‘I carried my broken martingale in my hand’: how Badminton debutant jumped 40-odd cross-country fences after tack malfunction

Patrick Whelan might not be high up the leaderboard at the Mars Badminton Horse Trials, but he made an eye-catching debut. His clear round on Ikoon Lan for 27.2 time-faults might give the impression of a safe and steady round, but in fact Patrick showed outstanding skills after his martingale broke early on.

“It was a good round, but I’ve had easier ones,” said Patrick. “My martingale broke at fence four, so I carried that in my hand all the way round.”

Fence 4abc, the Savills Staircase, involved riding through a big arch made of hay bales, down two steps and a related distance to a very wide haywain.

“As I jumped the haywain, the martingale popped out,” said the Irishman. “It broke at his chest, so I held it in my hand the whole way and thought I won’t worry about it too much, it’s just one of those things. But it was fine; we got to the finish line.

“But it’s great to be clear and the horse feels good; he galloped all the way in the heat so I’m really happy.”

This is a third five-star for Ikoon Lan, a 12-year-old by Emilion, but his first on British soil.

“It’s my first time [at Badminton] in the saddle; I’ve been here [to watch] but I couldn’t remember quite how big the [fences] were,” said Patrick Whelan. “I have nothing to compare, but these are big jumps, you need a good horse, and I’m sat on a good horse.”

Their clear cross-country round was against the odds after the tack malfunction, but 27.2 time-faults meant they dropped a place on the overall standings from dressage to 40th. However, they’ll be hoping to finish a little higher.

“He’s won a 1.40m grand prix, so we should be jumping clear and it’s my fault if we don’t,” he smiled.

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

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