Pippa Funnell raises her silverware aloft. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Who among us didn’t grow up with a creased poster of Pippa Funnell taped to our wall, those yellow silks and that palpable derring-do inspiring an endless stream of daydreams where there probably should have been, you know, school work? When the British stalwart became the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, a feat she finalised here at Burghley sixteen years ago, she cemented her status as the rider all aspiring riders want to be. Even, as it turns out, those aspiring riders who became five-star winners.

There are so many ways you can take inspiration from what happened today, when Pippa won the 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with MGH Grafton Street. You can marvel at the margins – sixteen years since her last Burghley win, fourteen years since her last five-star victory, perhaps the longest gap between wins in the sports history. Or, you can watch and re-watch that cross-country round, unpicking the milliseconds to find out just how, exactly, she coaxed the eleven-year-old five-star debutante – a well-known ‘comedian’ with a penchant for practical jokes and jumping penalties – to a clear round, and one which very nearly made the time. You can catalogue the omens – the missing hat silk when Pip had lost her silk when winning Burghley last, the lucky number 77, a number so special that the rider has assigned it to the titular character in her Tilly’s Pony Tails book series. You can focus on love: the love of a doting, if exasperated, husband who flew back from a showjumping competition in Belgium to watch his wife at her best, the love of the horses in their expansive Surrey yard – “it’s the horses that have kept me going,” says Pip, after all. “They keep me young – it’s the belief in the horses, and the belief in their talent. It’s that pure love of the day-to-day graft working with them.” Or you can focus on something else entirely, something love-adjacent, something vital and vibrant and sewn up in colourful, crucial threads throughout the week. Something unsung and under-celebrated: the power of female friendship.

Pippa Funnell wins Burghley – again. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pippa Funnell has, inarguably, been at peak confidence since last week’s European Championships in Luhmühlen. There, she took the mantle of pathfinder – with just seven hours’ notice that she’d even be going to Germany – and stormed home inside the time, helping the British team to silver. That week, she was surrounded by the women she’s known, loved, and swapped inspiration with over the years – Tina Cook, with whom she’s shared so many podiums and words of advice, and who spent this week supporting and helping her, Piggy French, who started out as someone to mentor and slowly became a lifelong friend. Consider Laura Collett, part of the next generation of British superstars, and very much of the sellotaped posters era. The point, though, is this: confidence, as Pippa has long acknowledged, is crushed easily and created with difficulty, but if you can plant the seeds with good horses, great rounds, and top results, you can help them grow by nurturing them with the joy, the laughter, and the inherent love that comes from being surrounded by good people. In other words, the Beatles were onto something, and getting some proximity to the friendships that helped make this win happen – friendships between fearless women who will support ferociously and give unremittingly – has been one of the most striking and poignant parts of this week’s win. In the final press conference, it took centre stage.

Piggy French scoops Burghley winner Pippa Funnell into a hug as both are interviewed by Clare Balding. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“Pippa’s been such a mentor to me for so many years,” says Piggy French, second-placed and jocular, swiftly alternating between joking around and speaking stoically about the week. “[My sister] Nini was head girl to her for five years when I was growing up, so just when I started eventing I would follow Pippa around quite a bit. She’s just been an amazing inspiration. I think it’s the attention to detail, which just goes beyond anything else that I’ve ever been a part of, and her absolute love for the horses, which is what comes first, and…oh, she’s going to start crying.”

Pippa grins at her, a lopsided, sheepish smile that suggests that yes, she might do, after all.

Piggy shakes her head, drily starts again: “She cried more than I did when…”

“…at your wedding?” chips in Pippa.

“No, when I won Badminton, you were blubbing like a lunatic,” replies Piggy, turning back to address the audience. “She’s a legend and just a proper professional, and no one deserves it more…but she is old to be doing this type of thing. Surely,” she turns back to Pippa, laughing, “you didn’t need to go that fast around Burghley?!”

