Although British event rider Sam Ecroyd has had countless successes through the years and has regularly competed at four-star level, the 2026 Mars Badminton Horse Trials marks his first time competing at this iconic event.

He won medals at pony, junior and young rider level at European Championships and he had two horses entered for Badminton in 2021.

In April 2021 Sam suffered a rotational fall two fences from home in the novice class at Kelsall Hill. He was knocked out and had a bleed on his brain, plus 57 breaks throughout his skull and face and was airlifted to Aintree University Hospital.

Following his dressage test at Badminton today (7 May), where he scored 36.9 with the 11-year-old, 18hh, Boleybawn Lecrae (“Patrick”) to sit in 20th, Sam shared how that accident affected him.

“It changed the way I rode significantly. I wasn’t carefree before, but it changed the method in how I rode and trained at home,” said Sam. “It changed a lot. It changed my perspective. It was an unbelievably humbling experience.

“When you’re sat there in a hospital bed and you can’t move and you can’t do anything, you don’t take all the stuff you can do easily for granted anymore. So that moment was probably a revolutionary moment for me in my career.”

Sam explained that by the time he left hospital, he didn’t have any top horses remaining in his yard – he had five- and six-year-olds.

“I had Patrick and it has taken me seven years to get back to this level, so it’s a big moment to be here and everybody goes through injury in this sport – it’s part and parcel of it – but I’m very lucky to be here and to be able to keep doing it.”

How Sam’s accident changed the way he rode

Prior to his accident, Sam spent time training with one of the world’s greatest event riders, Michael Jung, in Germany.

“I’ve always have a real mantra of making sure I travel across country; giving the horse the freedom and length of neck, and letting the horse be as much in front of me as I can, ensuring they are drawing me to the fence,” explained Sam. “That’s something that Michael instilled in me – getting the horse’s neck away from you and the danger away from you and prepping behind it.

“I used to be really good at that, but without quite enough balance on the way into the fence and I let my natural eye let me keep moving to a fence, almost in a racing style, but now I make sure there’s a balance and a prep for every single jump – I change the horse’s balance and make sure they know a fence is coming.

“That meant that it took me quite a long time to get quick again across country – I had a lot of time faults for two or three years, because I used to rely on that sort of flowing rhythm in order to go around. But it’s amazing how then you adapt your system.”

A dream come true

Speaking of riding at his first Badminton, Sam says he remembers the first time he set it as an aim to compete here.

”I was in Oliver Townend’s house when I was about 12 years old – my mum and dad are friends with his mum and dad, and I held the Badminton trophy, and since then my goal was to ride here one day,” said Sam. “For my whole career, each morning I’ve woken up, sometimes at 2am to drive to compete in a BE100 class with some young horses, just to get to this moment, so I’m just so pleased to be here.”

Sam has attended Badminton many times before as Emily King’s boyfriend, but he is very relieved to be competing this time.

“It feels so much better to be riding. Oh my god, watching – it’s just the absolute worst, I hate it!” he laughs.

A lot to look forward to

Reflecting on his first phase performance with Patrick, who is owned by Stewart and Vicki Irlam, and who Sam broke in after he was purchased at the Monart Sale in Ireland, he said they have been “working very hard” on their dressage.

“It’s not our strongest phase, but there’s a lot of light at the end of the tunnel for him. We’ve been working the very best we can.

“He’s only 11, and it’s never been his strongest discipline. He finds the test difficult and he can get a little bit excited, and now he’s got to the stage where we’re at five-star, at least I don’t have to teach him any new things, so we can start trying to get the stuff we already know a bit better.”

Sam said that he’s had a walk around this year’s Badminton cross-country track and that it “looks really good”.

“I think it’s been very well built and that it’s really fair – it’s pretty massive, but this is Badminton, so that’s what you have to expect.”

Sam and Patrick do have some five-star form – they finished 17th in the five-star at Pau, France, last October with a clear round inside the time across country.

“He’s a cross country machine,” said Sam. “So of all the horses to be here for the first time on, he’s the one I’d choose. He’s a special horse.”

Image by Tim Wilkinson

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