Tuesday, 09 April 2024
At an evening to celebrate 75 memorable years of Badminton Horse Trials held at the De Vere Tortworth Court, British Equestrian and the British Equestrian Federation Fund (BEFF) launched their dedicated ‘Path to Paris Prize Draw’. Featuring some fantastic prizes with more in the pipeline, the draw is part of a fundraising campaign by BEFF to support our four teams heading to this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The funding will go towards helping them be the best prepared, supported and equipped that they can be, leaving them to concentrate on performance and bringing home medals.
Topping the prize roster for the draw is a bespoke Stevenson Brothers rocking horse of the 2023 Badminton champion, Lordships Graffalo, owned by Michele Saul and ridden by Ros Canter – the duo went on to take double gold at the FEI Eventing European Championship last August. Worth over £12,500, the expertly crafted, one-off piece is sculpted from oak, including a section from the same fallen tree used to make the base of the new MARS Badminton Horse Trials trophy. It also features a shoe from the real ‘Walter’, as well as some of his tail hair. The replica tack is identical to Walter’s own, and ‘mini Walter’ proudly wears a 75th anniversary MARS Badminton Horse Trials numnah and will come with his own British Equestrian travel rug. Plus, he has a secret safe in his tummy, where Ros has hidden a surprise for the winner!
British Equestrian’s loyal team suppliers have also pledged their support with the following prizes:
More prizes will be added in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on the British Equestrian website and social media feeds for details.
Register for the draw via our online platform, where each entry costs £5, or you can apply for one free entry per household by post – see the online page for details. Full terms and conditions apply and the draw closes on 27 June for postal entries and 30 June for online purchases. Every penny made goes towards supporting our teams on the path to glory on the world’s biggest stage, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games – entrants will really be part of the Paris journey!
The British Equestrian Federation Fund is proud to have been selected as Badminton’s fundraising partner in their Diamond Jubilee year. You can lend your support by ticking the box to donate £1 when making your online Badminton ticket purchases via their website or join us for a course walk on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday with some of eventing’s leading names. Booking will be available soon via the Badminton website – but hurry, places are limited and demand is expected to be high!
The team from British Equestrian will be in the legendary Badminton shopping village with a tradestand at number 257 on Beaufort Way – we’ll be there daily for the digital purchase of prize draw entries and to take donations. Come 11 May, all eyes will be on Eric Winter’s 2024 cross-country course and BEFF will have a dedicated branded fence. We’ll be there, and the exits to the car parks, with buckets to collect any spare cash you might like to donate. We’re on the lookout for volunteers to help with collections so, if you’re interested, please drop us a line on media@bef.co.uk – you’ll get entry tickets, a delicious, packed lunch and a full briefing before your shift.
British Equestrian World Class Performance Director Helen Nicholls commented; “The excitement ahead of Paris is really beginning to build and the team is working hard behind the scenes on the final touches to prepare and support our horse and rider combinations to the Games. The added support we get from BEFF, in addition to our UK Sport and National Lottery award, really helps us to go the extra mile with those final special preparations that can be the difference between a medal or finishing off the podium. Each and every one of you can be a part of the team’s success – whether it’s buying a draw ticket, joining us on a Badminton course walk or donating a few pennies, it all helps and we’re extremely grateful to all who support us via BEFF every Games year. We hope that we make you all proud this summer and we thank you for backing the Brits.”
The British Equestrian and BEFF trustees are very grateful to the Badminton organisers for their support and to the teams at Stevenson Brothers, Fairfax & Favor, Dodson & Horrell, Bates Saddles and NAF for their generous backing of the prize draw.