Friend of EN and mastermind behind Dappebay Leah Anderson was kind enough to send in some photos from the Advanced show jumping at Aspen Farms. Many thanks to Leah, and go Pacific Northwest Eventing! [Aspen Farms Results]

Jordan Lindstedt and Revitavet Capato won the Advanced at Aspen Farms. Photo by Leah Anderson.

From Leah:

Jordan and Capato held on for the win in the Aspen Farms Advanced division! The course proved to be tough, with not a single clear round. Jumps were fantastic and the crowd was big. Congratulations, Jordan and Capato!

Friend of EN and mastermind behind Dappebay Leah Anderson was kind enough to send in some photos from the Advanced dressage at Aspen Farms. Many thanks to Leah, and go Pacific Northwest Eventing! [Aspen Farms Ride Times & Live Scores]

Jordan Lindstedt and Revitavet Capato are leading the Advanced after dressage at Aspen Farms. Photo by Leah Anderson.

From Leah:

It was a damp, grey Pacific Northwest atmosphere for the Aspen Farms Advanced dressage riders yesterday morning. Fortunately, the rain held off, and only the first few riders in the division got sprinkled on. Overall, the scores showed a very tight division. Despite a very look-y and full of himself Capato, Jordan Linstedt rode a powerful, accurate test to put them in first with a 33.4. Jill Walton rode her lovely mare Dee Dee Chaser to a 34.4 for second, and Caroline Smith and Tessa turned in a correct, soft and obedient test for a 35.9 to round out the top three. On to cross country!

Nico Morgan Photography.">Jock Paget and Clifton Promise. Photo courtesy of Nico Morgan Photography.

Revolution Sports just emailed quotes from the Burghley press conference following cross country. See below for press conference comments from Jock Paget and Andrew Nicholson, as well as audio interviews with course designer Capt. Mark Phillips, Jock and Andrew. Also, while anything can happen tomorrow, Jock has the potential to become the newest Grand Slam contender if he clinches the Burghley win this weekend. If all goes well tomorrow, Jock will be making a trip to Rolex next spring to compete for the $350,000. Go Jock!

Jock Paget’s press conference quotes:

Q. How did the course ride for you for your two horses?

“I thought it was hard work all day on both horses, and I was on two exceptional horses, but I still found it hard. It started off very intense; you don’t get into much of a rhythm, as you are always turning, going up and down.

“The fences are big — they’re angled, they’re skinny, ditches, always turning back on yourself . And once you get your horses up to the Dairy Mound, your horses are tired, but then you are saying you need to make up some time, and it’s hard to make up time on a tired horse. For me, the most important thing was to respect the fences but try and make up time at the same time.”

Andrew Nicholson’s press conference quotes:

Q. Three of your horses in the first 8 — what was it like for you today?

“Unlike Jock, who it sounded like he had a couple of hairy rides, mine felt very smooth!  Calico Joe is very, very fast, and he has great stamina. He doesn’t have a big jump, and he has his own way of doing it. Joe felt like he was enjoying it, and when I told him to go he went quite happily, and I knew I was going far too fast at the end, but I didn’t dare slow down in case he’d thought we’d finished.

Press conference audio clips:

Jock Paget and Clifton Promise hold their lead at Burghley. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Jock Paget has to like his odds heading into the Burghley show jumping tomorrow, as he’s sitting in first and second place after a banner cross-country day. He set the benchmark early on in the day by jumping one of three double clear rounds with Clifton Lush to move from fifth place up to second. He then came very close to a second double clear with overnight leader and this year’s Badminton winner Clifton Promise; they came home with just 0.4 time penalties to hold their lead. Andrew Nicholson put in a lighting fast round with last year’s Burghley winner Avebury to finish seven seconds inside the time and move up from seventh to third place. William Fox-Pitt sits in fourth place on Parklane Hawk with a clear trip and 0.8 time penalties, while Andrew rounds out the top five with Nereo, who dropped from third to fifth with two time penalties.

