Huge crowds expected at Badminton Horse Trials

The Badminton Horse Trials attract thousands of people every year

More than 200,000 people descend on the small village of Badminton in Gloucestershire every May.

The Badminton Horse Trials are a must for anyone who has or likes horses, elite sport and shopping.

It is an annual competition in which horse-and-rider pairs go head-to-head in three different disciplines – dressage, cross country, and showjumping.

It is full of thrills and spills and is one of the key events in the equestrian calendar.

Roo Fox with her now retired top eventer Frog at her yard near Marlborough

For anyone in the horsey world, Badminton is one not to miss.

It is an international event and attracts national teams from the US, Sweden, France, Germany and Ireland among others.

It starts on Wednesday 7 May with the grassroots competition before the elite riders get going.

"Oh its so exciting," says Roo Fox, who is a top professional rider and eventer, and now runs a competition livery yard near Marlborough.

"Eventing is the most thrilling sport and it's one of the few where men and women compete on an equal footing," said Ms Fox.

"To get to Badminton takes years and years of training, so the level of ability and fitness of both horse and rider is incredible.

"Also, because there are competitions at all levels it can mean that relatively inexperienced riders can find themselves competing with some of the best riders and horses."

David Doel is a Lacock-based top event rider taking part in Badminton this year

David Doel is one of the UK's top event riders.

He is a farmer's son, and lives and works on the farm near Lacock in Wiltshire.

He and his horse Galileo Nieuwmoed will be competing at Badminton this year.

"Galileo and I have been working together for about seven years now, so it takes time to work the partnership to this level," he said.

"The cross country is, shall we say, quite exciting.

"I walk the course several times beforehand, and work out how the course will run and jump.

"It's quite mad if you think about it, galloping a 500lb (226kg) animal at a large fence."

The course designers also put in what they call "rider frightener" fences or jumping efforts.

"Those ditches can look daunting," said Roo Fox.

"But they bother the riders more than the horses who don't seem to worried about it.

"The thing to remember with all of this is that the horses enjoy it and they really won't do it if they don't want to."

Groom Jade Roberts makes sure all the horses are looked after

Huge amounts of care and attention for the horses are provided by the teams supporting the riders.

Grooms make it all come together and take care of the horses and make sure they are fit, well, fed and watered.

"I reckon if you added it up, we spend about 20 hours preparing the horses to compete," said David's groom Jade Roberts.

"We do all of the plaiting, tacking up and down, and generally making sure the horse looks and is the best he or she can be.

"I have a a lot of pride in my work and I absolutely love it."

International riders take part in competitions all over the world, and the grooms are part of the travelling entourage.

They live in the huge lorries while on competitions, and Badminton will mean staying in the truck from Tuesday through until Sunday for Jade.

The horses are housed in temporary stable blocks.

Dressage

Cavalier Crystal ridden by Gloucestershire based event rider Harry Meade

Dressage always comes first in the three disciplines and sees horse and rider perform a series of set movements in a rectangular arena.

Dressage is synonymous with precision and elegance, rhythm and communication, and an excellent level of technical control and obedience.

Dressage days start the contest on Wednesday 7 May and Thursday 8 May.

Cross Country

David Doel riding Galileo Nieuwmoed for GB at the Broken Ford Bridge

International horse trials are graded by difficulty, ranging from one star to five star events.

Badminton Horse Trials is one of only seven five star events in the world and is one of the most difficult.

Cross country is all about bravery, stamina and jumping ability.

The aim is to negotiate every obstacle in the optimum time, but the jumps are huge, and to the less experienced rider, utterly terrifying.

The cross country course is run on Saturday 10 May.

Showjumping

Zara Tindall competing in showjumping at the Badminton Horse Trials 2024

Showjumping is the final phase in horse trials.

It might be held on grass or in an arena and requires horse and rider to jump a sequence of fences without knocking them down in a set time.

This phase requires accuracy, care and athleticism - the ultimate aim is to jump all the fences in order without knocking down any poles and incurring any penalty points.

The height of the jumps at Badminton is 1.3m.

Showjumping is on Sunday 11 May.

Caroline Powell (NZL) with Greenacres Special Cavalier, winners of the Mars Badminton Trophy 2024