Biography

British rider Emily King (28) who last competed here in 2023 will be looking for her first elusive Badminton completion. In 2023 with Badminton entry Valmy Biats she completed Burghley and Luhmuhlen 5* and in 2022 the combination was 8^th in the 5* at Pau. They have also won the 4*S at Thoresby winning the Grantham Cup two years running, 2024 & ’23.

Emily is based near Holywell in Flintshire where she runs a yard with partner Sam Ecroyd. Emily, who grew up in Devon, is the daughter of former Badminton winner and six times Olympic rider Mary King. She learnt to ride at a young age and completed her first affiliated event at the age of 12 and represented GB when she was 15-years-old at the 2011 Junior European Championships. The following year she was the Junior European silver medallist (Mr Hiho) and in 2015 was fifth in Under-25 national championship at Bramham and then the won Young Rider team gold (Loxley) at Strzegom. She was also the runner up in the national seven-year-old championship at Osberton (Dargun) and at the end of 2015 completed her first four-star at Pau with Brookleigh finishing in fourth place. In 2018 she won her first international three-day the CCI1* at Ballindenisk with Kings Rose a second generation homebred mare out of her mother’s former four-star mare Kings Temptress. And that year also won the British Under-25 champion title winning the championship class at Bramham with Dargun.

Valmy Biats has been selected for the World Class ‘Podium Potential’ programme for ‘2023-’25.

Emily trains with Ferdi Eilberg and Chris Smith. Outside of horses she enjoys skiing and tennis. Last April she and her partner Sam completed the London Marathon raising funds for the Brain and Spine Foundation

Valmy Biats is a 15-year-old French-bred registered Selle Francais gelding. Bred by Philippe Brivois he is by the KWPN Orlando out of Aurelie Du Prieure by the AA Hadja. She is also the dam of William Fox-Pitt’s former ride Oslo Biats, while Philippe Brivois is also the breeder of Kitty King’s (no relation) Badminton ride Vendredi Biats. He was originally produced in France by Mathieu Lemoine – Emily took the ride in 2020. He is nicknamed Grandad as ‘he’s such a nice and gentle horse to be around’.