H&C have announced bigger and better coverage of Badminton Horse Trials than ever before.

For the first time in more than 50 years, TV coverage of the ever popular event will not be exclusively handled by the BBC and will be available beyond their TV coverage of the weekend event as part of a new media arrangement.

H&C has acquired the global media rights for the event until the end of 2012 and after extensive consutation will implement new ideas to bring you the best ever coverage of Badminton Horse Trials.

The BBC has always exclusively aired UK TV coverage of the show - which this year runs from 30 April to 3 May - over the weekend of the event.

H&C will be running much broader coverage and we are hoping to include the ever popular trot-up and the dressage in the week after the BBC's UK broadcast.

H&C aims to bring horse sports viewing in from the cold to the mainstream viewer and to this end has developed a free rights distribution deal for broadcasters.

The BBC will retain the first run TV rights, but H&C intends to offer a package of internet video coverage during the weekend event that will be offered for free across the globe.

It will be the first time any serious coverage, outside of limited clips on the official Badminton website, will be offered beyond the BBC on the actual weekend of the event.

"We are trying to reawaken an appetite for it [horse spors] and bring it mainstream. We are not planning on being a nice little standalone channel just in the UK. We want to develop a chunky, international TV and internet presence," said H&C's Heather Killen.

Tickets for this year's show are already on sale; see the link to Badminton's website below.