Badminton Horse Trials list of winners: 1949-2024

Mars Badminton Horse Trials is the ‘big one’ that every event rider dreams of winning — often from a very young age — but only a select few do.

As well as a cheque for £117,600, the CCI5* winner will have their named engraved on to the iconic Badminton trophy, which was created by the award-winning animal sculptor Judy Boyt using materials from the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton estate.

Whose name will be added to the Badminton Roll of Honour this year? We’ll soon find out!

Roll of honour

2024 — New Zealand’s Caroline Powell riding her own, Chris and Michelle Mann’s Greenacres Special Cavalier

2023 — Great Britain’s Ros Canter on Michele Saul’s Lordships Graffalo

2022 — Great Britain’s Laura Collett riding her own, Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett’s London 52

2021 — event cancelled (due to Covid-19 restrictions)

2020 — event cancelled (due to Covid-19 restrictions)

2019 — Great Britain’s Piggy March on Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira

2018 — New Zealand’s Jonelle Price on her own and Trisha Rickards’ Classic Moet

2017 — New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson on Deborah Sellar’s Nereo

2016 — Germany’s Michael Jung riding the Jung Family and Erich Single’s La Biosthetique-Sam FBW

2015 — Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt on Christopher Stone’s Chilli Morning

2014 — Australia’s Sam Griffiths riding his own, Dinah Posford and Jules Carter’s Paulank Brockagh

2013 — New Zealand’s Jock Paget on Frances Stead’s Clifton Promise

2012 — event cancelled (due to weather)

2011 — New Zealand’s Mark Todd riding NZB Bloodstock’s NZB Land Vision

2010 — Australia’s Paul Tapner on his own and Jenny Waaler’s Inonothing

2009 — Great Britain’s Oliver Townend on Robert and Edward Nicholson’s Flint Curtis

2008 — France’s Nicolas Touzaint on Monique Girard Claudon’s Hildago De L’lle

2007 — Australia’s Lucinda Fredericks riding her own and Clayton Fredericks’ Headley Britannia

2006 — Australia’s Andrew Hoy on Susan Magnier’s Moonfleet

2005 — Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell on Mr and Mrs R Lincoln and Metier Consulting’s Primmore’s Pride

2004 — Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt on Mary Guinness’s Tamarillo

2003 — Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell riding The Pitt-Lewthwaite Syndicate’s Supreme Rock

2002 — Great Britain’s Pippa Funnell on The Pitt-Lewthwaite Syndicate’s Supreme Rock

2001 — event cancelled (due to national outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease)

2000 — Great Britain’s Mary King on Hiscox Insurance Company and David King’s Star Appeal

1999 — Great Britain’s Ian Stark riding Lady Hartington’s JayBee

1998 — Great Britain’s Christopher Bartle on Mr and Mrs A Cantwell’s Word Perfect II

1997 — USA’s David O’Connor riding Custom Made

1996 — New Zealand’s Mark Todd riding Robert Howell Construction’s Bertie Blunt

1995 — USA’s Bruce Davidson riding Mr and Mrs G Strawbridge’s Eagle Lion

1994 — New Zealand’s Mark Todd on Horton Point Syndicate’s Horton Point

1993 — Great Britain’s Ginny Leng on Citibank and Mrs H Holgate’s Welton Houdini

1992 — Great Britain’s Mary Thomson on Gill Robinson and David King’s King William

1991 — Great Britain’s Rodney Powell on The Irishman II

1990 — Nicola McIrvine riding Mrs J Elliott’s Middle Road

1989 — Great Britain’s Ginny Leng riding Citibank and Mrs H Holgate’s Master Craftsman

1988 — Great Britain’s Ian Stark on The Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s Sir Wattie

1987 — event cancelled (due to weather)

1986 — Great Britain’s Ian Stark on The Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s Sir Wattie

1985 — Great Britain’s Ginny Holgate on British National Life Assurance’s Priceless

