Belgium is increasingly a nation on the up in eventing and the MARS Badminton Horse Trials is very much a part of trainer Kai-Steffan Meiers plans: I telephoned Jane Tuckwell [Badminton Director] in February and told her that I had four riders I wanted to bring and they are all here.Kai-Steffan represented Germany at championship level. I loved competing here myself, he explains. Badminton is very much part of the development of a nation like Belgium which needs more exposure to competitions of a higher level than championships [which are held at 4* level].I learned a lot from Chris Bartle when he was our team trainer and would bring German riders to Badminton. I feel that it is usually a pattern that it is the five-star nations who get the medals and that events like Badminton and Burghley are the top of the sport.The Badminton experience is very much part of trying to move to a new level, explained Senna Vervaecke, who is making his Badminton debut along with Seppe Vilain and Wouter de Cleene. Completing the quartet is Kai-Steffans wife, Lara de Liederkerke-Meier. Last year she became Belgiums first five star winner, triumphing on Hooney dArville at Luhmuhlen.It was as much a surprise for me as everyone else, said Lara. I am certainly not expecting to do the same again. Badminton is very much a learning experience for me, too.