In total, 46 of 62 pairs made it around Capt. Mark Phillips’ grueling, highly technical cross-country course, with just three of those jumping double clear. Remarkably, but certainly not surprisingly, two of those double clears belong to Andrew Nicholson with top mounts Avebury and Calico Joe, and he came very close to making it three double clears. The Silver Fox now has three horses in the top eight going into the show jumping tomorrow — as Calico Joe moved up from 18th to eighth — which can only be defined as complete and total dominance. To ride three horses around Burghley is an incredible athletic feat; to bring two of them home clear and inside the time is just straight up beast mode.

But while Andrew’s day was stellar, the real man of the hour has to be rising star Jock Paget, who sits first and second with Clifton Promise and Clifton Lush. His double clear with Clifton Lush and fast trip with Promise — they had just 0.4 time penalties — is even more impressive when you consider that he was pulled up on course with both horses when the ground jury spotted blood, which was ultimately attributed to superficial cuts. It’s a huge blow to your concentration to be pulled up, and Jock must have been wondering if the universe had turned on him when it happened a second time with Promise. But he steeled his mind and got the job done. He now has a rail in hand over Andrew Nicholson going into the show jumping tomorrow.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the day, I have to give a big shoutout to Canadian Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master, who jumped clear with 9.2 time penalties to move up from 28th to sit in 17th place overnight. Rupert is a fantastic show jumper, and I feel very confident that they can deliver a double clear trip tomorrow. Rebecca finished 12th at Badminton earlier this year, and they’re poised for another very good four-star finish. Unfortunately, our sole U.S. rider Buck Davidson parted ways with Park Trader at fence 20, Keepers Cottage. Buck’s ride seemed to be going well up until that point, and we’ll have to wait until Burghley TV posts the ride to see exactly what happened. Update: Burghley TV shows Kobe hung a leg and fell. We’re awaiting word to confirm that Kobe and Buck are OK; the video shows Kobe trotting away and Buck standing.

In total, 12 riders were eliminated on course, with 11 of those being rider falls. Piggy French and Westwood Mariner were the first to part ways when the horse left a hind leg in the ditch and Piggy slipped off to the side. You have to watch the video playback on Burghley TV; such a small mistake can unfortunately end your day very early on a course like this. Tom McEwen also had a very dramatic fall from Dry Old Party when the horse got caught up on The Planet. Tom desperately tried to hang on and pulled something of a stunt rider move as Dry Old Party galloped away. Poor Tom had bad luck last week at the Europeans when this horse was spun in the first trot up, and he certainly didn’t have any better luck here at Burghley today.

Kiwi Richard Jones fell from Highland Ford at Discovery Valley, which certainly proved to be the bogey complex on course, claiming more riders than any other element today. Jodie Amos fell at the big white oxer at the HSBC Maltings Branch; they had a stop at the first skinny hedge at the Discovery Valley Return earlier on course as well. There was a long hold after Jodie’s fall to repair the fence, which might have contributed to Astier Nicolas’s bad luck shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, Astier and Quickly Du Buguet were held on course while the fence was repaired, and he fell at the Rolex Combinations almost immediately after restarting. Pascal Leroy and Minos De Petra fell soon thereafter at The Planet when the horse caught his front legs.

Lucy Jackson fell from Willy Do at the second cabin of the Trout Hatchery, which also caused numerous problems on course today. Wills Goodhew and Trefalin Quicksilver broke a frangible pin early on the course at fence 5, the Elephant Trap, and continued on before he fell at the alternate route at the Burghley Station. Benjamin Massie had some bad luck after he and Piano Star cleared the Trout Hatchery. Unfortunately, the horse slipped in the water on the way out, unseating Ben. Buck was the second to last rider on course and fell from Park Trader at fence 20, Keepers Cottage.

