‘It looks quite amazing’: watering well under way as Badminton ‘on course’ for 2025 event

Organisers of the 2025 Mars Badminton Horse Trials are doing “everything in [their] power” to ensure the course is in “pristine condition” ahead of this year’s event.

Director Jane Tuckwell shared a video from the main arena last Friday (11 April) to talk through the preparations in the Gloucestershire parkland and how the event has been managing with such a dry spring.

“It looks quite amazing,” said Mrs Tuckwell, with sprinklers running behind her. “[The grass] has been mown, it’s been fed, all the groundworks that go on in the autumn do such a good job.”

Watering is well under way on course already. Water is sourced from a dug pond and the event has “enough water to keep us going for a very long time”.

“Harry Burnley, our site manager, looks after the [irrigation] machine and – as far as the watering goes – the ground like no other,” said Mrs Tuckwell.

“He’s out here by six o’clock every morning making sure all is going well, and doesn‘t leave until last thing in the evening. So it’s to him that we need to be incredibly grateful.”

She added that the stables are nearly ready and the Badminton team is “really excited” by this year’s “stellar entries”.

“We’re looking forward to seeing each and everyone arrive at Badminton, from last year’s past winner to all the first-timers,” she said.

“We’re on course for everything. My team and I are very much looking forward to welcoming all of you to what we think will be an epic Mars Badminton Horse Trials 2025.”

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you want to watch 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. This year, Badminton TV has teamed up with ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch Badminton – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £21.99. Go to clipmyhorse.tv/en_GB/badminton to subscribe or to activate your account as an existing Badminton TV subscriber. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. As part of Badminton TV, you can enjoy the documentary programme Legends and Legacy, a fly-on-the-wall insight into the 2024 event and preview of 2025.

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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 15 May.

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