{"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"u28R38WdMo","rid":"R7EKS5F","offerId":"OF3HQTHR122A","offerTemplateId":"OTQ347EHGCHM"}}
Trending:

‘He’s a Trojan of a horse’: Badminton contender bids to join elite CCI5* group

Martha Terry Martha Terry

    • US rider Boyd Martin is poised to seal the full CCI5* set with a completion this week at Mars Badminton Horse Trials. He kicked off his bid in fine style, scoring 29 in the dressage on his long-term partner Tsetserleg TSF, whom he describes as “an unusual horse”.

    “When he came to me he’d been through a couple of other riders and to be honest I didn’t think much of him,” said Boyd of this Tokyo Olympic ride. “He’s pretty plain at home, just a bit normal.

    “But then I took him to one intermediate and I couldn’t believe how much he changed. He just grew and has a great gallop and speed. All of a sudden I took him a lot more seriously.

    “He’s just such a tough horse – he’s never been lame and this is his seventh five-star start, he’s a Trojan of a horse and a good guy too,” Boyd added of the 17-year-old by Windfall 2. “He’s nice to be around, easy to ride and a laid-back character. Some of the hot, crazy ones you have to nurture through the event, but with Tsetserleg you can push him along and go for it.”

    Boyd Martin goes for the full CCI5* set

    If successful in completing Badminton, Boyd Martin will become only the second event rider to complete all seven five-stars around the world, joining Tim Price. Boyd, who grew up in Australia, admits that ticking off Adelaide early on was a help.

    “I did Adelaide when I was 19 years old and there was still steeplechase – sounds like I’m an old man!” said the 44-year-old. “But I love the five-stars, it’s what drives me along and keeps me motivated. Doing the WEGS and the Olympics and the five-stars means I can hold my head high, but it’s not just about completing for me – it’s great but I want to be winning.”

    Tsetserleg has had a significant journey to get here. He joined Boyd’s other top campaigners at Kentucky CCI5*, where he wasn’t competing, two weeks ago, and flew to the UK from Indianapolis a week ago.

    “He stayed with my good friend Kevin McNab and he kept ticking him over,” Boyd said. “My groom Steph came over and looked after him. I rode in a show in America on Saturday and flew over and started doing a bit of dressage on Sunday.”

    How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

    If you are interested in watching the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. To sign up, visit watch.badminton-horse.tv – click the “Sign Up” link in the top right corner of your screen, then follow the instructions. An annual subscription to Badminton TV costs £19.99 via the website and gives you 365 days of access to all of the content in the Badminton TV library, the ability to watch the action live, and the option to replay all of this year’s action later. Find out more…

    Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound

    To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 16 May.

    You may also be interested in…

    Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout major shows like London International and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

    Martha Terry
    Martha Terry

    H&H features editor
    Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
    Martha Terry

    You may like...