The final elimination on course occurred when Emily Llewellyn and Greenlawn Sky High missed a flag at the Trout Hatchery. They were originally scored as completing, but the officials yanked their score upon further review. Sam Griffiths and Happy Times were originally scored as eliminated after it appeared they also jumped outside a flag at the Trout Hatchery. But Sam must have taken up his case with the ground jury, as he’s now scored as finishing clear with 11.2 time penalties to sit in 12th place overnight. For more information on exactly what happened to the riders who had trouble on course, be sure to check out my cross-country open thread.

Five riders retired on course, with William Fox-Pitt and Neuf Des Coeurs being the most notable pair. According to Twitter reports, the horse pulled a shoe early on in the course and was slipping badly, leading to some very sticky take offs to jumps. He retired at Keepers Cottage. Wills Oakden and More Luck retired just before William at the Discovery Valley Outward after multiple problems there. Andrew James and Loch Sunart called it a day after two stops at the Trout Hatchery. Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon, who were sitting in equal fifth place overnight, also retired at the Trout Hatchery. Louise Lyons and Watership Down were the last pair to retire on course after two run outs at the skinny hedge at the Discovery Valley Return.

Of the riders who made it home, just five had jumping penalties, with Oliver Townend and Armada most notably having a runout at the Land Rover Dairy Farm. Beanie Sturgis and Lebowski had a runout at the Trout Hatchery, while Sophie Jenman and Geronimo had a stop just after at the first element of the Discovery Valley Return. Simon Grieve and Cornacrew also picked up 20 jumping there. Dee Hankey and Chequers Playboy were the only pair to pick up two refusals and still make it home; they had their trouble at the HSBC Maltings Branch and Cottesmore Leap. The final horse inspection is tomorrow morning at 4 a.m. EST, and show jumping kicks off at 5:30 a.m. EST in reverse order of standing. Stay tuned for much more Burghley!

Burghley Links: [Official Burghley Website] [Burghley TV] [Live Scores & Ride Times] [Schedule] [Horse & Hound Live Blog]

Good morning! We’re following along on cross-country day at Burghley with our friends Pippa Roome and Carol Phillips in the Horse & Hound live blog. I’ll be manning a running update on all the rider’s rounds, so stay tuned here for a summary of the action. Canadian Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master ride at 8:10 a.m. EST, and Buck Davidson and Park Trader will be second to last on course at 10:57 a.m. EST. Burghley TV will have the rides available for video replay approximately two hours after each ride time. To catch you up to speed, Mark Todd withdrew Ravenstar, Polly Jackson withdrew Highland Charm, and Chloe Newton withdrew Newmarket Vasco One before the start of cross country. Go Burghley!

Burghley Links: [Official Burghley Website]  [Burghley TV] [Live Scores & Ride Times] [Schedule] [Horse & Hound Live Blog]

Louisa Milne Home and King Eider — Louisa and King Eider jumped clear with a time of 12 minutes and 40 seconds for 30.4 time penalties. + 30.4 time penalties

Jonelle Richards and Flinstar — Jonelle and Flinstar jumped clear and added 10 time penalties. + 10 time penalties

Wills Oakden and More Luck — Wills had a runout at Discovery Valley Outward (5A) and ultimately retired there. Retired on course

Andrew Nicholson and Calico Joe — Andrew and Calico Joe finish clear and 11 seconds inside the time to take the provisional lead. Double clear

William Fox-Pitt and Neuf Des Couers — William had a very stick ride up until the Keepers Cottage, where he decided things just weren’t quite right and retired. Update: The horse pulled a shoe early on course and was slipping badly. Retired on course

Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh – Sam and Paulank Brockagh jumped clear and picked up 13.6 time penalties. This is the second four-star for this horse. + 13.6 time  penalties

Piggy French and Westwood Mariner — The horse left a hind leg in the ditch at the Discovery Valley Return, and Piggy popped off to the right. Horse and rider are OK. Rider fall

