Improvements to Badminton ground - well they're trying

teapot

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Taken from HHO:

But the other by product of this glorious spring – the hard ground – has been the dominant topic among the riders, eclipsing the usual debates about the trickiest fences and most time-saving routes.

Fox-Pitt has already withdrawn his one remaining ride and gone home; the hot rumour is that Zara Phillips (pictured) may do the same with Toytown. She has no back up horse and defending her European title later this year is her priority for 2007. There is huge pressure on event director Hugh Thomas to do something remarkable with the going.

Certainly there is frenzied activity on that front – tonnes and tonnes of top soil are going down; a horse has 'test-galloped' over a treated stretch; take offs and landings are being watered; agri-vators are hard at work.
 
I just hope there are still some horses running for me to watch on Saturday
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ground is honestly like concrete - they areovated it earlier in the spring so that when it rained it became softer, but of course, with no rain for 6 weeks, it has simple done the opposite, let more air in, and dried it out - dont think the topsoil will do much - apparently competitor was walking course, and someone was watering take-offs and landings but just 2 foot from jump, not actually where horses would actually land - so they put them right!! doubt many will run - apart from people with strings of horses - can only really think of one!! lucinda fred will most prob run - word is she is retiring HB after badders....we shall wait and see!!
 
thing is without laying a whole surface/top soil round everywhere a horse will run and doing it deep enough to make a difference between now and tomorrow morning they can't make much difference.
 
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