressage =100 points, cross-country = 150, show jumping= 100 • Rules for the individual event remain unchanged
Show jumping: • Teams of three horse/athlete combinations per nation, plus one reserve combination, no drop score • 20 teams (60 horse/athlete combinations) • 15 slots for nations not qualified with a team (maximum one horse/athlete combination per nation) • Individual event will now take place before team event • Cut-off score: the exact cut-off and resulting penalty will be finalized in the Olympic regulations • The exact penalty for any horse/athlete combination that is eliminated, or does not complete their round for any reason, will be finalized in the Olympic regulations
Dressage: • Teams of three horse/athlete combinations per nation, no drop score • Each directly qualified team may bring a reserve rider/horse combination, or horse only • One individual per nation not represented by a qualified team (no composite teams) • Determine team medals solely through results of Grand Prix Special (no longer a combination of Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special scores) • Introduce new “heat system” (including “lucky losers”) for Grand Prix: 18 individuals to qualify from Grand Prix to Grand Prix freestyle (best two from each of the 6 heats, plus the next 6 with the best overall results) • 8 top teams (24 starters) from Grand Prix to qualify for Grand Prix Special • Introduce new system for starting order in Grand Prix • Conduct Grand Prix Special to music
Para-equestrian dressage • Teams of three horse/athlete combinations per nation, no drop score • Each directly qualified team is entitled to bring four horse/athlete combinations, of which three will have to be declared to compete on the team after the individual championships test, in which all four will compete as individuals. • Maximum of two individuals per nation not represented by a team (no composite teams) • Determine team medals solely through results of team test (no longer a combination of team and individual test scores) • Top eight per grade from the individual test to qualify for the freestyle test • Order of tests: individual championship test, team test, freestyle • Team test to be set to music
Dalziell-Clout agreed. “It is crazy – you can be eliminated in one phase but continue on providing your horse is sound. There’s also the suggestion of being able to substitute a combination between phases for ‘tactical reasons’ (with a penalty attached).”
The general assembly of the International Equestrian Federation (or Fédération Equestre Internationale) has voted (November 22) in favour of changes to the four equestrian sports for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The decisions now go to the International Olympic Committee's executive board for final approval in 2017.