BADMINTON OPENS BOX OFFICE FOR EIGHTH DECADE

Badminton Horse Trials, one of the most established equestrian sporting events, is set to enter a remarkable eighth decade, with the Box Office for advance tickets opening to the public on Monday, 13th January, offering discounts for early booking.

Badminton, which was recently voted the ‘Best Event Award - Outdoor Eventing’ by the prestigious publication L’Année Hippique, was started by the 10th Duke of Beaufort in 1949 to prepare riders for Olympic Games and has now evolved into the world’s oldest and most valuable horse trials. It’s one of the countryside’s great traditions and this year coincides with commemorations for the 75th anniversary of VE day, on Friday, 8th May.

With 2020 being an Olympic year, a highly competitive international field is expected, with riders knowing that a strong performance at Badminton will help catch their selectors’ attention, in the fierce contest for places at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

For the first time, visitors on the Wednesday 6th May will be able to book into the Weatherbys Hamilton members enclosure. On Thursday (7th May) Badminton, who will be officially supporting the British Equestrian Federation’s campaign to help send the British team to Tokyo, will showcase all the equestrian Olympic disciplines with a parade of the best horses in Dressage and Show Jumping and Eventing.

Event Director Jane Tuckwell commented, “2020 is going to be an exciting year with a number of new traffic and sustainability initiatives which we hope will enhance the visitor experience. We are really looking forward to working with our new Official Event Partners Science Supplements and Mars Equestrian and securing further partners as the year goes on.”

Celebrations begin, however, with the popular amateur Cup, now sponsored by Science Supplements, which runs on May 5th and 6th and is a major highlight for grassroot riders.