Extended Dates for Badminton Horse Trials 2011 - Thursday 21st - Monday 25th April

An extra shopping day for 2011

Dates for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2011 have been extended, adding an additional days shopping and competition to the start of the event. The event will now officially start on Thursday 21st April with exhibitors opening their stands on first inspection day for the first time.

Due to a packed international event calendar, clashes with Rolex Kentucky CCI****, and TV scheduling contractual commitments this means Badminton runs over the Easter weekend in 2011. The final day of the Mitsubishi Motors Grassroots Championship will also run on this Thursday giving spectators a chance to see many of the best amateur riders tackle a specially built cross country course in a bid to be crowned Grassroots Champion 2011 before the formalities of the main event get underway with the first horse inspection.

Hugh Thomas explained, "The reasons for this date are related to the international eventing calendar, in that it would be impossible for us to clash with the 4 star event in Kentucky, who cannot move in 2011 because of other longstanding commitments in Kentucky Horse Park. We are committed by our international TV contract to finish broadcasting on a Bank Holiday Monday and this leaves Easter as the only other weekend on which this is possible which we fully understand is not desirable for everyone. Kentucky has agreed to change their date in the next clashing year, which will be 2016."

Grassroots Championship Cross Country on the Thursday

With regard to extending the dates of the event Hugh went on to explain, "After extensive consultation with Exhibitors, we have decided to open the event to the public one day earlier than usual, i.e. on Thursday 21st April 2011. Tradestands will be open for business on this day, together with public catering and other facilities (though not the Members or Portcullis ringside marquees). On this day, the cross country course will be open to the public as well as the riders; the First Horse Inspection will take place and most importantly we will hold the Show Jumping, Cross Country and Prizegiving for the Grassroots Championships, started here this year."

A much lower entry fee will be charged to the public for this Thursday and it will be included 'free' in season tickets.

CCI**** Cross Country action on the Easter Sunday will start a little later than normal to accommodate a special church service held on the showground in the morning by the Rector of Badminton, open to everyone attending the horse trials.

The dates for 2011 are Thursday 21st - Monday 25th April 2011.

Badminton Horse Trials 2010 Winner, Paul Tapner: One Week on....

We visited Paul Tapner at his yard in Wickstead Equestrian Centre, Highworth nr. Swindon today to see how he was enjoying his first week as the  2010 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials Champion. Here's what Paul had to say about his slightly crazy week:

Badminton Horse Trials 2010 Winner, Paul Tapner: "This win means so much"

Paul Tapner has won his first Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. He went into the showjumping arena with a fence in hand, but his ride, Inonothing, never looked like touching a fence.

Andreas Dibowski and Euroridings Butts Leon kept their clean sheet in the final phase to move up to second, while Daisy Berkeley and Spring Along enjoyed their best Badminton result to date to take third.

“As soon as I first started eventing, Badminton has been my aim. It doesn’t get much better than this,” he said.

Paul, who grew up in Sydney but who has been permanently based in the UK since 2003, admitted that Inonothing failed to impress him as a youngster.

“He had some very special behavioural problems back then – in fact his nickname is ‘Spinhead’. After I rode him in his first novice competition in 2003, it went so disastrously wrong that I almost phoned up his owner, Jenny Waaler, and told that I didn’t want to ride him anymore. But something held me back from making that phone call. And now look where we are.”

Mary King’s one rail down on Imperial Cavalier dropped her from second to fourth and allowed Germany’s Andreas Dibowski and Euroridings Butts Leon to rise up into second place.

This is a third consecutive runners-up position for this combination, who occupied the same spot in Luhmühlen and Pau last year.

“Normally if someone told me I would be second in a competition like this I would be very happy, but I think someday I would like to win a four-star,” said Andreas.

Daisy Berkeley (née Dick) and the irrepressible Spring Along jumped an immaculate clear to rise from sixth to third.

“He’s like fine wine – he gets better with age,” said Daisy of the 17-year-old.

Caroline Powell and Lenamore finished fifth with a double jumping clear, while vet James Robinson rolled just one pole to drop from fourth to sixth.

AUDIO INTERVIEW: PAUL TAPNER

FULL RESULTS

BIOGRAPHY: PAUL  TAPNER

Watch Paul Tapner's Winning Show Jumping Round.

Watch Paul Tapner's Cross Country Round (on Stormhill Michael)

Looking back at yesterday's cross-country

Yesterday's cross-country test certainly provided the thrills and spills that the crowd came for.

Of the 81 starters that set off round Hugh Thomas's cross-country course at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, there were 57 finishers. Of these, 42 combinations jumped clear and four came home inside the time.

The final 20 have just started showjumping. There is less than a fence in hand between the top four, and just 8.4 penalties separating the top 10.

So near, yet so far

Sian Wynne Morris was only a hair’s breadth from enjoying a Badminton debut most riders can only dream of. She was one of only four riders to finish inside the time yesterday around a cross-country course that caused problems for even seasoned Badminton campaigners – like Andrew Nicholson, who had walked the course with Sian and advised her which lines she should take.


“Andrew told me to stick to my plan and ride positively, so that’s what I did,” said Sian, who has previously completed Burghley on two occasions and Pau CCI**** once before with the 14-year-old Just Appeal.

Nevertheless Sian admitted to being surprised at finishing inside the optimum.

“I set out hoping I’d be near it and he’s got a good gallop, but as I went round I kept looking down at my watch and thinking: ‘Wow, I’m well up there with my minute markers,’” she said.

Sadly, Just Appeal sustained an overreach yesterday that prevented him from showjumping.

“But we’ll be back for Burghley,” said Sian, who has just finished setting up her own yard in North Wales.