Sir Mark Todd, one of the great cross-country riders of all time, has been assessing the course for the 2025 MARS Badminton Horse Trials for the CrossCountry app, released today. “It is a very fair track,” says Sir Mark, a four-time Badminton winner and dual Olympic champion.
“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 will be both enjoyable to ride and produce a great competition.”
The spectacular 32-fence track runs clockwise this year, with the famous MARS Lake coming relatively early at fences 8, 9 and 10abc, followed by the familiar intense loop out to the far end, via the INEOS Sunken Road at 12ab, the new accuracy-demanding LeMieux Eyelash Brushes at 19abc and the Mayston Equestrian Sunken Road at 21ab.
The course then passes back in front of Badminton House to the familiar historic landmarks of the Equidry Huntsman’s Close (26ab) and the HorseQuest Quarry (28abc) before concluding in the atmospheric main arena where crowds gather to welcome horses and riders home. The optimum time 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,” observes Eric Winter, the Cross Country Course Designer since 2017. “Badminton has always historically been a preparation ground for championships and it’s great to see so many nations represented.”
Eric adds that the dry, sunny spring has provided the perfect conditions in which to prepare the course and that irrigation has been taking place. “Mark Lucey [retired vet and ground specialist] came and tested the going and said that it was perfect.”
Thanks to technology, enthusiasts everywhere can easily keep abreast with every aspect of the competition, the moment it happens. Badminton TV, which is being produced by ClipMyHorse, will be live-streaming all the action. To sign up, visit here
In addition, the popular mobile app, with live scoring, has been relaunched with new features. It will now be possible to follow the progress of favourite riders, including a 30-minute warning that they are about to perform, to test your skills as a dressage judge by seeing how closely your assessment comes to that of the ground jury, plus there will be a live cross-country fence analysis feature. To download it, visit the website
