Jose and Phil Diacono have headed to the UK from Australia for an extended stay which includes a visit to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. Whilst in the UK they will be visiting many events to introduce their software CrossCountry App and will be sending back regular reports, not only about the events they visit but also their food and travel experiences. We're really looking forward to hearing from their travels but in the meantime, as we cover Badminton 2013, Jose looks back on their trip to Badminton in 2008. We wonder how much will have changed (the scoreboard for a start!)?
Jose and her daughter, eventing rider Helen, at Badminton in 2008
The other Badminton
Most three day event reports start with the dressage, move on to the cross country and then list who had how many faults in the showjumping. This report takes you beyond that – to the shopping, the food, the amazing trucks and back to the shopping. Badminton, the Mecca of the eventing world, starts long before the first weekend in May. January saw me poring over the website, trying to decide whether to go for the VIP Portcullis tent (at 175 pounds a day we gave that a miss), a ‘season’ membership ticket (36 pounds each) and Radio Badminton earpieces (five pounds each).
The competition itself starts on the Wednesday evening with the first trot up in front of the majestic Badminton House, home of the Duke of Beaufort who actually rode at Badminton many years ago. We arrive at 3pm. Entry is free and the excitement mounts as we do an extended walk (with the occasional jog of anticipation) from the car park (plenty of English mud), through the Trade Village (more a small town), alongside the cross country course, to the front of the house.
They have large brewers dray carts for spectators to stand on so we get a great view of the Italian rider in her Carabinieri uniform and various females running in heels (apparently it distracts the judges if your horse is a bit dodgy). Each rider and horse is introduced, trotted one way, turned and trotted back. Some canter and dance around their riders, you can imagine how fit these horses are. Andrew Hoy and Moonfleet look stunning.
On the way back we take in the water jump – the public must stay behind the ropes until after the cross country on Saturday to keep the footing pristine – so we oggle from a distance. Down in the practise arena we see Mary King and Apache Sauce having her final lesson with her coach. She is first to ride on Thursday. The horse looks beautifully relaxed in shoulder in.
Veteran New Zealand rider Andrew Nicholson who will do his dressage on Friday, is showjumping, popping over a huge cross pole and big vertical from a canter that is hardly faster than a walk. He makes it look effortless. We spot a most gorgeous white horse in the distance against the rolling green hills who turns out to be Joe Meyer with Ease on Fire, another New Zealander, destined for their Olympic Team.
Thursday sees us arriving at 9am. We are lucky enough to be staying with friends in the next village – so no long queues for us. We see the tension in Mary’s horse compared to the previous night, but they do a nice test. The last time I was at Badminton was 20 years ago – and Mary was competing then! Our Radio Badminton Earpieces are brilliant – we listen to expert commentary from Dressage Rider Carl Hester and some lady called Penny. Their banter is rather like the cricket commentary but Carl is particularly good. He explains why so and so only got a 6 for their shoulder in, or why a 5 or a 7 for flying changes. We see the scores on a big screen.
However, you can only watch so much dressage so by lunchtime we are well entrenched in the trade stands. A useful tip is to have paper and pen so you can write down what you saw where – otherwise you’ll never be able to go back and buy it. The stands go on forever – Badminton merchandise, on the spot engraving and embroidering, sheepskin lined jumping boots, endless clothes, DuBarry boots (for humans) which have taken over from Hunter Wellies as the de rigeur footwear among the hunting folk. Their creator promotes them by standing in a bucket of water handing out glasses of champagne.
Jose watched the amazing Mary King at Badminton in 1988, 2008 and now 2013!
Then there is the food – Hog Roast (as ubiquitous as our sausage sizzle) which is roast pork, crackling, apple sauce in a crusty roll, decent cappucino (really unusual for England), a stand called “proper British Sausages” which are delicious, Jamon (ham) from Spain, clotted cream and strawberries, Aussie wines, Cornish pasties, the choice is endless and keeps Phil very happy.
You should see the horse trucks!!! Zara Phillips had been on TV showing the presenter round her new truck which is bigger than a house and all mod cons. Smaller trucks were like the camper vans we have in Australia, very neat living accommodation, just right for Mum and Daughter to go eventing with their two horses. A snip at 45,000 pounds but don’t forget you have to add 17 ½ percent VAT (GST) onto that.
Over lunch Carl Hester talks us through a ‘proper dressage’ demonstration on a young warmblood. While the standard of the competition is described later by the chief judge afterwards as the best eventing dressage he has ever seen, this is a cut above. Due to an inability to find our way out of the trade stands, we miss Clayton Fredericks and Nullabor who do what was by all accounts a cracker of a test, during a downpour.
After that I retire to the members enclosure for a cup of tea and a quiet read of the cross country course description, only to find myself next to some very loud hunting people discussing the hunt politics of the Quorn. Back down to the practise jumps to watch Harry Meade, son of Richard who was on the British team with Princess Anne. At 18 he is the youngest competitor.
Friday
More shopping and a lovely test by Matt Ryan and Bonza Puzzle. Andrew Hoy’s test starts with a tense entrance and remarkably non-square halt – exacerbated by Andrew taking off his hat to salute. Carl Hester explains the men don’t have to do that any more and really shouldn’t as it puts them at an unnecessary disadvantage if the horse moves in the halt as a result. But from then on it is a joy to behold and brings home to me the importance of being forward.
Moonfleet has a spring in his step and seemed to float round. That is how the extra marks are won. Carl later explains that Moonfleet who had a trachea operation the previous year, had something in his throat in the warm up so Andrew had to gallop him round to clear it. It must have been rather unnerving for the other competitors.
