Emily King & Valmy: Badminton or Competitive Run?

Emily King and her horse Valmy Biats are preparing for a potentially competitive run at the Badminton Horse Trials, following a strong start to the season at the Thoresby’s Eventing Spring Carnival CCI4*-S. The pair are two-times winners at Thoresby and recently won the OI at Oasby with a dressage score of 22.7.

The question of whether King and Valmy Biats will aim for a top placing at Thoresby or use the event as preparation for Badminton remains open, according to reporting from Eventing Nation.

King’s Strong Start to the Season

King and Valmy Biats demonstrated their form at Oasby, securing a win in the OI competition. This victory builds on their established success at Thoresby Park, where they have previously won twice. Their consistent performance across the Thoresby parkland has earned them a reputation as specialists at the venue.

At Thoresby, King and Valmy Biats will be competing against a strong field of eventers, including Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who are considered strong contenders for the Lycetts Grantham Cup. EquiRatings gives Canter and Lordships Graffalo a 34% win chance and a 54% chance of a podium finish.

Valmy Biats’ Background

Emily King acquired the ride on Valmy Biats in 2020. Prior to that, the horse competed in France for breeder Phillipe Brivois, ridden by Victor Levecque and Mathieu Lemoine. Since then, King has successfully brought Valmy Biats to the five-star level, achieving notable results such as eighth place at Pau, France, in 2022, and completing Luhmuhlen and Burghley in 2023.

Valmy Biats is affectionately known as ‘Grandad’ within King’s stable due to his gentle temperament. He is a 17.1hh bay gelding, born in 2009, and sired by Orlando Dam Aurelie du Prieure (Hadj A).

King’s Eventing Career

Emily King, 30, is the daughter of Mary King, a dual Badminton winner and six-time Olympian. Her father, David King, is a farmer and joint owner of Valmy Biats. King and her partner, Sam Ecroyd, who is also entered for Badminton this year, run Hafod Stables in Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales.

King has represented Great Britain five times in under-25 European championships, winning a Junior individual silver medal in 2012 on Mr Hiho and Young Rider team gold in 2015 on Loxley. She was also national under-25 champion at Bramham in 2018 on Dargun.

This year’s Badminton appearance will be Emily King and Valmy Biats’ fifth together. They finished fifth at Badminton in 2025 and fourth in 2024. At Badminton 2025, they were in 5th place after the dressage phase.

Training and Support

King receives dressage training from Ferdi Eilberg, who also worked with her mother, Mary King, for many years. Her showjumping training is provided by Chris Smith.

Valmy Biats’ Performance Statistics

According to EQUIRATINGS, Valmy Biats has a dressage PB (Personal Best) of 24.1 at Burghley 2024 and a finishing PB of 38.5 at Badminton 2025. His average dressage score over the last six tests is 26.5. He has a clear round rate of 40% in cross-country over the last ten runs and averages 0.7 faults in showjumping.

EQUIRATINGS data also highlights that Valmy Biats is among the top five highest-rated dressage horses entered in the 2026 Badminton field.