The Eric Winter-designed CCI5* cross-country course has been revealed for this year’s MARS Badminton Horse Trials. All 32 fences are available to view now.
Sir Mark Todd, a four-time winner of the Gloucestershire five-star, who assessed the course for CrossCountry app, deemed it “a very fair track”.
“Of course, you have to add in the Badminton factor, which makes it different to anywhere else, and be prepared for the unexpected, but it looks to have a nice flow to it and I think [it] will be both enjoyable to ride and produce a great competition,” he said.
The track
As usual, the course runs in the reverse direction of last year, taking riders in a clockwise direction around Badminton estate.
Eric Winter said that fence 2 — Bloomfields Horseboxes Keeper’s Table — is “probably one of the largest second fences on any course”.
The first combination is at fence 4abc — Savills Staircase — and the famous MARS Lake comes early at fences 8, 9 and 10abc (pictured above).
Water levels are currently low in the Lake due to a very dry spring, and the team are working on a solution.
This is as serious a question as ever for horses and riders to answer. The direct route involves two very large roll tops on a one stride distance, with a 2m drop from the second taking horses into the Lake.
Four strides later is a narrow brush in the water, before turning right up a steep bank to tackle another narrow brush.
Optimum time
The Lake is followed by the familiar intense loop out to the far end of the estate via the INEOS Sunken Road at 12ab, the new accuracy-demanding LeMieux Eyelash Brushes at 19abc, and the Mayston Equestrian Sunken Road at 21ab.
Riders will then gallop in front of Badminton House to the familiar historic landmarks of the Equidry Huntsman’s Close (26ab) and the HorseQuest Quarry (28abc).
The start and finish are in the main arena and the optimum time, although to be confirmed at this stage, is likely to be around 11 minutes 45 seconds.
“It’s a very international field which often happens in a post-Olympic year when you’ve got top riders bringing their horses from the past Games and others hoping to begin the cycle leading up to the next one,” said Eric Winter.
He took over as course-designer in 2017 and confessed that “it always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end when watching the first horse of the day set off” on cross-country day.
Eric added that a dry, sunny spring has provided the perfect conditions in which to prepare the course and that irrigation has been taking place.
“Mark Lucey [a retired vet and ground specialist] came and tested the going and said that it was perfect,” confirmed Eric.
View the fences and watch Sir Mark Todd walk the course here.
Main image © Badminton Horse Trials
