Qui a dit que les cavaliers de complet devaient vivre éternellement couverts de poussière, avec une trace de bave de cheval sur l’épaule gauche et un vieux coupe-vent trempé sur le dos ? Le dernier trot-up du CCI5*-L de Badminton Horse Trials vient de rappeler une vérité oubliée : le complet sait aussi se tenir. Et parfois même avec un sacré sens du style.
The Badminton trot-up is no longer just a veterinary formality where riders nervously jog their horses in front of the ground jury, praying all four legs land exactly where they should. It has become something else entirely. A runway. A showcase. Fashion Week with polished shoes, British tweed, and an elegance that refuses to take itself too seriously.
In a discipline that still keeps its boots firmly planted in the mud, thankfully, riders also prove they understand the codes of a sport built on tradition, presence, and style. Even when the British rain threatens to turn every pathway into a battlefield, there is still no room for a fashion faux pas.
(Laura Collett)
Tweed, tartan, and perfectly pressed elegance
The looks themselves were as varied as the cross-country tracks.
There were the proudly patriotic riders, like Gaspard Maksud, who arrived displaying national symbols with conviction. A reminder that at Badminton, wearing your colours still means something.
Plus traditionnel, mais terriblement efficace, Wills Oakden a dégainé un tartan parfaitement calibré. Du pur Royaume-Uni. Celui qui sent le whisky, le vrai, les vieilles pierres et les terrains détrempés au petit matin.
And then there were the others. Those who simply chose elegance. Well-cut suits, understated dresses, thoughtful details, perfectly selected sunglasses. No excess. No caricature. Just enough to remind everyone that at Badminton, riders can still turn heads even when they are out of the saddle.
Because in the end, modern eventing is starting to look exactly like this: a sport capable of blending mud, adrenaline, tradition, and a very particular sense of chic. Not necessarily the kind seen on Parisian catwalks. Something more believable than that. And probably far classier.
(Photo cover ©Will Rawlin Eventing/Hannah Cole Photography)