Jock Paget and Clifton Lush — Jock was held on course when the ground jury saw blood on the horse’s nose. They were checked and cleared by the vet team and carried on to finish clear and two seconds inside the time. Update: Lush hit his nose on his knee and burst a small blood vessel. He’s OK. Double clear

Alex Postolowsky and Islanmore Ginger — First-time Burghley competitor Alex came home clear with 43.2 time penalties. + 43.2 time penalties

Sarah Cohen and Treason — Treason tired toward the end, but Sarah kicked on to finish clear with 16 time penalties. + 16 time penalties

Andrew James and Loch Sunart — Andrew had two stops at the Trout Hatchery and retired on course. Retired on course

Alexander Peternell and Asih — Alex and Ginger jumped clear with 43.2 time penalties. Asih is one of two 18-year-old horses contesting Burghley. + 43.2 time penalties

Tom McEwen and Dry Old Party — Tom fell at Discovery Valley and reportedly got dragged for a bit. But he was up and on his feet shortly after; both he and the horse are OK. Rider fall

Joy Dawes and Harbour Pilot C — Joy and Harbour Pilot C finished clear with 52 time penalties. Many riders are opting for the long routes, sacrificing time but ensuring no jump penalties. + 52 time penalties

Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon — Andreas and Butts Leon retired on course after multiple problems at the Trout Hatchery. They were sitting in equal fifth place overnight. Retired on course

Neil Spratt and Upleadon — Neil and Upleadon jumped clear and picked up 9.6 time penalties. + 9.6 time penalties

Beanie Sturgis and Lebowski — Beanie Sturgis had a runout at the Trout Hatchery and finished with 16.4 time penalties. + 20 jumping + 16.4 time

Sophie Jenman and Geronimo — Sophie had a runout at the first element of Discovery Valley Return. This fence has caused the most problems on course so far. These four-star first-timers finished clear over the time. + 20 jumping + 16.4 time 

Marcelo Tosi and Eleda All Black — Marcelo jumped clear and completed 1 minute and 19 seconds over the time. + 31.6 time penalties

Richard Jones starting on Highland Ford — Richard parted ways with Highland Ford at Discovery Valley. Rider fall

Stanislas de Zuchowicz and Quirinal De La Bastide — Stanislas finished clear with eight time penalties to move into fourth place provisionally. + 8 time penalties

Louise Lyons and Watership Down — Louise ran into trouble at Discovery Valley and picked up two runouts at the first skinny hedge on the Return. She retired there. Retired

Dee Hankey and Chequers Playboy — Dee ran intro trouble at the HSBC Maltings Branch and the Cottesmore Leap. + 40 jumping + 50.8 time

 Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master — Rebecca and Rupert had a cracking round, taking multiple direct routes to jump clear and 23 seconds over. She moves into fourth place provisionally. + 9.2 time penalties

Matthew Heath and The Lion — Matthew and The Lion had a runout at the second hedge at Discovery Valley Return. They finished with 48.4 time. +48.4 time penalties

Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas — Ingrid had a few hairy moments and jumped clear to finish 23 seconds over the time. She remains in second place provisionally. + 9.2 time penalties

Denis Mesples and Oregon De La Vigne — Denis jumped clear and came home with 11.2 time penalties. + 11.2 time penalties

Michael Owen and The Highland Prince — Michael and The Highland Prince jumped clear and came home 42 seconds over the optimum time. + 16.8 time penalties

BURGHLEY TV: The first few cross-country rides are now up on Burghley TV. Click here to view the rides.

Gary Parsonage and Sligo Luckyvalier — Gary jumped clear and came home with 22.8 time. + 22.8 time penalties

Andrew Nicholson and Avebury — Andrew and Avebury played with the course to finish seven seconds inside the time. That puts them into second place provisionally. Double clear

Paul Tapner and Kilronan — Paul picked up a runout at the Land Rover Dairy Farm and finished with 15.6 time. + 15.6 time penalties

Jodie Amos and Matt — Jodie set out very fast on course and picked up a runout at the first skinny hedge at Discovery Valley Return. They picked up another runout at the corner at the HSBC Maltings Branch and then fell at the white oxer, leading to a hold on course. Rider fall.

