Jeanette Brakewell’s Badminton Heartbreak

Hearts were stopped all around the nation at Badminton Horse Trials on Saturday, as GBR hopeful Jeanette Breakwell’s superb round came to a shocking conclusion at the second to last obstacle.

Jeanette Brakewell and the 13-year-old Thoroughbred cross mare Lets Dance, affectionately known as Bella, produced a gutsy and otherwise foot perfect round. However, the combination fell foul of the first element at the Rolex crossing, the same fence which sealed the fate of Emily King’s extremely promising début Badminton effort.

Jeanette came into the Cross Country with everything still to play for off a Dressage score of 65.22, placing her just behind fellow GBR team mate Ben Hobday. After successfully completing thirty-one demanding fences on this Guiseppe Della Chiesa-designed course, to be met with such a cruel ending so desperately close to the finish, received the deepest sympathies from equestrians worldwide. As a nation we all empathised with how far the GBR rider had made it through the prolific course.

Although the Badminton dream was cut short for Jeanette this year, thankfully, both horse and rider walked away from the extremely nasty-looking incident without too much harm done. Jeanette posted a message directly to her fans via her Facebook page, reassuring them that she is fine and will, hopefully, be released from the hospital tomorrow with just ‘some’ broken ribs.

Jeanette continued by confirming that the horse, Let Dance, had sustained a badly bruised neck and shoulders, and the pair would benefit from plenty of ice and rest.

We wish Jeanette Brakewell and ‘Let’s Dance’ a complete recovery and all the best in the future.

For more information visit Jeanette’s website Jeanette Brakewell.