Horse & Hound

For the weekend of my birthday I decided to go and see something very British (for me at least) - the Badminton Horse Trials. Held on the estates of the Duke of Beaufort in the village of Badminton, it is frequently called the greatest 3-day equestrian event in the world.

We took the tent and headed down from London on Friday night, missing the dressage but ahead of the cross-country on Day 2. An entire tent village is set up in neighbouring fields each year and, although a bit chilly, it was a very short walk along the road to the event, together with hundreds of family dogs, thousands of girls in horse riding boots and a very large tweed contingent. Although Shaun tried on a tweed walking cap at one of the outlets on the course, sadly I couldn't convince him it would beat the trusty fishing hat which accompanies him on most outdoor adventures.

Out on the course we saw Zara Phillips competing as well as several Kiwis, with some very inventive fences and a number of spills occurring around the course - some directly in front of us.

In the end only half the 110 horses originally entered made it through to Day 3 - showjumping. On the Sunday we had prime seats in the sun to watch the survivors and saw 2 Kiwis complete clean rounds before Oliver Townend - a 26 year old English rider - took the title. It was great to get out of London for the weekend and spend some time in the country - maybe we'll be back next year.

M

Bulls eye

In Madrid for the weekend we went to the Las Ventas bullring to make our own minds up about bullfighting, called cruel by some and lauded by others as a majestic traditional display of man against beast.

There's no doubt that the matadors need considerable skill to avoid the bull but it's hardly a fair fight with the bull taking various hits with spears and swords before finally receiving a sword to the neck. Then again I don't think it's supposed to be.

At least the bull's carcass gets a swift exit ...

I can't yet say which camp I fall into, but I'm not ready to deride an old tradition without understanding further the history behind it.

S