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street take top honours. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

But a 22.8 dressage, that gutsy, gritty round with its four time penalties, and today’s showjumping round – slightly agricultural, and with a rail down midway through – all add up to create the smallest of margins for an enormously popular win.

“I’ve just apologised to [showjumper husband] William [Funnell] and the owners, because it wasn’t my prettiest round today,” says Pippa. “I think I’m out of practice in going into that sort of situation with that many people. I didn’t do myself justice. Full credit to the horse – he’s been absolutely amazing, but he’s also been quite a comedian, and he’s owed us a big win because he should have won Blenheim twice, and he should have won Tattersalls. I said I was going to keep going because I was sure there was a big one in him – but I can honestly say I never thought it was going to be Burghley. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

To win with a difficult horse would be a eureka moment in and of itself, but for Pippa, it’s about overcoming more than just the challenges associated with a difficult mount. Two years ago, she was plagued by both injury-related pain and overwhelming confidence crises, both of which conspired to make her reconsider her career choices. But she was determined not be driven out of the sport she loves by it. Now, she’s enjoying her just rewards.

“I think I’ve been incredibly lucky to have so much amazing support over the years from all the owners I’ve had,” she says. “It’s been such an amazing journey, and hopefully it will continue, but it’s the horses that have kept me going. They keep me young – it’s the belief in the horses, and the belief in their talent. It’s that pure love of the day-to-day graft working with them. I know my husband will probably be a bit disappointed, because it means I’ll probably carry on for a bit longer, and I know he’d like me to stop and do things at home at the Billy stud. I didn’t really think there would be another big one, and I took the pressure off by thinking ‘I’m just going to do the sport I love and enjoy every moment of it.’ The last two weeks have been a surreal experience – I feel like I haven’t had time to touch the ground.”

Sometimes, you’ve just got to hug your horse. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

For Pippa, it’s important that the realities behind major victories are as tangible as the victories themselves – and she hopes that they’ll provide some motivation to her fellow riders.

“I hope in many ways that it does inspire a lot of other riders, because it took me a long time to win my first championship, and it’s taken me even longer to win another major,” she says. “There’s been a lot of sweat, graft, and tears in between, but there’s also been some very special moments, too.”

Perhaps it was all preordained – after all, who would have put their money on MGH Grafton Street? But then, who would have as much faith as Pippa did in that number 77, which she tied around her waist for luck in this final phase like a teenager in a working hunter class. If you caught a glimpse of it as she tore round, and round, and round on her lap of honour, you might have been persuaded to believe in the power of looking for good omens.

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira take second place by just a tenth of a penalty. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

But before we lose you to the clovers, back to business: Pippa’s solitary rail wasn’t merely a knocked pole – instead, it was a rather spectacular and dramatic miss, and one from which it took the enormously experienced rider a few strides to recover and begin riding actively again. She’d had that rail in hand, sure – but would she be able to keep herself up on the clock? Or would she slip a second over, handing the title to second-placed Piggy French and Vanir Kamira, just a tenth of a penalty behind her?

If it had happened, it might rather feel like deja-vu – after all, that’s how Piggy won Badminton this spring, although that was a moment won from Oliver Townend rather than Pippa – but the former Grand Slam victor got lucky: course designer Richard Jeffry had built a big, square, clever track, but he’d kept the time lenient enough that riders would have time to ride proper turns and approaches. While that didn’t make a clear round a doddle to achieve, it did mean that just three people added time penalties – and Pippa Funnell wasn’t one of them.

“It was one of the hardest things – and I said this to Piglet – because for the last however many years, when I haven’t been at this sort of level, I’ve been absolutely rooting for Piggy to win. I know what she’s gone through and we’ve been very close for many years,” says Pippa. “I’ve known little Piglet since she was a very little girl, and she’s very special. I’ve been cheering her on all the way, and it’s the first time ever that I’ve actually not wanted her to win!”

