Going into Badminton Horse Trials 2026

As the sun starts consistently shining, and the ground starts to harden (much to my dismay), one of the highlights of every equestrian’s calendar quickly approaches…Badminton Horse Trials.

Located in South Gloucestershire, the trials take place in the lush grounds of Badminton house. Originally built in the late 17^th century, fittingly named as it is known as the birthplace of the Badminton racquet sport in the 19^th century. It has hosted the horse trials since 1949, originally to help train the riders for the Olympics. Now it serves as an elite event, where the best international riders come to compete. 

The event takes place on the 6^th-10^th of May, with a variety of competition to watch. The first two days are taken over by the grassroots competitions, with the final three days featuring the 5-star event itself. Spectators can enjoy the elegant dressage on the Friday, the adrenalin of the cross country on the Saturday (as well as the ever-amusing Shetland pony race), and the exhilarating showjumping on the final day. 

Despite having never gone myself, I have read endless news articles and reports, as well as the grassroots vlogs all over YouTube from all the up-and-coming eventers. I remember how happy I felt watching Meg Elphicks Badminton vlogs after her battles with confidence in 2023 round the grassroots track. I also remember after the introduction of the BHT app, the mass number of times I was told off after having a sneaky glance at the leaderboard at every chance I could (probably not my best idea right at the start of my GCSE season…but at the time it was SO worth it.)

Now, with my particular interest in fashion, that is one of the key aspects that catches my eye each time a social media post pops up at (not only Badminton) but many of the other events around the country; it comes with its own ’a bit predictable’ fashion.

The agricultural spectators, often in Young Farmers, who happen to have a horse to add to their impressive workload. The girls typically wear light-wash skinny jeans, paired with a blouse, and a Ralph Lauren jumper adorning their shoulders. This is often complimented by a navy Schöffel gilet, and Fairfax and Favour heeled boots, which must feature a colourful tassel to match their jumpers.

Meanwhile the guy’s don checked shirts, light wash jeans, and again with the Schöffel usually matching their partners.

The second category, the equestrian girls themselves. Often resembling the Agri girls, they usually sport stylish jodhpurs, a quilted gilet (often from Holland and Cooper), and either knee high boots, or ankle boots with colourful socks and a coordinating base layer; often in the colours of their favourite competitor.

My final category, the “up town” girls. Usually sporting linen trousers, often from Toms Trunks, a smart, fitted blouse, and loafers. This can be paired with a Levuroy quilted jacket, in pink or blue. I hadn’t really heard of Levuroy before, but since the OBH point to point, where they had a pop-up stand, I have been recognising them at every equestrian event I attend.

All three categories can be tied off with an assortment of colourful gold jewellery, and a plastic cup of Pimm’s-it really ties the look together. 

A few things to remember when going to an event like this is you will be doing a lot of walking, a lot of standing and a lot of spending. I would recommend a picnic, full of M&S picky bits, charcuterie meats (if you have a cool bag) and my personal absolute holy grail... baguette. This saves you spending an arm and a leg on ‘debatably’ overpriced hot food, tea or coffee and other refreshments.

Remember you must save as much money as you can for when you hit the shopping village; stands and stands full of everything a country gal could need: LeMieux always saves the day with newly designed Badminton merch. As well as this, their products can usually be found in every other retail stand for as far as the eye can see… it’s quite the thing.

There is usually an assortment of other stalls, many selling different tweed-based items: jackets, waistcoats, hats etc, an assortment of leatherwork stands as well, focusing on belts, dog collars/leads, all in the same polo style, another staple to an eventers wardrobe. But what my mum would consider the most imperative item in your handbag ...suncream. However, keeping this in mind, I implore anyone wanting to go to keep a keen eye on the weather forecast. I remember one year, getting flooded with videos on my FYP of people who showed up in their summer best, only to be greeted with the most waterlogged land. It had rained the night before and spectators were practically swimming around in the mud. The amount of lovely, smart, suede and leather shoes I saw, swallowed in the sludge…it would shock anyone to their core…

Eventing combines three of the more recognised equestrian disciplines, and Badminton is where the best of the best come to showcase their skills across all three. One perk of eventing is the ability to recover if a mistake is made. A poor dressage score can be boosted by a strong cross-country performance. Naturally the competitor with the most impeccable results in all three, is the most likely to succeed. However, the scoring works a bit differently compared to what’s expected.

For example, in classic dressage the highest score wins, in eventing dressage the lower the score the better, in both the showjumping, and cross country, there is an optimum time to complete the course; too fast OR too slow gets you weighed down with time penalties. So, the ideal event for anyone, a low score in dressage, a clear perfectly timed cross country, and a clear fastest time in the showjumping. Make sense...?

Badminton itself is quite recognisable for its iconic cross-country course. My personal favourite element due to its incredible show of trust between horse and rider; the broken bridge. The horse and rider must gallop up a mock bridge that suddenly drops away. This requires a capable and skilled rider, to not only ride the horse to the best of their ability, but also to know the horse more personally, to know how they will react, whether they will be confident, or reluctant, then to know how to adapt to that. Horses aren’t machines, they have good and bad days, and it takes a good rider to give their horse the support needed to get round such a challenging course. Those are the riders that always come out on top, the ones who put effort into each individual horse, and knows when to push, when to hold back, and most importantly, to know when the horse has had enough. Worst case scenario, you withdraw, keep your horse happy and sound and to come back another day.

One of the favourites to win this year, and my personal favourite rider, Rosalind Canter. With a series of incredible results at the most challenging 5-star tracks, she has come out victorious at Badminton in 2023 and again in 2025, on her incredible horse, Lordships Graffalo. She also excelled at Burghley in 2024 and 2025, making her the first person to win both prestigious events twice on the same horse. This current record has classed this partnership as a very strong contender in this year’s competition, where they aim to hold on to that title. 

Even though I have never attended the event myself, Badminton is the best of the best when it comes to equestrian events. The suspense, and the competitiveness, as well as the incredible experience of watching the best athletes (some of whom are Olympic Champions) at the very top of their game compete for the title at one of the most iconic venues in the UK.

This is an experience you shouldn’t miss, and one that I aspire to experience at some point soon.