Badminton Horse Trials '07

[Cem]

This has not been a good Badminton so far this year. I'm posting this on Saturday night after a very odd cross country day. It started with 22 riders withdrawing because they felt that the ground was to hard and they'd be risking their horses.

There were also two fences taken out of the course because of the landing. One only after the first rider, Daisy Dick, fell after Hope Street skid on landing and they both hit the deck. There were several good rounds particularly from the leaders going in to the show jumping phase tomorrow, Lucinda Fredericks and Kim Severson. But the good rides were mared by the tragic loss of two horses. Skwal who completed the course but collapsed afterward with a suspected heart attack and Icare D'Auzay after a freak accident where he broke a flag pole and he got staked with it somewhere around his stifle and severed an artery.

For more details see these links:
www.horseandhound.co.uk/competitionnews/391/9.html
www.badminton-horse.co.uk/2007_event/news/pr18.html
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/equestrian/6629011.stm

For now my thoughts are with the owners, riders, grooms and everyone else involved with these horses. Lets hope tomorrow sees a better day and Badminton finish on a slightly better note.

[Cem]

So the Show Jumping final today went pretty well. It was really windy and some of the poles were getting blown off because of it! Kim Severson was very unlucky and her horse knoked two poles down, leaving her in third place but Lucinda Fredericks and her little mare (she's only 15.3) Headley Britannia won. They've lead from the dressage so I really think they deserved the win. They both did a great job.