There was a dramatic finish to cross-country day at the MARS Badminton Horse Trials when the top two riders, Oliver Townend, with Paul and Diana Ridgeon’s grey mare Cooley Rosalent, and Ros Canter, were both awarded 15 penalties for going the wrong side of a fence flag. There was a palpable sense of relief when the penalties were rescinded afterwards when the ground jury examined video footage.
Before that, Gemma Stevens and her first ride, Chilli Knight, had enjoyed most of the day at the top of the cross-country leaderboard; they are now in third place, a fence behind Ros.
