The famous Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials will again take place in the grounds of the Burghley Estate on the Cambridgeshire / Lincolnshire border between Thursday 5th and Sunday 8th September. Again attracting a large entry which includes some of the top event riders from Great Britain and around the World despite coming just a week after the European Championships. Heading the British entries will be former two-time winner Oliver Townend, Badminton winner Piggy French and Rolex Grand Slam winner Pippa Funnell while current Burghley Champion Tim Price from New Zealand heads the overseas entries. He will be joined in the field by wife and former Badminton winner Jonelle Price and another former winner Caroline Powell, both also from New Zealand, while a large number of American riders are also entered. For those not familiar with the format the event begins with the dressage section held over Thursday and Friday. Saturday will see the popular Cross-country section and will see all the competitors take on the 27 obstacle course around the estate designed by Captain Mark Phillips. The final day on Sunday will see a final inspection in the morning to pass horses fit to continue with remaining entries taking on the Show Jumping section which will determine the overall winner.

Apart from the main horse trials there will also be other equestrian competitions taking place over the four days which will include the prestigious Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse finals on Friday. Other competitions will be SSG Team Pony Club jumping competition (Thursday), British Breeding Stallion parade (Friday), Shetland Pony Grand National (Saturday), Driven Donkey parade, Racehorse to Riding Horse (HOYS Qualifier) and BSPS Gold Cup Sports Pony Competition (Friday).

Away from the equestrian competitions there will be the popular Autarky have a go dog agility operating all four days and The Field Gundog display (Thursday). Another important part of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is the shopping experience. A large shopping area will see visitors able to purchase anything equestrian related with leading suppliers of equipment and feed all in attendance. It is not all equestrian though as there are other traders that include clothing, furniture, antiques, art, gardening and of course Land Rover. There are a number of specialist pavilions that will also house more traders these will include; The Burghley Lifestyle pavilion, The Country Living pavilion, Horse Village, Rural Crafts Association and the World of the Horse. A favourite for many visitors is the food walk where all manner of specialist food and drink traders can be found offering a wide selection to either enjoy at the event of take home. A full list of traders can be found on the event website.

Each year the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials supports a selected charity and  this year the Jon Egging Trust has been selected. In August 2011 Flt Lt Jon Egging lost his life whilst completing a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival. He was in his first season flying as part of the World famous RAF Red Arrows display team as Red 4. Jon was an inspirational person and inspiration is at the heart of everything the trust does. The staff and volunteers of the Jon Egging Trust are chosen for their ability to act as positive role models, in turn they enthuse and inspire our young people to reach their full potential. Their accredited programmes increase young people self-confidence. Self-esteem and other vital life and work skills and empowers them to become role-models in their own communities. The Trust realises Jon’s dream of inspiring young people through his love of aviation, teamwork and leadership helping them overcome adversity, identify their strengths and work towards their ambitions. Further information can be found by visiting www.joneggingtrust.org.uk.

Ticket information and further details for the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials can be found by visiting www.burghley-horse.co.uk

Photo albums from last year’s event can be seen here;

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Snap-magcom-2061747147426100/photos/?ref=page_internal

 

Gary Malkin