1984 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Green riding SR Direct Mail Ltd’s Beagle Bay

1983 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Green riding SR Direct Mail Ltd’s Regal Realm

1982 — Great Britain’s Richard Meade on George Wimpey Plc’s Speculator III

1981 — Great Britain’s Capt Mark Phillips riding Range Rover Team’s Lincoln

1980 — New Zealand’s Mark Todd on Southern Comfort III

1979 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Prior-Palmer riding Mr C Cyzer’s Killiare

1978 — Great Britain’s Jane Holderness-Roddam on Mrs S Howard and Mrs T Holderness-Roddam’s Warrior

1977 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Prior-Palmer riding Mrs HC Straker’s George

1976 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Prior-Palmer on Miss V Phillips’ Wide Awake

1975 — event cancelled (due to weather)

1974 — Great Britain’s Capt Mark Phillips on HM The Queen’s Colombus

1973 — Great Britain’s Lucinda Prior-Palmer on Be Fair

1972 — Great Britain’s Lt Mark Phillips on his own and Miss F Phillips’ Great Ovation

1971 — Great Britain’s Lt Mark Phillips on his own and Miss F Phillips’ Great Ovation

1970 — Great Britain’s Richard Meade riding the Combined Training Committee’s The Poacher

1969 — Great Britain’s Richard Walker on Pasha

1968 — Great Britain’s Jane Bullen on Our Nobby

1967 — Celia Ross-Taylor on Jonathan

1966 — event cancelled (due to weather)

1965 — Great Badminton: Ireland’s Major Eddie Boylan on Durlas Eile. Little Badminton: Capt Martin Whiteley on The Poacher

1964 — Great Badminton: Capt James Templer on M’Lord Connolly. Little Badminton: Sheila Waddington on Glenamoy

1962 — Great Badminton: Annelli Drummond-Hay on Merely-a-Monarch. Little Badminton: Penny Crofts on H Graham-Clark’s Priam

1961 — Great Badminton: Australia’s Laurie Morgan on Salad Days. Little Badminton: Capt Peter Welch on Mr Wilson

1960 — Great Badminton: Australia’s Bill Roycroft on Our Solo. Little Badminton: Capt Martin Whiteley on Peggoty

1959 — Great Badminton: Great Britain’s Sheila Willcox-Waddington riding Airs and Graces. Little Badminton: Shelagh Kelser on Double Diamond.

1958 — Great Britain’s Sheila Willcox on High and Mighty

1957 — Great Britain’s Sheila Willcox on High and Mighty

1956 — Great Britain’s Lt Col Frank Weldon on Kilbarry

1955* — (Europeans) Great Britain’s Major Frank Weldon on Kilbarry

1954 — Margaret Hough on Bambi

1953 — (Europeans) Major Laurence Rock on J R Baker’s Starlight

1952 — Capt Mark Darley on Emily Little

1951 — Switzerland’s Capt Hans Schwarzenbach on Vae Victis

1950 — Capt Tony Collings on G H Crystal’s Remus

1949 — John Shedden on Mrs Home Kidson’s Golden Willow

Great and Little Badminton

In 1959, Badminton was split into two sections due to a high number of entries. Both classes jumped the same course.

This lasted until the 1965 competition. After this year, Badminton became a single competition with the dressage phase split over two days.

Europeans

*The 1955 event was held at Windsor Castle instead of the Badminton Estate. This was by invitation from Queen Elizabeth II so that the event could host the European Championships for a second time.

The very first European Championships had taken place at Badminton two years earlier, in 1953.

Long format

Badminton 2006 was the final year that it ran as a long format horse trials.

In the long format, riders and horses had to complete four phases on cross-country day:

Roads and tracks (phase A)
Steeplechase (phase B)
Roads and tracks (phase C)
Cross-country course (phase D)

Since then, Badminton (and the sport of eventing in general) has adopted the short format, with combinations only contesting a cross-country course on the Saturday of the competition.