Tilly Berendt

4 days ago | eventingnation.com | Tilly Berendt

Sunday at Badminton always feels like three different days of three very different lengths, all rolled into one: there’s the morning’s long, slow final horse inspection, which is a full-scale, high-tension competitive endeavour in its own right; a couple of hours later (and approximately four coffees) the first session of competitors, which offers up an opportunity to see what’s been built and how it’s riding over the course of an hour; and then, a couple of hours after that, the final...

4 days ago | eventingnation.com | Tilly Berendt

By on - Yesterday was a very good day in the office for Oliver Townend, who retained his first-phase lead with eleven-year-old Cooley Rosalent, adding just 1.2 time penalties, and also retained his ninth place position with eighteen-year-old Ballaghmor Class, who added 4.8 time penalties on Eric Winter’s long, influential course. This morning, though? That’s probably one he’d rather forget.

5 days ago | eventingnation.com | Tilly Berendt

There’s been plenty of discussion in the lead-up to today’s cross country challenge at the MARS Badminton Horse Trials about how different it all feels: for the first time in a few years, the sun has been shining, the ground is dry and verging on firm, and the course itself is bigger, more galloping, and less technical than in the past couple of iterations, too. Would that make it less exciting, less demanding, and less influential? Would we see half the field sail home inside the time?

6 days ago | eventingnation.com | Tilly Berendt

Tom McEwen made a valiant effort at clinging onto his dressage lead with JL Dublin, but after holding it for 24 hours, he was elbowed out of the top spot by late contenders Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent, who delivered a smart, consistent test to put a 21.1 on the board.

6 days ago | eventingnation.com | Tilly Berendt

No one has been able to surpass day one frontrunners, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, on the MARS Badminton Horse Trials leaderboard so far, and at this sunny midpoint of the Friday’s dressage, their 22.4 remains the benchmark for the competition.