Fresh off a fairytale 5* debut win at Luhmühlen last June, Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier returns to Badminton for the first time since 2016 with the exceptional homebred mare Hooney d’Arville. The 12-year-old grey mare has shown just how much brilliance she possesses consistently throughout her career—from finishing 6th at the FEI Young Horse World Championships at Le Lion as a 6-year-old to an early-season win at Montelibretti 4*-S this spring—and now looks every inch a world-class Badminton contender.
By the great Vigo d’Arsouilles and out of Lara’s former championship mare Nooney Blue (who recently passed away, making this season that sort of sentimental special for Lara), Hooney is a true product of the Arville breeding program, and she’s been produced solely by Lara. While she can occasionally lose a rail and collect some cross country time, her boldness and scope over terrain were on full display at Luhmühlen, where she jumped clear and added just a smidge of time to a 28.6 dressage to take the win. This is a mare on the rise, and if she handles Badminton’s tough but somewhat flat terrain as smoothly as she did the German 5*, another top finish could be in the cards.
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Last 3 Results:
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Fun Fact:
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Hooney d’Arville is out of Lara’s former Young Rider and WEG partner Nooney Blue—making her Badminton campaign a true multi-generational family affair.
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Did You Know?
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Lara and her husband, German international rider Kai-Steffen Meier, live and train at Arville Castle, where her parents host Belgium’s international CCI3*-S.
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Watch For:
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If Hooney settles into the atmosphere and channels her Luhmühlen form, this pair could once again threaten the top 10—especially with Lara’s expert production and quiet confidence in the saddle.