2026 Badminton Diaries Day 4: Eric Winter on Building Badminton
Release Date: 05/09/2026
2026 Badminton Diaries Day 4: Dickie Waygood on cross-country day at Badminton
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
Nicole and Diarm preview the biggest day of the week before being joined by British Performance Manager Dickie Waygood for one of the most insightful conversations of the week. From Ros Canter’s record-breaking dressage lead to what separates great cross-country riders from good ones, Dickie breaks down the art of riding Badminton. This year's Badminton Diaries are brought to you by: Fairfax Saddles Scientifically designed saddles, bridles, and girths, built to help horses move freely, comfortably, and at their best. EcoVolts Built for life on the move, from walking cross-country tracks to...
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2026 Badminton Diaries Day 4: Eric Winter on Building Badminton
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
Before the first horse leaves the start box at Mars Badminton Horse Trials, Nicole Brown sits down with the man behind the questions, Eric Winter. From the lake to the Vicarage Vee, from camera angles to ground conditions, Eric opens up on what really goes into building a Badminton cross-country track, and why obvious doesn’t always mean easy. He talks inspiration from places like Luhmühlen International Horse Trials, why he wants riders to bring their very best cross-country horses here, and the balance between education, sport, and entertainment at the highest level. There’s also a...
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EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
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2026 Badminton Diaries Day 3: Dressage Done & Dusted
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
Dressage is done at Mars Badminton Horse Trials, the leaderboard is set, and now all eyes turn to cross-country. On Friday’s Badminton Diaries, Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo head into Saturday with the biggest dressage lead at Badminton in modern history, but behind them, it feels as open as ever. We catch up with Austin O'Connor on bringing Sixmilewater back to Badminton, what it takes to build future five-star horses, and why Colorado Blue is still firmly part of the bigger picture. Then Vanessa from Fairfax Saddles takes us behind the scenes, sharing the science, detail, and precision...
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2026 Badminton Diaries Day 2: Stories from the Centre Line
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
On Day 2 of the Tour Diaries, we catch up with riders and familiar faces around the park as the first centre lines are ridden. Tom Jackson talks pressure, preparation, and why Badminton still gives him goosebumps. Lucy Jackson joins us ringside with her take on the first day of dressage, the judging, and what Eric Winter’s track could bring later in the week. Bubby Upton opens up on the emotional reality of returning for a fifth Badminton with Cola. Away from the interviews, Tiana Coudray and Cancaras Girl set the early standard on 28.1, with Will Rawlin and Ballycoog Breaker Boy...
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2026 Badminton Diaries Day 1: Tales from the Trot Up
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
Badminton is officially underway, and if day one is anything to go by, this week is going to deliver. From the buzz of the first horse inspection, to honest post-trot-up debriefs in the car with Sam Watson, behind-the-scenes chats with riders, vets, and some of the sport’s biggest names, this first edition of the Badminton Tour Diaries has a bit of everything. There’s a special catch-up with Cassie Sanger on her rise through the five-star ranks, insight into the cross-country from Piggy March and Tina Cook, plus a special live moment with defending champion Ros Canter, balancing life with...
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Holland Cooper at Badminton Special
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
At Badminton, it’s easy to focus on what happens inside the ropes. But some of the biggest stories this week are happening beyond the start box too. In this special episode of the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast, Nicole and Sam catch up with Laura Collett and Will Rawlin on the Holland Cooper stand, talking Badminton nerves, five-star preparation, dressage expectations, and what it really feels like to arrive at one of the sport’s biggest stages. Plus, Jade Holland Cooper reflects on building a brand that started at Badminton with a tiny stand and has grown into a global luxury business,...
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Eventing Manager Badminton Special
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
Sam Watson sits down with world number three player Ali Barrett, to build their Badminton teams live, debate the biggest calls in the game, and work through the strategy behind building a five-star team that can actually score. From whether you still spend big on Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, to doubling up on Harry Meade, finding value with Caroline Powell and High Time, and uncovering the under-the-radar picks that could separate your team from everyone else, this is full of strategy, second guesses, and a few picks Ali maybe shouldn’t have shared. Play Eventing Manager here: ...
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Rosalent is Out: The Reaction Show
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
One of the biggest contenders is out and suddenly this year’s Badminton looks very different with the spotlight now firmly on Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo. Nicole Brown is joined by Diarmuid Byrne, Sam Watson, and Ali Barrett to react to the late withdrawal of Oliver Townend’s Cooley Rosalent. They dig into what this means for the competition, from Graffalo’s win chances to the unpredictability of five-star sport, and why this still isn’t a foregone conclusion. From pressure and performance to the reality of flags, pins, and fine margins, the team explore how quickly everything...
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2026 Badminton Preview Show
EquiRatings Eventing Podcast
A shot at history. A rival ready to challenge it. And one of the deepest Badminton fields in years. Can Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo become the first horse-and-rider combination to win Badminton three times? Or is this the year Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent go one better after leading Badminton for almost all of last year’s competition? Nicole Brown, Diarmuid Byrne, Sam Watson, Catherine Austen, and special guest Adam Short break down the head-to-head everyone is talking about, the horses building behind them, and the names that could blow this wide open, from Harry...
info_outlineBefore the first horse leaves the start box at Mars Badminton Horse Trials, Nicole Brown sits down with the man behind the questions, Eric Winter.
From the lake to the Vicarage Vee, from camera angles to ground conditions, Eric opens up on what really goes into building a Badminton cross-country track, and why obvious doesn’t always mean easy.
He talks inspiration from places like Luhmühlen International Horse Trials, why he wants riders to bring their very best cross-country horses here, and the balance between education, sport, and entertainment at the highest level.
There’s also a fascinating look at how the course is wheeled, where seconds are won and lost, and why this year’s track might look straightforward... right up until you try to ride it at 570 metres a minute.
Highlights
- Eric Winter on designing Badminton since 2017
- Why “obvious” and “easy” are not the same thing
- The story behind this year’s lake complex and Vicarage questions
- How terrain, footing, and camera angles all shape the final track
- Why Badminton should reward true cross-country horses
- Eric on pressure: “Pressure is an honour.”
Guests
- Nicole Brown
- Eric Winter
This year's Badminton Diaries are brought to you by:
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