{"id":49034,"date":"2026-05-05T07:54:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T05:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sohorse.eu\/?p=49034"},"modified":"2026-05-06T00:28:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T22:28:50","slug":"lara-de-liedekerke-badminton-preparation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sohorse.eu\/en\/reportages\/2026\/05\/05\/lara-de-liedekerke-badminton-preparation\/","title":{"rendered":"Badminton, Act IV: Lara de Liedekerke Moves Forward Without Flinching (Well\u2026 Almost)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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\u2019s greatest arenas, the rider from Namur is playing a score she knows by heart\u2026 without ever treating it like routine. True to form, she opens up to us, candidly and without filters, about a competition unlike any other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe don\u2019t change much\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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As a five-star approaches, you might expect a complete overhaul. But that is not the case at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIdeally, we don\u2019t change much.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A clear guiding principle. But behind that apparent stability, the reality of a CCI5* quickly kicks in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe demands are higher at a five-star event. It\u2019s really the extreme in every aspect, in the dressage, in the jumping, but especially in the cross-country.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tone is set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re 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.<\/em>\" Here are bursts of speed, and the fences are gigantic. pics de vitesse, les obstacles sont gigantesques.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heart rate in the crosshairs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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No miracle recipe. Just a finely tuned system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen I train them, I usually have around nine gallop sessions before cross-country day.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A gradual build-up on home soil, at the grounds of Ch\u00e2teau d\u2019Arville, where the CCI4* will take place this July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe seventh and eighth are the most intense, and the last one is mainly there to keep the heart rate sharp.<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But this time, the preparation drifted slightly away from the script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe preparation has been a bit different from usual because we had a fall in March.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The consequence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe mare was a little more restricted in her work than usual.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

During the final gallop session:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cToday was a gallop session\u2026 normally the last one.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The work is meticulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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> \u201cI work with interval training\u2026 we use the hills to push her without doing unnecessary kilometres.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With one clear idea in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe most important muscle in this case is the heart.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So we push\u2026 but never too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cToday, 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.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The final validation is never done alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe recorded the gallop session\u2026 and I\u2019m still going to speak with my vet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The goal: confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI think she\u2019s going to tell me that all the lights are green.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But also, to reassure herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s mostly to reassure myself\u2026 and to avoid too much anthropomorphism.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPut all my worries in one corner of my mind\u2026 and close the little box.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And when asked whether the pair is ready for the other \u201cbig appointment\u201d of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI would say yes\u2026 I would say yes, we\u2019re ready.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Badminton, still the same thrill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Fourth time there. And still the same feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt still feels just as special.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The memories keep piling up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe first time\u2026 I finished tenth. The second time was a bit disappointing. Last year was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWith a preparation that hasn\u2019t been ideal, I\u2019m not as calm as I would have liked to be.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But she quickly puts things back into perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s still an incredible competition. I\u2019m incredibly lucky to be able to go there.<\/em>\" Lara remains Lara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Less control, more perspective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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With experience, the perspective changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI think two or three years ago, I would have been much more stressed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou can\u2019t control everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So she accepts it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWith the preparation I had, I did what I could.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And above all, she enjoys it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019m delighted to get into my truck\u2026 and head over there.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The image is a powerful one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo go through that arch near the castle\u2026 to hear my name announced.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Almost a dream. But not quite anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt still feels a little bit like a childhood dream. But today\u2026 it\u2019s my reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The goal: get to the finish<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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No numerical targets. Recent feelings have made her cautious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to say. I didn\u2019t have the feeling on the cross-country that I would have liked to have.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So she keeps things simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI\u2019m going to have to walk the cross-country course once, twice, three times\u2026<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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And focus on the essential:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo complete it properly.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Before signing off, true to herself as always:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI hope we can produce the best performance that she and I are capable of.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Badminton, that is sometimes exactly how the best surprises begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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