BE 100 winner Alexandra Farrar-Fry riding GREY FINNSKY receives her awards from Lance Bradley MD of Mitsubishi Motors UK
While the CCI4* horses were being paraded in front of the Ground Jury at the first horse inspection for the beginning of the big event, it was all over for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Grassroots competitors that had battled with the wind and rain on Tuesday and Wednesday for the very prestigious title as the last Badminton Grassroots winners.
The Championships which have been held at Badminton since 2010, take place on the two days before the world famous Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, offering amateur riders a unique chance to ride across the same hallowed turf as their sporting idols at the top of the sport.
The Championships are held at two levels (BE90 and BE100) and bring together riders spanning ages from 12 to 60 who have qualified at Regional Finals around the country the season prior to the competition. In 2016, the name of the competition will change to become The Mitsubishi Motors Cup reflecting the increased interest from both competitors and the general public around the grass roots level of the sport
The 2015 BE100 Champion was 24 year old Alex Farrar-Fry riding Marium Haque’s grey, six year old gelding, Grey Finnsky, a combination that finished on their dressage score of 27.5 ahead of Anna Tomlinson, 19, and her own 15.2hh palomino gelding Moreorless II in second place and Cathrine Taylor completed the top three on Ms Lynn Ferguson’s 16.0hh bay mare, Lorelei
Anna, Alex and Cathy about to head into their first ever press conference
We caught up with three girls as they were about to go into their first ever press conference and they couldn’t have been happier if they had won the CCI4*
BE100
Alex Farrar-Fry and Grey Finnsky (above) and Anna Tomlinson riding Moreorless II (below)
Cathrine Taylor and Lorelei
Photos courtesy Kit Houghton/Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
