Congratulations to Lucy Robinson and Red Dandy - winners BE90 Grassroots Championship but 43rd placed Barbara Angel stole our hearts
Photo: Mitsubishi Motors/Kit Houghton
No matter what the outcome of the 4* class and the much vaunted Rolex Grand Slam at this weekend’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, we think that the lady in the video below is our champion for the event.
The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Grassroots Championships were held on the 1st and 2nd May leading up to the major event. The event brings together winners from BE90 and BE100 regional qualifiers from around the country who get a chance to compete on the hallowed Badminton turf alongside the 4* course.
Of course this would be a great experience for any amateur rider but for one in particular it was the culmination of a goal; to survive cancer and compete. In the video below, Cotswold Productions interview Barbara Angel straight after her cross country round on her horse Name is Bond (great name and cute horse) in the BE90 Championships yesterday. The interviewer, David from Cotswold Productions finds out an amazing story when he talks to Barbara who tells how, on her third attempt to compete in the Badminton Horse Trials Grassroots Championships, she finally achieved her goal despite battling cancer.
Barbara was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer last year, had a mastectomy and has just completed her course of chemotherapy. She was unable to compete at the inaugural Grassroots event in 2010 as she had broken her collar bone, in 2012 the event was cancelled but this year she achieved her dream. We hope that Barbara inspires you as much as she did us and that she continues to 'love life' with the horse who is the passion of her life.
I think that Messrs Fox-Pitt, Nicholson and Jung would all agree that this is a true champion
The winners of the Grassroots Championships were;
BE90
1st Lucy Robinson and Red Dandy
2nd Tracey Day and Carello
3rd Jess Beasley and Urbanes
BE100
1st Charlotte Parry-Ashcroft and Danesfort Boy
2nd Georgina Wood and The Whole Punch
3rd Isabel McKeeman and Ruscai Little Arkansas
