Emily King reveals why she pulled up at Badminton
THE only Wales-based rider competing at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials has revealed why she pulled up part-way round the cross country course.
Emily King, the daughter of eventing royalty Mary King, grew up in Devon, but is now based near Holywell, Flintshire said on Facebook last night: “Unfortunately Badders wasn’t quite meant to be this year…
“Hugely proud of dear Val who stormed his way around the part of the course he did with pure class. It was a tough course, in even tougher conditions , yet the feeling he gave me around the part of the course he did was second to none.
“This said, as we pulled up to the lake and especially as we jumped in I could feel he was beginning to really tire in the heavy going… there was still another 4 mins of galloping to do, up hill, with some big big jumping efforts and I thought if he was telling me there he was starting to feel the ground I wanted to listen to him before risking his well-being.
“He’s a little dude of a jumping machine and I know he would’ve kept fighting and jumping for me until he couldn’t but I did not want to put that to the test.
“He’s one very special horse with one huge huge heart and a horse I will always listen to. Thank you as always to everyone who supports us.”
Ahead of the event, Emily told the BBC: "It's amazing to be back here, it's just such an incredible event."
She was supported by her mum, twice Badminton winner and equestrian legend Mary King, who said: "I feel I'm very lucky as a mother to have experienced it for myself and now to go through the whole experience again, but through Emily. It's such a special place and the cream of the cream for our sport.
"From early on she was absolutely fixated with horses. I never ever had to presuade her to do anything. She's even more horsey than I am!"
Emily added: "I've been so lucky having mum and it's really spurred me into having big goals but realising it takes a hell of a lot of hard work an amazing team behind you."
Mary revealed she was taking Emily to events from only a few months old. So eventing truly is in Emily’s blood, and now she looks ahead to Germany's Luhmühlen Horse Trials next month.