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Event Information:
The
Badminton Horse Trials is a
three-day event, one of only six
annual Concours Complet
International (CCI) Four Star ****
events as classified by the
Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI),
which takes place in April or May
each year in the park of Badminton
House, the seat of the Dukes of
Beaufort in Gloucestershire,
England.
Badminton was first held in 1949 by
the 10th Duke of Beaufort in order
to let British riders train for
future international events and was
advertised as "the most important
horse event in Britain". It was the
second three day event held in
Britain, with the first being its
inspiration - the 1948 Olympics. The
first Badminton had 22 horses from
Britain and Ireland start, and was
won by Golden Willow. Eight of the
22 starters failed to complete the
cross-country course. Badminton was
the home of the first European
Championship in 1953, and was won by
Major Laurence Rook on Starlight XV.
In 1955, Badminton moved to Windsor
Castle for a year, at the invitation
of the Queen, in order to hold the
second European Championships.
Today's Badminton is held in a 6
square kilometre (1500 acre) area
Badminton Park, where the car parks,
tradestands, arena and cross country
courses are located. Together with
the four-star rated Rolex Kentucky
Three Day and the Burghley Horse
Trials, Badminton forms the Rolex
Grand Slam of Eventing. The only
person ever to win the Grand Slam is
Pippa Funnell. Andrew Hoy (Aus)
nearly took the title in 2007 but
lost it when he had a pole down at
Burghley. The remaining CCI****
rated events are the Luhmühlen Horse
Trials, the Australian International
Three Day Event and the Stars of Pau.
It is also now part of the HSBC FEI
Classics—a points-based system
containing the CCI**** events.
The
cross country day at Badminton
attracts crowds of up to a quarter
of a million, which are the largest
for any paid-entry sport event in
the United Kingdom, and the second
largest in the world (after the
Indianapolis 500).
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