Eight Brits among 19 riders set to make their Badminton debuts in May

There re 19 riders on the Mars Badminton Horse Trials first-timers roster for this year’s event (8-12 May).

Emma Thomas and Rebecca Velarde’s Icarus, who impressed when finishing 18th at Burghley Horse Trials last year, head up the list of eight home-side first-timers.

The other British riders making their Badminton debuts are Helen Bates (Carpe Diem), Richard Coney (Poetry In Motion II), Heidi Coy (Halenza), Will Rawlin (Ballycoog Breaker Boy), Holly Richardson (Bally Louis), Max Warburton (Monbeg Exclusive) and India Wishart (Diamond Sundance).

Canada’s Jessica Phoenix is another who comes to a first Badminton off the back of a strong Burghley; she and Wabbit finished 11th.

The USA has the second biggest group of Badminton Horse Trials first-timers, with Cosby Green (Copper Beach) – who is based at Chedington Equestrian in Dorset and trained by Tim Price and Jonelle Price – and Northamptonshire-based Grace Taylor (Game Changer) joined by Alexandra (“Allie”) Knowles (Morswood) and Meghan O’Donoghue (Palm Crescent), who will fly over from the USA. Morswood has a British connection as he started his career in Piggy March’s yard, ridden by Piggy and Susie Berry.

France fields two debutants in Florian Ganneval (Blue Bird De Beaufour) and Surrey-based Gaspard Maksud (Kan-Do 2), as does Ireland with Daragh Byrne (Kilcannon Ramiro) and Lucy Latta (RCA Patron Saint).

Seppe Vilain will line up for his first Badminton for Belgium on Kawa De La Cour Z and Lina Forsberg represents Sweden on Kaizen.

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