There are plenty of Mars Badminton Horse Trials special prizes awarded each year, from those for the breeders of the top horses to the rider with the best judge of time, debutants and more.
Read on to find out who picked up special prizes at the 2025 event last week…
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were the winners of Badminton and they and their connections picked up a raft of Badminton Horse Trials special prizes, as well as £117,600 in prize money.
“‘Walter’ enjoys his life. He knows what he wants, he tells us what he wants, and in between, he’s pretty chilled and happy,” said Ros after their win. “He’s like a puppy in the stable and he licks you to death. He knows he’s the best and he’s full of self-importance, but at the same time, he’s just completely lovable. I love him to bits.”
The Challenge Badminton Horse Trials Trophy: to the winning owners: Michele and Archie Saul, pictured below with Ros Canter and the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort
Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain prize to the owner of best horse sired by a SHB(GB) graded stallion or premium stallion, provided it is in the top 12: Miichele and Archie Saul for Lordships Grafalo
Butler Challenge Bowl, with replica for the highest-placed British rider: Ros Canter
Mars Equestrian Yeti Cool Box to the winning rider: Ros Canter
LeMieux rug to the winner: Ros Canter
Mars Equestrian and Spillers prize of £1,000 to the groom of winner and Mark Holliday Memorial Trophy: Sarah Charnley
The British Horse Foundation £1000 to the breeder of the highest-placed British-bred horse, provided it finished in the top 20: Lordships Stud and Pennie Wallace
Replica of the trophy to the top three riders and the winning owner: Michele and Archie Saul, Ros Canter, Oliver Townend, Austin O’Connor (pictured below finishing third on Colorado Blue)
Runners-up Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent also picked up several special prizes.
“She’s just a natural athlete. Her pedigree is second to none, with her mother being a racehorse that won the Scottish Borders National, her father a 1.50m horse. Somehow, the magic happened for once in breeding,” said Oliver.
“She can go around any course in the world, be competitive in any class in the world. She’s blood enough for Burghley, she moves and jumps well enough for a championship horse. Ability-wise, she’s got everything.”
Frank Weldon Memorial Trophy to the rider of the youngest British-owned and ridden horse in top 12: Oliver Townend, for 11-year-old Cooley Rosalent
Stud Voucher £500 to the owner of the highest-placed British-owned mare: Paul and Diana Ridgeon for Cooley Rosalent
Embryo Transfer or OPU (ovum pick-up) session to the highest-placed British-bred or domiciled mare, courtesy of Tomlinson Equine: Cooley Rosalent
Worshipful Company of Saddlers saddle to the rider with the best score who is under 25 on 1 January 2026 and who has not previously won a Company saddle in the calendar year: 23-year-old Alice Casburn, who rode home-bred Topspin to 17th place
Silver Jubilee Plate to the most successful rider, the horse to be owned by the rider alone, or in conjunction with immediate family: Will Rawlin, 23rd on Ballycoog Breaker Boy
Laurence Rook Trophy to the best British rider who has not previously completed Badminton: Katie Magee, riding Treworra, who finished 11th
Glentrool Trophy to the horse and rider who have made greatest improvement on their dressage placing: Tayla Mason and Centennial, who moved up 52 places to finish 19th
Cotswold Life Trophy to the best British rider who is not entitled to wear the adult Union Jack Badge and whose permanent address is in the county of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire or Somerset: Tom Rowland, 12th on Dreamliner
The William Miflin Memorial Trophy to the rider of the horse with no cross-country jumping penalties and closest to optimum time: Harry Meade, who finished sixth on Superstition and was bang on the 11min 40sec optimum time
Farriers Prize – plaque to the owner and farrier of the best shod horse: Robert Shave for High Time, owned by Jo West, Serena Greenwell, Ruth Armstrong, Tom and Annabel Jenks-Craig and rider Caroline Powell
David Beaufort Memorial Trophy to the person who has contributed to the running of the horse trials over many years: Pamela Twissell, Badminton administrator
Stable manager’s grooms award, sponsored by Treehouse Sporting Colours: Debbie Carpenter, groom to New Zealand rider Lauren Innes and Global Fision M
Armada Dishes for five Badminton completions, presented a year after the fifth completion: Sammi Birch (pictured at this year’s event on Finduss PFB), Pippa Funnell (should have been presented in 2024), Tom Jackon, Tim Price, Zara Tindall, Sam Watson
Badminton Horse Trials special prizes – winners’ photos by Peter Nixon and Nico Morgan Media
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You may also be interested in:
‘I booked my flight across the world at 3.30am and left at 6am’ – what happens when your faraway daughter is called up from the wait list on eve of Badminton
Lordships Graffalo makes Badminton history by regaining his title
‘She can be competitive in any class in the world’: Oliver Townend and star mare come agonisingly close to Badminton title
‘I put the record straight’: Austin O’Connor settles a score to finish third at Badminton with 16-year-old who keeps improving
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