Kai Ruder and Leprince Des Bois — Kai jumped clear and came him with 26.4 time penalties. + 26.4 time penalties

Astier Nicolas and Quickly Du Buguet — Astier had a fall at the Rolex Combinations almost immediately after restarting following a hold on course after Jodie Amos’s fall. Rider fall

Pascal Leroy and Minos De Petra — Pascal fell at The Planet when Minos De Petra caught his front legs, tipping off the rider. We have a hold on course. Rider fall

Louise Harwood and Mr Potts — Louise and Mr Potts finished clear and 1 minute 9 seconds over the time. + 27.6 time penalties

Sarah Stretton and Skip On — Sarah finished clear and 1 minute and 21 seconds over the time. + 32.4 time penalties

Clare Lewis and Sidnificant — Clare and Sidnificant finish clear and 54 seconds over the time. + 21.6 time penalties

Louisa Lockwood and Ballyfarris Flight — Louise completed clear with 1 minute 6 seconds over the time.

Jeanette Brakewell and Let’s Dance — Jeanette and Let’s Dance — one of just a handful of mares in the field — jumped clear and 48 seconds over the time. + 19.2 time penalties

Kevin McNab and Clifton Pinot — Kevin and Clifton Pinot also jumped clear and finished 25 seconds over the optimum time. They move into sixth place provisionally. + 10 time penalties

Olivia Wilmot on Cool Dancer — Olivia and Cool Dancer finish clear with one minute of time. + 24 time penalties

Pippa Funnell on Redesigned — Pippa and Redesigned finished clear and 29 seconds over the time to move into fifth place provisionally. + 11.6 time penalties

BURGHLEY TV: Andrew Nicholson and Calico Joe’s cross-country trip is now up on Burghley TV. Click here to watch.

Oliver Townend and Armada — Oliver and Armada had a runout at the Land Rover Dairy Farm. They finished 26 seconds over. + 20 jumping + 10.4 time

Lucy Jackson and Willy Do — Lucy parted ways from Willy Do at the second cabin at the Trout Hatchery. Both horse and rider are OK. Rider fall

Anna Warnecke and Twinkle Bee — Twinkle Bee is 18 and skipped around the course like a seasoned pro. They finished clear with time. + 19.6 time penalties

Jonelle Richards and The Deputy — Jonelle smoked the course, finishing just three seconds over the time to move into third place provisionally. + 1.2 time penalties

Wills Goodhew and Trefilan Quicksilver — Willis broke the frangible pin at fence 5, the Elephant Trap, but he cleared it and kept going. He then fell at the alternative route at the Burghley Station. Both horse and rider are OK. Rider fall

Ludwig Svennerstal and King Bob — Ludwig was held after Capability’s Cutting due to groundwork at the Burghley Station after Wills’s fall. He and King Bob finished clear with time to move into sixth provisionally. + 10 time penalties

Sam Griffiths and Happy Times — Sam and Happy Times were originally scored as jumping clear with 11.2 time to move into seventh place provisionally. But now they have been updated to eliminated. It looks like he possibly jumped outside a flag at the first hedge at the Discovery Valley Return. Update: It looks like Sam lodged a protest, as he’s now back in the results in 12th place. + 11.2 time penalties

Emily Llewellyn on Greenlawn Sky High — Emily initially was scored as finishing clear and 34 seconds over the time. Her score was then updated to eliminated, as she didn’t jump through the flags at fence 14 at the Trout Hatchery. Eliminated

William Fox-Pitt and Parklane Hawk — William and Parker completed two seconds over the time to move into third place provisionally. + 0.8 time penalties

Simon Grieve and Cornacrew — Simon had a runout at Discovery Valley and finished with 60.8 time penalties. + 20 jumping + 60.8 time

Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz — Nicola and Dodi jumped clear and 19 seconds over the time. + 7.6 time penalties

Kerry Varley and Bluestone Luke — Kerry finished clear with 2 minutes and 33 seconds over the time. + 61.2 time penalties

Mark Todd and Oloa — Mark and Oloa finished clear and 18 seconds over the time to move into eighth provisionally. This is Oloa’s first four-star. + 7.2 time penalties

Tom Crisp and Liberal — Tom and Liberal finished clear and 41 seconds over the time. + 16.4 time penalties

Benjamin Massie and Piano Star — Benjamin and Piano Star cleared the Trout Hatchery, but the horse slipped in the water after and they parted ways. Rider fall

Tina Cook and De Novo News — Tina and Herman finished clear with 15.2 time penalties to move into 11th place provisionally. + 15.2 time penalties

Jock Paget and Clifton Promise — Jock and Promise were pulled up at the Cottesmore Leap and checked by a vet after the ground jury spotted blood. They were cleared to continue on and went clear with 0.4 time penalties. They will hold their lead. + 0.4 time penalties

 Buck Davidson and Park Trader — Buck and Kobe reportedly had some sticky moments at Discovery Valley, but went clear. Unfortunately, they had a fall late in the course at fence 20, Keepers Cottage. Both Buck and Kobe are reportedly up and OK. Rider fall

Andrew Nicholson and Nereo — Andrew and Nereo jumped clear but finished five seconds over to drop to fifth place. + 2 time penalties

That concludes cross-country day at Burghley! Stay tuned for a full report.

Jock Paget and Clifton Promise at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

With just three riders left to go in the dressage at Burghley, this year’s Badminton winners Jock Paget and Clifton Promise set the benchmark with a fluid, relaxed test to score an outstanding 36.7 to take the overnight lead going into cross country tomorrow. As British Grand Prix dressage rider Anna Ross Davies noted in the Horse & Hound Live Blog, Jock “produced highlights as well as a good quality test,” which ultimately set him apart today from legends William Fox-Pitt and Andrew Nicholson, who had chances to take the lead with top mounts Parklane Hawk and Nereo. Andrew and William had to settle for third and fourth, respectively, with scores of 41.3 and 41.5.

Based on comments from the Horse & Hound live blog, riders typically gave away marks in the flying changes, the second of which had to be performed on the diagonal. Many riders shifted their horses to change on the centerline, which created a glaring error, as you’ll see when you watch some of the tests on Burghley TV. The end of the test required three more flying changes on a serpentine, leaving plenty of room for error and deductions from not only the marks for the movements, but in the submission marks as well. Riders who scored higher executed all four flying changes at the correct angle and without any late movements behind.

Buck Davidson and Park Trader, our sole American pair competing at Burghley, seemed to start out well and had just a few bobbles toward the end of the test. Kobe bucked and trotted in the second change and, as Anna put it, was a bit grumpy for the final two changes. They scored 57.8 to sit in equal 49th place. This is just Kobe’s second four-star — he made his debut at Rolex this year, where they finished 22nd — and at just 11 years old, he shows a lot of promise for the future. Click here to view Buck’s test of Burghley TV. I also thought it was rather heartwarming that Buck received so many congratulatory shoutouts in the Horse & Hound live blog for his recent engagement to Andrea Leatherman.

Crowd favorites Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz performed one of the more memorable tests of the day, with the horse showing lovely, relaxed movement to earn 43.3 for ninth place. Nicola and Dodi have had a bit of a rough year, falling apart in the show jumping at Badminton and crashing in the first water complex at Luhmuhlen, and they look to be in top form so far. Poor Bettina Hoy did not have the same luck with Lanfranco TSF, who has struggled to keep his cool in the dressage lately. As the first test back after the lunch break, they gave everyone quite a scare when the horse visibly never settled and reared during the reinback. Bettina retired Lanfranco TSF soon after the rearing episode — definitely something you don’t see happen very often.

