I am having issues, (not only with sleeping because it’s 4am) but with uploading all the the pictures and videos I’m getting during the day. The internet at the event can’t handle it, neither can the hotel where I’m staying so I’ll head to Starbucks shortly and try to resolve them there before dressage starts. However with an early cross country tomorrow, and a 7:30am trot up on sunday, I’m not sure how it’s going to play out for the rest of the event, please bear with me.
In the meantime, I had an interesting conversation with Hamish and Polly Lochore, Hugh’s parents, about the good old days, and Burgie International Horse Trials which they manage from their home in the very north of Scotland. I remember competing at Burgie myself; and loved the courses, the atmosphere (party), and the almost 24hours of sunlight – north of Inverness, it’s the UK’s northern most event held in mid-June, it doesn’t get dark!
What I didn’t realise until we started discussing it, was how many top class horses have started their careers at Burgie. The list includes Zara Philips’ World Champion Toytown, Jeanette Breakwells’ stalwart British Team Horse Over to You, Andrew Hoy’s Darien Powers,
WIlliam Fox-Pitt’s rides Cool Mountain and Ballincoola, and Clayton Fredericks’ Ben Along Time. So even if you’re not competing, it’s a wonderful trip to enjoy as a tourist, and why don’t you see if you can spot eventing’s future stars while you’re spectating?
Cool Mountain at WEG
The long journey is all part of the education, but it may end up being the nail in the coffin of Burgie. With diesel prices rising in England, it can cost some competitors almost a thousand pounds just to drive up to the event and back, and Scottish events are feeling the hit. I hope that Burgie can survive , and thrive. It’s a fantastic competition, in beautiful surroundings – “God’s country”, as I’ve heard it described now a couple of times already this weekend, and of course, impeccably organised, because look at Red Hills, and look who’s in charge of the 2012 London Olympics Three Day Event (Alec Lochore ), and it’s run by the teacher/mother of both! Go Eventing, Go Red Hills and Go Burgie!
