Fourth appearance, same thrill. This weekend, Lara de Liedekerke returns to the legendary Badminton Horse Trials aboard Honey d'Arville. The preparation has not been perfectly smooth, a few doubts have been carefully packed away in a mental box, but one thing remains constant: clarity. Just days before stepping into one of eventing’s greatest arenas, the rider from Namur is playing a score she knows by heart… without ever treating it like routine. True to form, she opens up to us, candidly and without filters, about a competition unlike any other.
“We don’t change much”
As a five-star approaches, you might expect a complete overhaul. But that is not the case at all.
“Ideally, we don’t change much.”
A clear guiding principle. But behind that apparent stability, the reality of a CCI5* quickly kicks in.
“The demands are higher at a five-star event. It’s really the extreme in every aspect, in the dressage, in the jumping, but especially in the cross-country.”
The tone is set.
“We’re heading into a cross-country track at maximum distance, so the horse has to be razor-sharp to run twelve minutes at 570 metres per minute." Here are bursts of speed, and the fences are gigantic. pics de vitesse, les obstacles sont gigantesques.”
Heart rate in the crosshairs
No miracle recipe. Just a finely tuned system.
“When I train them, I usually have around nine gallop sessions before cross-country day.”
A gradual build-up on home soil, at the grounds of Château d’Arville, where the CCI4* will take place this July.
“The seventh and eighth are the most intense, and the last one is mainly there to keep the heart rate sharp..”
But this time, the preparation drifted slightly away from the script.
“The preparation has been a bit different from usual because we had a fall in March.”
The consequence:
“The mare was a little more restricted in her work than usual.”
During the final gallop session:
“Today was a gallop session… normally the last one.”
The work is meticulous.
> “I work with interval training… we use the hills to push her without doing unnecessary kilometres.”
With one clear idea in mind:
“The most important muscle in this case is the heart.”
So we push… but never too far.
“Today, we did it six times. Normally, I could have gone up to eight, but sometimes you also have to know how to listen to your horse.”
The final validation is never done alone.
“We recorded the gallop session… and I’m still going to speak with my vet.”
The goal: confirmation.
“I think she’s going to tell me that all the lights are green.”
But also, to reassure herself.
“It’s mostly to reassure myself… and to avoid too much anthropomorphism.”
In other words, not convincing herself the horse is showing or feeling something if that is not actually the case. Then comes the mental reset.
“Put all my worries in one corner of my mind… and close the little box.”
And when asked whether the pair is ready for the other “big appointment” of the year.
“I would say yes… I would say yes, we’re ready.”
Badminton, still the same thrill
Fourth time there. And still the same feeling.
“It still feels just as special.”
The memories keep piling up.
“The first time… I finished tenth. The second time was a bit disappointing. Last year was incredible.”
And today?
“With a preparation that hasn’t been ideal, I’m not as calm as I would have liked to be.”
But she quickly puts things back into perspective.
“It’s still an incredible competition. I’m incredibly lucky to be able to go there." Lara remains Lara.
Less control, more perspective
With experience, the perspective changes.
“I think two or three years ago, I would have been much more stressed.”
Today :
“You can’t control everything.”
So she accepts it.
“With the preparation I had, I did what I could.”
And above all, she enjoys it.
“I’m delighted to get into my truck… and head over there.”
The image is a powerful one.
“To go through that arch near the castle… to hear my name announced.”
Almost a dream. But not quite anymore.
“It still feels a little bit like a childhood dream. But today… it’s my reality.”
The goal: get to the finish
No numerical targets. Recent feelings have made her cautious.
“It’s difficult to say. I didn’t have the feeling on the cross-country that I would have liked to have.”
So she keeps things simple.
“I’m going to have to walk the cross-country course once, twice, three times…”
And focus on the essential:
“To complete it properly.”
Before signing off, true to herself as always:
“I hope we can produce the best performance that she and I are capable of.”
Not the perfect preparation. Not complete confidence either. But a rider fully aligned with what she and her horse are capable of, here and now.
At Badminton, that is sometimes exactly how the best surprises begin.
