Biography

It will be a first Badminton for American rider Madeline Backus (22) one the youngest riders this year. In 2017 with Badminton entry PS Arianna Madeline, who is from Larkspur, Colorado, completed her first four-star at Lexington (20^th).

Madeline comes from an equestrian family – her mother Laura is a rider and trainer in Colorado running the Pendragon Equestrian Centre where she also breeds horses for eventing. Madeline was a member of the Pony Club gaining her A test and in 2013 on the homebred PS King of Hearts won the Junior training title at the American eventing championships. Later that year she spent the summer as a working pupil for Jessica and Missy Ransehousen in Pennsylvania and after leaving school returned to work for them full time. She has recently been training with former British Olympic rider Leslie Law.

Madeline is currently based in the UK with William Fox-Pitt for a year’s training having been awarded two financial grants last year – the Rebecca Broussard National Developing Rider Grant and the inaugural Wilton Fair Grant awarded to a rider under 29 who has not yet ridden for a senior US team.

Madeline enjoys hiking and kayaking, drawing and knitting and baking – she funded her trip to Lexington by baking and selling tray bakes.

PS Arianna is a 17-year-old American-bred Anglo-Trakehner mare. She is by the German-bred Trakehner sire Ibsen who stood in America, out of the thoroughbred mare Amazing Raven by Amazing Prospect. She was bred by Denis Ackerman who is the farrier at the family’s stables and came into the yard as a yearling, was started by her mother and has been ridden by Madeline since a six-year-old – she was a 10^th birthday present for Madeline.