But momentous decisions have to be made. Do we get the Dubin boots (cheaper Dubarry lookalikes) in size 5 or 6? Which Badminton cross country shirt to buy? Where on earth is the stand with the bargain five pound leather headcollars?
Saturday
An early start. The gates open at 7am and we arrive at 8.15. We are sent to an overflow car park but it is as efficient as ever. We have been told everything good sells out on Saturday so we swoop on the boots, a blue cordoroy jacket for Helen, gloves for presents and locate the headcollars. They have a “buy it and leave it” tent for the serious shoppers. At 10am there is the Blue Cross display of rescue horses that are looking for a new home. They do a highly polished musical quadrille ride. A great way of showing prospective carers what good riding horses they are – not just paddock mates.
Then comes the Shetland Grand National. The ponies are led in by their handlers as in a real race meeting. The jockeys are 10-12 year olds, wearing their silks. They gallop flat chat round 2 ½ circuits of the main arena, over 4 hurdles per lap. One falls on the last corner and brings another down. It is deadly serious and they are darned good riders. They are racing for a place in the final at the Horse of the Year Show at Christmas.
At 11am the first horse is on course. Mary King on her first ride. They go clear but a little over time. It turns out to be one of the best rounds of the day as the going gets stickier, tiring the horses. There are refusals and falls, especially in the Vicarage Ditch section where there are 7 jumps in quick succession.
We make a mistake in deciding to walk round from the finish to the start, so we don’t get to see many of the early horses because they don’t get round to us. But at least we have Badminton Radio to tell us what is happening (“Paul Tapner has just had a run out at the stairs and retired”). It is the best thing as you have a commentary at all times (even while shopping).
We see William Fox Pitt and Tamarillo go through the ‘houses’ jumps, set in very undulating ground. Tamarillo is tired and has an uncharacteristic runout. There are stops and falls and retirements at the Ditches (Clayton Frederick), bank (Stuart Tinney) a naughty horse called Comanche dumps his rider James Robinson in the water and runs off. He is caught, James remounts but calls it a day a couple of fences later, it is just too slippery.
I watch Austin O’Connor of Ireland go beautifully through the Round Tops, and Matt Ryan through the farmyard (where the drays have been installed to give spectators a fantastic view). He had been worried about that one because his horse doesn’t like left turns, but he has no problems.
Several riders play safe, taking the long option at the Colt Pond, just before the Vicarage Ditches. This includes Lucy Wiegersma when she jumps big over the first element. That decision is to cost her the title, but who knows, if she had gone for the short route and given the horse a bad experience she might have had a run out at the next fence at the vicarage ditch as so many did. I hear a lovely story about Lucy’s horse Shabraak. A dealer friend of her Dad’s bought it as a youngster and gave it to her saying “don’t sell this one, Lucy is going to ride it at Badminton”.
Thanks to a million pounds sponsorship from the HSBC bank the Vicarage section is brilliant for spectators as we can see five fences and we have the luxuries of toilets and food outlets, even a bar. While the whole course is seething with spectators (over 100,000), and we are three deep in some places, all you have to do is wait and each time a horse passes, some people move on, so you gradually work your way to the front. The BBC have a camera mounted on a quad bike that follows the horses along the Vicarage section, but some are put off by it – the last thing you need when you are trying to focus on an enormous, narrow jump over a yawning ditch!!
We wearily make our way back to the start, via the Huntsman’s close (which had seen the demise of Andrew Hoy in a horse fall that pretty much put paid to his Olympic hopes, but rider and horse were ok). You can get a feel for it all in the video below
We see Mary King on her second ride go through the direct route, foot perfect. I have heard people talk about ‘attacking a fence’ and she is the epitomy. Sadly she fell off at the second last – she said she got too excited and leaned forward – even the best make mistakes.
With the expectation of long queues we go back to the stands for a nap before home, but actually we get out quite quickly. The English have excelled themselves with their smooth organisation. The road back to the motorway has enormous queues but we miss them.
Sunday
We have a later start this morning, setting off at 10.30. After a thundershower at 8am during the final trot up it is very muddy and slippery. The Dublin boots come in handy. People are walking the cross country course because now we can walk right up to the jumps and see just how huge they really are. We arrive just in time for the start of the showjumping. The cross country has taken its toll. Only 56 horses are left in the competition out of over 80 starters. It is a big track with a square oxer at number one which causes a few problems. A triple at number 6 looks daunting but jumps well. A vertical at number 3 looks ok but a lot knock it down. There is no single bogey fence. The final line is a treble followed by a Liverpool. If they jump the treble, they almost always roll the last – or vice versa. There are only two clears within the time (Mary King again, what a star!).
Little Tiger at 15 hands, who went clear cross country ridden by 23 year old Phoebe Buckley, is not so athletic today and gets a few rails. Phoebe Buckley is from a family of genuine gypsies, lives in her own caravan. She left school at 12 after a contretemps with the headmaster involving a chair.
Polly Stockton falls from 3rd to 6th and Lucy Wiegersma has a rail down, leaving Nicholas Touzaint with one rail in hand. Hildago to L’Ile knocks one down half way round and our hearts are in our mouths. Over the final treble he rattles the last element but he clears the final fence to an enormous cheer – stands up in his stirrups, drops the reins and the horse takes off at a gallop. The French contingent erupts in song.
While they get themselves sorted out for the prize giving, the Duke of Beauforts hounds strut their stuff (well the hounds run around sniffing all the jumps). Eventing and hunting are closely tied in England and the attempts to ban the sport have caused much bitterness. They seem to be carrying on regardless of what the Parliamentarians in London say.
So that is it. Badminton over for another year. You have just got to go!
Jose Diacono