With Jock showing once again that he’s quickly becoming a master in the dressage, he’s emerged as a star who has a real chance of challenging Michael Jung, William Fox-Pitt and Andrew Nicholson on an international level, and certainly at the World Equestrian Games this year. While Burghley is certainly not a dressage show, we know Promise is capable of jumping cleanly around a four-star course, as proven by how capably he handled Badminton earlier this year. Tomorrow will be a very exciting day of cross country, indeed. Be sure to join us back tomorrow in the Horse & Hound live blog, which will be bringing us live commentary on all the cross country action.

Burghley Links: [Official Burghley Website] [Burghley TV] [Live Scores & Ride Times] [Schedule]

Click here to watch Jock Paget and Clifton Promise

Jock Paget and Clifton Lush at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon and Jock Paget and Clifton Lush are sharing the early lead at Burghley on a 42 after the first morning of dressage competition. Brit Sarah Cohen is holding third place on a 48 with her mount Treason, with Andrew Nicholson and Calico Joe close behind in fourth place on a 48.3. William Fox-Pitt and Neuf Des Coeurs are rounding out the top five on a 49. I imagine we’re going to see many more scores crack the 40s today, and a handful of riders should sneak into the 30s before the conclusion of dressage tomorrow.

We still have some exciting rides left to go in the third and fourth groups today. Canadian Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master ride their test at 2:48 p.m. local time, and Ingrid Klimke and FRH Butts Abraxxas will kick off the fourth and final group of the day at 3:35 p.m. local time. We’ll also see defending Burghley champions Andrew Nicholson and Avebury in the fourth group at 4:15 p.m. local time, with Kai Ruder and Leprince Des Bois closing out the first day of dressage at 4:31 p.m. local time.

Burghley TV is slowly adding videos of the morning’s dressage tests, so be sure to keep checking back to see the best rides of the day. Luckily, we already have access to Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon’s test, which you can view here. Photographer extraordinaire Nico Morgan has been kind enough to allow us to use his photos of Buck Davidson and Rebecca Howard, and he will also be uploading pictures of all the other riders in the photo galleries on his website. Click here to view Nico’s photos of Andreas and Jock from this morning. Stay tuned for much more from Burghley!

Click to watch Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Leon

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Buck Davidson and Park Trader at Rolex. Photo by Jenni Autry.

Buck Davidson and Park Trader and Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master both passed the first horse inspection this afternoon at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Sixty-eight horses presented for the trot up, with all passing but one, as Emily Galbraith’s mount Timing was held and ultimately spun. Emily, 25, hails from the Scottish Borders and was one of 13 first-timers set to compete at Burghley this weekend. Three other horses were held and accepted upon reinspection — Matthew Heath’s mount The Lion; Wills Goodhew’s mount More Luck; and Mark Todd’s mount Ravenstar, who Andrew Nicholson actually trotted up because Toddy was nowhere to be seen. I haven’t seen any reports on why Mark wasn’t present at the jog, and I’m hoping it’s nothing serious. Perhaps he was just lost or late, as Eventing NZ speculated on Twitter.

The Horse & Hound did an excellent job of tweeting live updates, which you can scroll through here for a play-by-play. Rebecca and Rupert are also contesting their first Burghley this weekend, and we’ll be cheering them on from back home in North America. Burghley will be Buck Davidson’s first major test since he took a nasty fall off Santa’s Keeper at Richland Park two weeks ago, which resulted in a swollen ankle and pulled groin muscle. I suspect he’ll be sore this weekend, but Buck is an incredibly tough rider; we can definitely count on him to power through the injuries for the sake of Team USA. Samantha Clark will be your boots on the ground this weekend, and she’s set to arrive tomorrow in time to catch the afternoon’s dressage tests. Stay tuned this week for much more from Burghley!

Rebecca Howard and Riddle Master at Badminton. Photo by Jenni Autry.

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