Biography

This will be the sixth visit to Badminton for the French pair of Pascal Leroy (59) and Minos de Petra – and the 11^th season of international competition for the pair.

Last year at Badminton they were 24^th; in 2014 the pair gained their best ever result when coming fifth at the event.

Pascal is a professional rider and riding school manager, based in Blain – between Nantes and Rennes. He first competed at Badminton twenty-four years ago. In 2012 with Minos de Petra he was second in the World Cup final at Le Pin au Haras and in 2010 the pair was 20^th at the WEG in Lexington in 2010. In 2014 they competed on home ground at the WEG in France finishing in 35^th place.

He has two older children (Laurie 28 & Aurelian 24 from his first marriage and a five-year-old son with his partner. His son Aurelian also events and has competed successfully at Junior and Young Rider level competing in European Championships at both levels – in 2013 Aurelian was fifth in the YR European Championships with the young horse Rhexia de Petra who he competed in the CIC3* at Blenheim in 2014 and is  now competing in international showjumping.  His daughter Laurie is an equine vet

Pascal trains with Thierry Touzaint. Outside of eventing he enjoys Kite surfing

Minos de Petra, owned by Laurie Leroy and the rider, is a 17-year-old Selle Francais gelding. Bred by Martine Chiavassa, he is by the show jumper Sioux de Baugy (a son of Grand Veneur) out of a mare by the famous Anglo-Arab Garitchou, the dam-sire of many successful horses and stallions including show jumper Jus De Pommes. He was acquired in 2003 from the breeder and has been produced through the grades by Pascal – the pair competed in their first international one-star in 2006. Pascal describes him as ‘an extraordinary horse with incomparable energy’.