Guest Blogger Rachel Wakefield Is Rooting For Archie

Rachel Wakefield

Welcome fellow Badmintonians......I’ve joined the Badminton carnival for the umpteenth year running and have actually packed the correct clothing for a change...i.e not much! I have the added bonus of a toddler to contend with this year and negotiating the cross country/shopping alley’s with a rampant nearly two year old trying to escape from the buggy has proved testing to say the least but c’est la vie!

We arrived on Thursday for the trot up....I’m still struggling with the days of what’s going on on what day as I’ve programmed Trot up on a Wednesday into my brain for the last 25 years so I’m old and confused now. Normally a quiet day was now heaving with the Grass Rooters and I have decided when I finally make my return to competitive riding am going to make it one of my goals.....they even lay on a party for them. My kind of competition.


The only item I forgot to pack was my dusk mask but I have thought about pinching one of the car park attendants if necessary. I love Badminton, I’ve been entered and waitlisted 3 times but now I just come because of business and social of course and also that little dream bubble that perhaps I might one day get to ride around this fabulous course...even if it is in my zimmer frame.

We have a long list of orders for horses and sourcing them is the hardest thing to do. Watching is the only way to spot a good horse and we have a couple that are competing here that we will follow up on afterwards. This year we only have one horse here that we (Uptown Eventing) have sourced for the owners and that is Imperial Cavalier .... so quite a goodie to follow. He finished 2nd here before and it’d would be fantastic if he could better that result.
Last year we joined the Horse Trials Support Group (very grown up) and rejoined for the second time this year, yes they let us back!. It’s a great place to be located, provide excellent event services, they do super lunches and have even provided easter eggs!! I’ve not spent much time in there so far as the weather is far too glorious to be inside.

I’ve completed my course walk today.....it’s only taken me three days to do! My least favourite jump would be the direct route at the farmyard and I can see many riders taking the long route and wasting little time. The fence I’d least like to tackle would be the Outlander Bank, I’d be ducking my head at fence 2 (The owl hole) as it’s a very small hole for fence 2, and wouldn’t want to be on a tired horse at the Horsequest Quarry taking the long route I’d probably get lost!

Archie....aka Imperial Cavalier will be doing dressage shortly so even though he’s not mine, I’m not riding him, I still follow him with the same nervous energy as if he is mine, I still feel responsible for him....so no one talk to me at 16.26!!


Rachel