A guide to MARS Badminton Horse Trials

What is MARS Badminton Horse Trials?

MARS Badminton Horse Trials is an annual competition in which horse-and-rider pairs go head-to-head in three different disciplines – dressage, cross-country, and showjumping – over the course of four days. Each discipline requires its own set of skills and attributes, so horses must be well-rounded and able to demonstrate obedience, precision, stamina, courage, speed and accuracy. It’s no mean feat.

International horse trials are graded by difficulty, ranging from one-star to five-star events. MARS Badminton Horse Trials is one of only seven CCI5* events in the world. It is also the oldest such event in the world, last year celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Over the years, the event has become a highlight of the calendar year for the tens of thousands of spectators who turn up to watch the equestrian elite in action, enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Badminton Estate, and peruse the 500+ trade stands in the Shopping Village where they can find retailers of clothing, food, lifestyle and equestrian clothing and products.

When and where is the 2025 MARS Badminton Horse Trials being held?

The 2025 MARS Badminton Horse Trials will be held from 7–11 May. The main international event will actually start on the Thursday – the Wednesday being reserved for the LeMieux Grassroots Championships. The dressage phase spans Thursday and Friday, while the cross-country will take place on Saturday 10 May and the final phase, the showjumping, will be on Sunday 11 May.

The event takes place in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Duke of Beaufort in South Gloucestershire, some 15 miles from Bristol and Bath, and 100 miles west of London.

Will Schöffel Country be at MARS Badminton Horse Trials?

Yes, the Schöffel Country team will be on hand supporting a few of the brand’s retailers who are exhibiting our event-ready product range at the event. Look out for us on the Bredon Hill (stand 168), Elm of Burford (stand 166), and Brocklehursts (stand 87) stands.

When was the first MARS Badminton Horse Trials?

The first ever MARS Badminton Horse Trials, billed at the time as the “The most important horse event in Great Britain”, was held in April 1949. Inspired by the Summer Olympics of 1948 in London, the 10th Duke of Beaufort decided that ‘eventing’ – the term generally used to describe the sport at horse trials – was the perfect training ground for foxhunters. The Duke also recognised that such an event would assist in the training and selection of an Olympic team. His first iteration of the event would eventually pave the way for others around the country.

The prize money for the inaugural event in 1949 was £150 to the winner and a total of around £500 in all; today, the total prize fund for the event exceeds £400,000, the overall winner taking home £117,000.

How do horse trials work? And are horse trials the same as 'eventing'?

Interestingly, the level of competition one can enter depends entirely on the experience and grades achieved by the horse – i.e. a horse must achieve a certain grade before it can enter higher-level competitions. As a result, amateurs may find themselves competing against the very best riders in the world. For more information on levels and grading, we recommend visiting the British Eventing website.

In the UK, the eventing season runs between March and October. And, depending on the level of the competition and number of entrants, horse trials may span one, two, three or four days. ‘Eventing’ and ‘horse trials’ are one and the same thing. Regardless of the timeframe they run over, horse trials are made up of three parts: dressage, cross-country, and showjumping.

What are the three disciplines in horse trials?

Dressage always comes first and sees horse and rider perform a series of set movements in a rectangular arena. At Badminton, the dressage phase takes place over two days.

The routine of a dressage test is pre-determined and will follow an order that horse and rider must learn before the event. The complexity of movements to be performed depends on the level of competition. Dressage is synonymous with precision and elegance, rhythm and communication, and an excellent level of technical control and obedience.

Cross-country is all about bravery, stamina and jumping ability; it requires a different skillset entirely and is regarded by many as the most exciting of the three disciplines. Courses vary but all involve a variety of fences that competitors must negotiate. Run on grass, this phase also entails negotiating steps and ditches, water and steep inclines. The length and difficulty of the course, and the pace which you are expected to match, becomes more demanding as you rise through the levels. The aim is to negotiate every obstacle in the optimum time, which is pre-defined. Bravery, stamina and jumping ability are key here.

Showjumping is the final phase in horse trials. It might be held on grass or in an arena and requires horse and rider to jump a sequence of fences without knocking them down in a set time. This phase requires accuracy, carefulness and athleticism; the ultimate aim is to jump all the fences in order without knocking down any poles and incurring penalty points. The height of the jumps varies depending on the event and level of competition. Badminton is a CCI5* event, for example, where jumps are 1.30m high.

Can I buy tickets to MARS Badminton Horse Trials on the gate?

According to the MARS Badminton Horse Trials website, tickets must be purchased in advance (up to 12 midnight the night before visitors wish to visit) and can be bought online or by phone. Every car will also need a car parking pass. Separate tickets for the showjumping on Sunday, and premier tickets for the dressage, are also sold separately, through the event box office.

For more information about MARS Badminton Horse Trials, visit the official event website here.

Schöffel Country is in no way affiliated with, nor is it a sponsor of, MARS Badminton Horse Trials.