Burghley Beckons the Brave

With over 160,000 visitors, 600+ trade stands, 80 top international competitors and a total prize fund of £225,000 this year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials will be a far cry from the inaugural event, which took place within the magnificent parkland of Burghley House in 1961.

DID YOU KNOW?

Burghley Horse Trials is one of only six CCI 4* events in the world and it is considered to be the most challenging of them all.  Eventing came to the Estate as a fortuitous accident after the Marquess of Exeter, a keen equestrian, heard that the three-day event at Harewood was to be cancelled due to a suspected outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.  He invited the British Horse Society to transfer the event to his estate.

The first event attracted 12,000 visitors, to watch 19 starters of whom nice completed.  It was deemed a triumph and in 1962 Burghley Horse Trials was invited to host the F.E.I’s European Championships.  This was the beginning of a remarkable record…no other horse trials has staged as many Championships: a record ten in all including the first World Championships in 1966.

William Fox-Pitt is the most successful competitor, having won the Event six times (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2011) with Virginia Elliott (nee Holgate) and Sir Mark Todd (NZ) winning an impressive five times.

Andrew Nicholson has completed the event more times than any other rider, a staggering 32 times (meaning he has jumped more than 1,500 cross country fences at Burghley) with three wins, four seconds and six thirds.  This year all eyes will be on Nicholson, who if he wins in 2014 will have achieved a unique treble, winning the competition for three consecutive years…something no other rider has ever achieved.  

As we go to print, there are 45 jumping efforts over 6500 metres with jump heights ranging from 90cm to 1.45m and spreads from 70cm to an eye-watering 3 metres!

Visit the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials website for a full list of the entries, the all-important shopping and information to download the official app so you don’t miss any of the action. You can also follow on Twitter.

See you there!