Vineyard owner, 61, wins BE100 Badminton grassroots championships – and sets a new record

Philippa Hendry, 61, topped the LeMieux Badminton grassroots results in the BE100 class yesterday, on her fourth start at the event with Flyer Des Coupeaux.

“I knew he was capable of it, but horses – and he in particular – can be quite unpredictable,” said Philippa, who has been a prolific winner with the 11-year-old by Contendo.

“Last year he was upset because of the flies. The year before that, we had a run-out at fence 12 because he dodged around the mud, so took me off my line. But I knew he was capable of a good win if all my stars aligned, which they luckily did today.”

Philippa has owned the French-bred gelding since he was three and has had to overcome various challenges including his intial dislike of water and the fact he had a cleft palate, which required surgery.

Most recently, in February Philippa went to an osteopath as she injured her back lifting soaked haynets for horses on box rest.

“She said I had a really old injury and my back was locked solid. So I’ve been doing loads of work on that and riding with more movement in my back and it’s just transformed the way he’s going,” she said.

The pair scored 19.8 here, the best BE100 LeMieux Badminton grassroots championship dressage score ever, and could afford to have the final showjump down and a single time-fault. With a clear in the time over James Willis’s cross-country course, Philippa won by 2.3 penalties.

Philippa, who previously worked in recruitment, now juggles six horses – three ridden and three companions – with running Marlow Valley Vineyard.

The project is in “baby stages”; the vines were planted in 2021 and this year will be their second harvest. She and her husband Rob set up the project when he retired from the car industry and passed that business to their son.

“So he does all the hard work, and I try my hardest to do the social media and the sales and setting up artisan markets for us to sell the wine at,” said Philippa.

Badminton grassroots results: ambitious physio takes second

Emily Proud, who won the BE90 championship last year on HSF Lobo Royale, stepped up to take second in the BE100, this time on her own Ballyj Ed.

Emily is a physio in the NHS who is cutting back her hours as she has eight horses and ambitions to make it at the top level in eventing.

“I’ve been coming here since I was tiny, so to be here stood in front of Badminton House and to compete with my own horse around the hallowed turf that is Badminton is just amazing,” she said.

“My dream would be to ride here in the five-star one day, and I’m hoping it might be BallyJ Ed that comes back.”

The eight-year-old BallyJ Ed was bred in Ireland by the Ballyjennings Stables and Emily bought him through Fiona Davidson.

“He’s out of a thoroughbred mare by an Irish Draught stallion, Black Hero, so he’s traditionally bred for eventing. I just loved his breeding, his type and shape and bought him with a view to trying to get to five-star one day,” she said.

Ollie Rowlands, 16, landed third in the BE100 Badminton grassroots results with Project Pony’s Loughan Silver Shadow, a 16-year-old who has helped numerous young riders on their eventing journey. He joined Ollie in 2024.

“I really wanted to finish on my dressage score and a top 10 would have been nice. But to come third is incredible,” he said.

Of the 67 cross-country starters, 44 (66%) went clear over James Willis’s track.

The course featured a number of demanding combinations in quick succession in the latter half, including the HorseQuest Teaser (fences 14 and 15ab), where pairs had to take on a downhill bending line over a log to two arrowheads, and the LeMieux Hollow at 17abc, a rail-ditch-rail question.

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