Reported by http://www.horsetalk.co.nz:

The world famous Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

The event, from 7-10 May at the Duke of Beaufort’s Gloucestershire park, started in 1949 as a springboard for future British Olympic teams. It has since become the most prestigious event of its type, and the one all the riders dream of winning. The programme this year will have a special supplement to commemorate this benchmark.

The new incentive is the HSBC FEI Classics which adds to the list results from the other northern hemisphere top grade events, Luhmuhlen in Germany and the end of season four star at Pau in France. This is an accumulator for riders, which was won for the first time by William Fox-Pitt. Badminton is a significant part of these innovative series.

Badminton Director and course designer Hugh Thomas is following the long established tradition of reversing the direction of the course, which, as his innovation, has for several years started and finished in the main arena. The Italian Technical Delegate, Giuseppe della Chiesa, who officiated for the first time at Badminton in 2008 has already made a preliminary inspection of the embryonic course, under construction, as ever, by the Willis Brothers (and Sons).

This year’s Official Charity is the Army Benevolent Fund, a very timely recipient of donations from the crowd at the event. They will have a jump named in their honour and a team of volunteer collectors during the Trials.

In some respects Badminton becomes even more important in a post Olympic year, as the non European riders have no international championship to aim at in the autumn and so are sure to see it as their main target for the season.