NHS physio and former working hunter win Badminton BE90 grassroots championships

Emily Proud and her own HSF Lobo Royale headed the LeMieux BE90 grassroots championships results at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, at just her nine-year-old HSF Cardento Royale gelding’s fifth-ever affiliated event. They added nothing to their dressage mark of 28.4 to hold off Charlotte Cordy-Redden and Cadilac Jack by 0.6 of a penalty.

Emily, who lives near Bruton in Somerset, said: “I’ve had him since he was a three-year-old and backed him myself, so we’ve got quite a partnership together. He wasn’t the easiest character to get jumping because he’s quite spooky, but we got there in the end.”

The winner added: “The pressure was on, because he’s done so well – he qualified for this by winning the regional final at Little Downham, which was only his third event – and I felt like I needed to do him justice.”

Emily’s dressage trainer, Alice Peternell, lives 10 minutes from Badminton and came to help her in the warm-up.

“She really helped me stay relaxed, because I was quite nervous,” Emily admitted. “He did a really lovely test with just a couple of little mistakes in the walk, and today the jumping couldn’t have gone any better.

“I’ve always wanted to ride at Badminton – I’ve been coming here every year since I was a baby, and it was amazing galloping up the avenue and seeing Badminton House in front of me. My real ambition is to do the five-star one day – it’s every little girl with a pony’s dream.”

Before the pair started eventing, they qualified for the working hunter championships at the Horse of the Year Show. Emily is a full-time physiotherapist in the NHS.

Charlotte and Cadilac Jack, runners-up in the BE90 grassroots championships results, completed on their dressage score of 29.

“We had the worst possible preparation for this, but I had so many friends coming to support me that I thought I had better go and get on with it!” said Charlotte. “I was petrified. I did this 15 years ago when it first started and I am terribly old to be doing it again, but it has been great fun, and I can’t believe we’ve finished second.”

Third, just inches behind on 29.1, were Susan Bill and her nine-year-old mare Flamenco Princess, by Je T’Aime Flamenco.

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