Who is entered for MARS Badminton Horse Trials 2025?
Defending champions plus Olympic and World Champions will be heading to MARS Badminton Horse Trials 2025
The 2024 defending champions of the 2024 MARS Badminton Horse Trials, New Zealand’s Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier, plus Ireland’s runner-up Lucy Latta riding RCA Patron Saint and British rider Alex Bragg, this time riding Ardeo Premier, will return to Badminton in 2025. Defending champion Caroline has dual entries with both last year’s winner Greenacres Special Cavalier and High Time, competing his second CCI5* event.
British supporters will have plenty of combinations to cheer on with Olympic medallists and World Champions heading a star-studded entry for the MARS Badminton Horse Trials, taking place from May 7th -11th.
The three members of Britain's victorious Olympic team in Paris last year are entered; reigning European champions, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, winners of Badminton in 2023, will be aiming to add another Badminton victory to Olympic team gold and the 2024 Burghley crown.
World number one, Tom McEwen brings his Paris 2024 horse JL Dublin along with the former Piggy March mount, Brookfield Quality while Laura Collett, the Paris 2024 individual bronze medallist and Badminton winner in 2022, has the two mares Bling and Hester entered.
The reigning World Champion Yasmin Ingham will also make her Badminton debut riding Rehy DJ while Oliver Townend will be a hot contender, with the exciting mare Cooley Rosalent, already a winner at this level at Kentucky last year, plus the 18-year-old Ballaghmor Class, one of the all-time equine greats with an extraordinary record at five-star level.
Seven of the top 10 riders in the FEI World Rankings are represented. World number two Tim Price has yet to add Badminton to his glittering CV, but he looks to have a great chance with a choice of 2022 world bronze medallist Falco, Burghley runner-up Vitali and Viscount Viktor.
Tim and 2024 Champion Caroline are joined by several other Kiwi combinations in Dan Jocelyn (Blackthorn Cruise) Sam Lissington (Lord Seekonig and Ricker Ridge Sooty), US-based Joe Meyer (Harbin) and Jonelle Price (Grappa Nera). Lauren Innes riding Global Fision M, Tayla Mason riding Centennial and Hollie Swain riding Solo are on the list of 17 waitlisted combinations.
Australia has two entries in Sammi Birch riding Finduss PFB, who will be presented with her 'bucket-list' Armada Dish this year, and Sam Cesnik on board Graftango, who had their European 5* debut at Pau last year.
There are also three entries from the USA in Jennie Brannigan riding FE Lifestyle, Tiana Coudray riding Cancaras Girl and Grace Taylor riding Game Changer.
Others to watch include Emily King (Valmy Biats), Gemma Stevens (Jalapeno and Chilli Knight) and Ben Hobday, reunited with Shadow Man, an Olympic silver medallist under Australia's Chris Burton in Paris. Harry Meade, whose five-horse entry includes Cavalier Crystal and Annaghmore Valoner, third and fourth at Burghley last year, has also taken over the ride on the lovely mare Grafennacht from William Fox-Pitt, the other two being Superstition and Et Hop Du Matz.
"We have competitors from 15 nations wanting to compete at Badminton, from some of the sport's biggest names to first-timers hoping to pull off an impressive result like Lucy Latta did last year," said Badminton Director Jane Tuckwell. "It's going to be a thrilling competition and there is no doubt that the British team's wonderful performance in Paris last year has been an inspiration and a shot in the arm for five-star eventing. It is exciting the entry contains eight horses who have won a five star"
With more than 100 entries received, 17 combinations are currently waitlisted. The 15 nations represented, many by Olympic riders, are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and USA.
