At the 2026 Mars Badminton Horse Trials, Laura Collett experienced a first in her career by having a hunt horse escort her to the dressage warm-up, a strategy aimed at keeping her mare, Bling, calm after a frightening bolt incident earlier in the week. Despite Bling’s challenging temperament and mental struggles with dressage, Laura managed a solid first phase score of 33.5, placing them 27th going into the cross-country phase. Laura described Bling as tricky and mentally complex, noting progress but acknowledging the difficulty of performing under competition pressure compared to home training.

Laura expressed satisfaction with Bling’s performance, especially given the mare’s resistance to certain dressage movements and her tendency to get confused by complex sequences. The pair’s focus remains on steady improvement and managing Bling’s mindset to help her work cooperatively. Looking ahead, Laura is optimistic and eager for the cross-country phase, appreciating that despite the challenges, they have made it through the first day safely and are still in the competition.