This is the second trip to Badminton for Helen and her “horse of a lifetime,” Carpe Diem. A tricky young horse - hence his moniker, “Demon,” - Helen has produced him from a four year old. With the help of long term trainer, Kevin McNab, Helen has found a way to manage his unique temperament in order to get the best out of him on the flat and has never tried to alter his exuberant style of jumping either, resulting in an endless of double clears across their career together. The jumped clear around their first 5* at Pau in 2023, although they incurred a technical refusal here last year, and an unusual three down on the final day, too. Helen was understandably disappointed, as Demon is one of the cleanest showjumpers in the field, and so she will be seeking to finish on a double clear again this year. More than anything though, she is looking forward to another trip to one of the world’s most celebrate 5* events with her best friend.
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Last 3 Results:
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Fun Fact:
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Demon is missing a tooth, so his “official” stable name is actually Diego, after the sabre tooth Tiger in the animated film, Ice Age.
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Did You Know?
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Helen was based with Mark and Tanya Kyle for six years before setting up her own yard near Cirencester.
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Watch For:
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The most enthusiastic and joyous cross country round of the whole day. “Demon” lives to jump - with or without a rider - and is sure to leap around the Badminton track with gusto, leaving inches to spare each time. The three down in the show jumping here last year were very unusual for this athletic gelding, who has only ever had 3 poles down throughout his entire eventing career prior to that, so a double clear here this year is more than likely.