But settling for second isn’t too shabby, and it’s hard to imagine that Piggy will spend too long dwelling on second legs of Grand Slams, or anything quite as inconsequential as all that – after all, her great friend, her long-time mentor, and one of the great failsafe pillars of her life has just taken the win.

“I’m delighted, to be honest, to be second,” says Piggy, who toppled the first fence. “I think I’m lucky to be second, too – to take the first fence and hit it with both her front and hind legs…well, I thought, ‘this is a very long way to go, after this, to remain in second place.’ But this horse owes me nothing, and to be honest, it makes the Badminton result even more special, because she’s not a natural showjumper. I’m just glad it was only one down. She ran her heart on the line yesterday; it’s so hard, because people don’t realise what they go through out there, and then they have to get back on their hocks and try to be careful at these fences. I’m very proud of my horse, and lucky to have her.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class take third, making it five top-five finishes at the level for the 12-year-old gelding. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

If Vanir Kamira has clear rounds – or near-clears – despite an unconventional showjumping style, Oliver Townend‘s Ballaghmor Class falls on the opposite end of the spectrum: despite a textbook approach to jumping fences, he’s prone to taking an unlucky rail, which is just what he did today to stay in third position.

“It was a bit of a cheap fence to have, really – of course he felt [like he] touched it, but barely, and I didn’t hear the clunk,” he says. “But I just go to the next one and jump the next one, and try to give him as good a ride and as smooth a ride as possible, like I’m at home rather than jumping at Burghley.”

For Oliver, who has now notched up five top-five finishes out of five runs at the level with the twelve-year-old gelding, it’s been a good week for the sport – despite much discussion on social media about yesterday’s competition.

“It’s been a fabulous week – although it would have been more fabulous [for me] if I’d won it,” he says with a grin, readily offering his congratulations to the event’s two leading ladies. “But at the same time, if you’re not winning it and you still think the event is amazing and better than ever, that makes it even more special. We’re at a special point at the top of the sport as British riders – this year I won Kentucky, Piggy won Badminton, and now Pippa has won Burghley. I kind of get sick of listening to people putting the Germans on this pedestal and saying they’re so far in front of us – put the Germans round [the Burghley course] and see where they are! I think we’re in a very good position.”

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet take fourth place. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

For the second year running, Sarah Bullimore and the evergreen Reve du Rouet took fourth place. With a margin of over ten penalties separating the top three from fourth and fifth places after cross-country, there was an enormous bridge to cross and only so much the remarkably consistent rider could do to cross it. With a clear round over the poles in the bag, all she could do was wait to see how many more would tumble this afternoon.

It wouldn’t be enough for a top-three finish. But it would guarantee the pair their fourth five-star top-five finish and their twelfth five-star completion, demonstrating the longevity and reliability of the fifteen-year-old gelding who, despite a reputation gleaned from prior indiscretions in the first phase, has collected top-twenty finishes in all five of the Northern Hemisphere’s five-star events.

“He was fabulous in there – that’s a big atmosphere for him, and one that would have freaked him out in the past,” says Sarah, who has to carefully manage ‘Blou’s’ genuine anxiety over crowds. This anxiety, plus a need for almost machinated consistency in his day-to-day routine, has led to some tricky moments in their partnership, but Sarah is enjoying the fruits of her efforts now.

“It’s been a bit of a love-hate relationship with him, and there’s been blood, sweat, and tears,” she admits. “But he’s finally rewarding us – the past couple of years, he’s been so consistent. He’s a bit of a legend. The course seems to suit him here, and he loves coming to Burghley – he got off the lorry at the beginning of the week like, ‘okay, this is my place!’ As a rider, you always want to equal or better what you did the year before, so I’m delighted.”

Tim Price and Bango round out the top five, and finish the best of the non-British riders. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Last year’s winner Tim Price began the week with three horses and ended it with just one, after Xavier Faer knocked a frangible pin and was saved for another day and reigning champion Ringwood Sky Boy suffered a harmless – but enormously frustrating – fall in the Lions’ Brudge water. And so it was all about Bango, who was tenth here last season and seventh after cross-country yesterday.

