By Sunday night, the minibus was silent.

Eight exhausted Equine students from Wiltshire College & University Centre were asleep somewhere between Badminton and home, hoodies pulled over faces, muddy boots kicked into the aisle and phones still full of videos from the weekend.

Just three days earlier, most of them had been sitting a biology exam.

Now they’d spent an entire weekend behind the scenes at Badminton Horse Trials – helping prepare international showjumping fences, working inside the arena during the live competition and standing metres away as Ros Canter made history.

After attending the event throughout the week, the students stayed on site for the final weekend, gaining a rare insight into the fast-paced world behind one of equestrian sport’s biggest events.

But before any of that happened, there was the challenge of fitting camp beds, bags and eight students into a minibus.

“It was absolutely crammed,” laughed Immy.

The students arrived at Badminton on Friday afternoon and headed straight to the marquee that would become home for the next two nights.

“It was definitely a squeeze,” Arden admitted.

There wasn’t much time to settle in.

Within hours, they were standing ringside watching the stallion display – one of the first major highlights of the weekend.

For students who spend their everyday lives around horses, this still felt different.

“The stallions were gorgeous,” said Immy. “They were really close to us when they were jumping.”

As horses from different stud yards entered the arena for dressage, jumping and showing displays, the students watched from just metres away, already beginning to understand the scale of the event they’d become part of.

Later that evening, some students joined a behind-the-scenes course walk across the famous cross-country course, getting up close to the jumps long after the crowds had gone home.

“It was really cool seeing everything up close when it was quiet,” said Summer.

By Saturday morning, it was straight into work.

Poles needed cleaning. Jumps needed painting. Flowers needed arranging. Trailers needed loading.

Everything inside the showjumping arena had to be prepared perfectly before Sunday’s competition.

“We were choosing all the prettier poles and fillers,” said Arden.

Throughout the day, students worked alongside experienced course builders and arena teams, moving fences into the main arena while course designers carefully measured distances between jumps.

Around them, Badminton continued at full speed.

Cross-country horses thundered past the jump store. Riders walked courses deep in concentration. Spectators filled pathways between arenas.

And somehow, in the middle of all of it, the students found themselves eating lunch next to some of the biggest names in equestrian sport.

“All the riders were just walking around near us,” said Summer. “It felt surreal.”

Immy added: “I saw Clare Balding shopping too.”

As the day continued, students began learning more about how courses are carefully designed to test riders while still remaining safe for horses and competitors.

“It was really interesting hearing how they design the course to challenge riders and make them think ahead,” said Summer.

By evening, while crowds headed back to campsites and food stands, the students were still working.

Under fading light, they added flowers around the fences and made final preparations for Sunday’s showjumping.

By morning, the arena was already filling with crowds as the students prepared for the biggest day of the weekend.

Now officially part of the arena party, they swapped preparation work for live-action responsibility.

Official badges clipped onto shirts. Sponsor tops pulled over layers of hoodies to fight the cold. Three fences assigned to each team.

And from that moment on, they had to stay alert.

If a pole fell, they ran. If a safety cup broke, they fixed it. If something needed replacing, spare poles waited hidden just out of sight behind the arena.

“You had to be ready all the time,” said Arden.

Standing just metres from the fences gave the students a perspective most spectators never experience.

“You could actually see the riders’ faces,” said Immy. “It felt really close.”

At one point, a horse shoe flew through the air after coming loose mid-round.

Another moment saw the students trying not to get in the way as riders walked distances between fences, completely focused on their next round.

Then came the final stages of competition.

And suddenly, the students realised they were watching history happen in front of them.

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo became the first horse and rider combination ever to win Badminton Horse Trials three times.

The students watched it happen from inside the arena itself.

“Everyone was cheering,” said Summer. “It was amazing to witness it that close.”

For students who had spent the weekend carrying poles, setting fences and working behind the scenes, the final celebrations felt strangely personal – like they’d become a small part of something much bigger.

After the competition came the lap of honour, the prize giving and finally the famous hounds parade sweeping through the arena.

For some students, that ended up becoming one of the most memorable moments of all.

“The hounds were probably my favourite part,” said Arden. “They were just running around everywhere.”

And then, almost as quickly as it had begun, the weekend was over.

The fences came down. The arena emptied. The students climbed back onto the minibus home.

Most fell asleep before they’d even left the event grounds.

But despite the exhaustion, muddy clothes and long days, one thing was clear by the end of the journey.

Every single one of them would do it all again tomorrow.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience that is so rare to have,” said Summer.

Explore Equine at Wiltshire College & University Centre

From industry placements and live events to hands-on practical learning, Equine students at Wiltshire College & University Centre gain real-world experience alongside their studies.