Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl lead after a great opening day of dressage at Mars Badminton Horse Trials (7 May).
Lunchtime leaders Bubby Upton and Cola held the top spot until the final session, when Tiana edged into pole position, and Will Rawlin (Ballycoog Breaker Boy) slotted into second.
Badminton Horse Trials dressage: how the first day unfolded…
British championship rider Tom Jackson and five-star debutant United 36 topped the provisional standings at this morning’s coffee break.
Bubby Upton and Cola were the first combination to break the 30 barrier in this year’s Badminton Horse Trials dressage, scoring 29.8 to steal a march on the rest of the field.
Ireland’s Georgie Goss inched into second place behind Bubby just before lunch, and finished the day in provisional fourth place.
Lucy Latta and RCA Patron Saint, runners up to Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier in 2024, set their 2026 Badminton campaign off to a solid start.
Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl sprang to the top of the leaderboard after the tea break.
The penultimate Badminton Horse Trials dressage rider of the day, Will Rawlin and Ballycoog Breaker Boy, posted 29.3 to slot into provisional second.
Looking ahead to Saturday, this year’s competitors shared early thoughts on Eric Winter’s cross-country course.
Fancy taking a closer look at the cross-country fences on the 2026 course? H&H has snapped every fence…
Meanwhile yesterday vineyard owner Philippa Hendry, 61, topped the BE100 Badminton grassroots championships on Flyer Des Coupeaux, setting a new record dressage score in the process.
Primary school teacher Holly Jessett claimed the BE90 Badminton grassroots championship on Lombard Lad, her only horse, ridden after work on full livery.
How to watch and listen to Badminton Horse Trials
To watch Badminton Horse Trials live or via catch up, including the trot-ups, from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world, you need a 2026 Badminton TV Pass. Badminton TV is once again powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £22.99. Go to badminton-horse.tv to sign up. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. Also check out the Badminton app, which provides free live results and much more this year. Sign up for Badminton Plus membership for £4.99 to access the live Radio Badminton broadcast and receive exclusive offers from on-site exhibitors. Search for Badminton Horse Trials in your app store.
Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound
To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 28-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 14 May.
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