‘He went like a champion’: Boyd Martin takes early Badminton dressage lead
The USA’s Boyd Martin took the lead on 29 in the early stages of the first day of Mars Badminton Horse Trials dressage. Boyd was riding Tsetserleg TSF, a 17-year-old owned by Christine, Thomas IV and Tommie Turner, with whom he was ninth at Burghley in 2023.
In the glorious morning sunshine, the pair earned a smattering of sevens throughout their test, with their medium walk being a highlight, garnering two eights and a nine from the ground jury of Sandy Phillips (GBR), Jane Halim (USA) and Christian Steiner (AUT).
“I’m thrilled with him. He went in there and went like a champion, so he couldn’t have done much better and it’s hard to get a dressage test where everything just goes nicely,” explained Boyd. “We’re in with a chance.”
Boyd never dropped below a 6.5 in his test, with no real mistakes and the horse remaining level and on-side with Boyd throughout.
When asked whether an early draw suits Tsetserleg TSF, meaning his dressage test takes place with less crowds present in the main arena, Boyd said “it doesn’t matter to him”.
“He’s a pretty laid back horse – he’s been around a bit,” stated Boyd, referring to this horse’s extensive experience, which also includes a second and fourth place finish at Kentucky, plus a world team silver and a Pan Am double gold.
Pippa Funnell and the incredibly experienced Majas Hope encountered problems in their Badminton Horse Trials dressage test when the horse lost focus. The 17-year-old gelding, owned by Pippa and Marek Sebestak, has previously scored consistently in the mid- to late-20s at five-star level. They scored 40.8 this morning.
First into the arena at 9am, Tom Jackson and Farndon, are currently in second on 33, with Tom Rowland and Dreamliner holding third on 34.9.
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…
Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound
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.
You may also be interested in…
Find out when your favourites will ride their Badminton 2024 dressage tests
Would you jump this? Take a virtual walk of the 2024 Badminton cross-country course
Floaty dresses, shorts and leopard print – see what top riders wore at Badminton trot-up
How to watch Badminton Horse Trials 2024: what you need to know
Subscribe to Horse & Hound this spring for great savings