*Exclusive* Pictures of Nicola Wilson walking the Badminton cross-country course

Eventing fans always wait with excitement for the Mars Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course to be revealed and we’re finally able to share a few pictures of the challenge Eric Winter has set for next week’s event (8-12 May).

As usual, H&H dispatched a top analyst to Gloucestershire to check out the track and you can read Nicola Wilson’s thoughts on every fence and her ratings for each in this week’s H&H magazine, out now (issue dated 2 May). In the meantime, check out a sneak peek of some of the fences and Nicola’s visit to Badminton below…

Badminton Horse Trials cross-country course: photos of Nicola Wilson’s visit

Eric and Nicola at the Bloomfields Brush Buckets (fence 6ab), the second combination on course.

The pair eye up the line over the oxer and two corners at the Voltaire Design Huntsman’s Close (fence 7abc).

Nicola strides out to the final corner at Huntsman’s Close, where the groundlines are cleverly positioned to help horses understand the question.

The Mars Badminton Lake (fence 10abcd) features an unusual MIM-Clipped wall-type fence, visible in the background of this photo.

The Lemieux Eyelash Brushes (fence 15abc) feature two angled brushes and a water-filled ditch.

The Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay at fences 17ab and 18 is the second water on the course.

Nicola demonstrates how to jump the angled log which forms the last element at the Mars Equestrian Sustainability Bay.

Eric and Nicola discuss the Agria Silver Birch Rails (fence 21).

What a drop! This is the Lightsource BP Mound (fence 26abcd).

Riders are in the closing stages by the time they get to the Worcester Avenue Brushes (fence 28abc).

Pictures by Peter Nixon

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…

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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.

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