The chance to be the star of the show suited the Irish Sport Horse gelding who, at thirteen years old, is still something of an up-and-comer in Tim’s string of superstars.

“It was a lovely round, and I’m so happy for him,” says the Kiwi, who added 12 time penalties with the horse on yesterday’s cross-country course. “He’s one that’s not been so easy – they all take their own time for everything to fall into place – but I’m very excited about the next few years with him.”

Although it’s not another trophy in the Price family cabinet, Tim looks at his fifth-place finish with Bango as a positive conclusion to a tumultuous week.

“After our cross-country, I was hoping his would be the weak round of the day for me, but it wasn’t to be – but I think this is the start of something really exciting for him, and it’s good practice for me and good mileage for him.”

Plus, he concedes, it was nice to pass the pressure to someone else for a change: “I tried to enjoy that it wasn’t me going in [last],” he says with a grin. “The winning bit is always nice, but the pressure isn’t!”

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus finish ninth and best of the Americans. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Lauren Kieffer finished best of the US contingent, of which six of the original eleven would complete the competition. Her tight, impressive clear round aboard Vermiculus saw her finish ninth – her best result at the venue.

“You don’t know if you’ve got a Burghley horse ’till it’s over,” she says sagely, “and I can say he’s a Burghley horse now. I couldn’t be happier with him – yes, you always want to be quicker [across the country, where they added 26.4 time penalties], but I can confidently promise him that he’ll never do anything so hard in his life, now.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan: best of the Burghley first-timers. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

For Burghley first-timers, just to complete can often seem like an impossible dream, but what about nailing down three solid phases and finishing in the top ten? Almost unfathomable – particularly over a course like this one. But that’s just what US combination Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan did, capitalising on their positive five-star debut at Kentucky this spring to deliver a level of attack that was wise beyond their years and record sheets. After coming home clear with 15.6 time penalties yesterday, they sat twelfth – and today, with Richard Jeffrey’s fair but square track allowing for just ten clear rounds, their four-faulter was still enough to allow them to climb to tenth and finish as best Burghley first-timers.

“It went pretty well in there, although I don’t think I’ve ever felt my horse get fatigued on the final day, not physically but mentally,” says Ariel, a recipient of the Jacqueline B. Mars International Grant. “I didn’t quite have the connection from fence one to two, and he got a bit spooked by the crowds. After we had our rail, though, we were a little bit more connected.”

Earning a spot in the coveted afternoon session meant that Ariel, who had to trot up Leamore Master Plan five-and-a-half hours before the start of the top 25, would have to wait to catch up on lost sleep: “I had a really hard time falling asleep last night,” she explains. “It was until I got back to my hotel that I was like, ‘I did that – I did Burghley!'”

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Andrea Baxter had hoped to come back to Burghley and jump clear on her third attempt with Indy 500, and she did just that – but if twelfth place might have seemed like rather too much to hope for before the week began, it certainly didn’t at its tail end, when the combination adding just a single  rail and three additional seconds to the clock over the poles, in addition to their 56.8 time penalties yesterday.

“I’m very pleased,” says Andrea. “I didn’t ride as well as I’d have liked in there, but it is what it is.”

Last year, we saw the pair pull two rails because they had too much canter – this year, their single faller was the downside of trying for something more precise.

“She got a bit steeplechase-y last year, so I overdid it this year,” she says. “I held too much and added everywhere – dang it.”

With the Burghley box well and truly ticked, Andrea is keeping her options open with the diminutive Thoroughbred mare.

“I would love to do Badminton, she’s just a really bad traveller in the spring,” she explains, “Plus, we have Kentucky, so it’s hard to leave home and spend a fortune when that option’s there. But maybe we’ll slip [the trip] past her one day.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z write a new chapter in their 2019 story. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

One rail dropped for Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z, who stayed in fifteenth place and completed their redemption arc after tough trips to Kentucky and Aachen.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with him – what a horse,” says the rider, who learned a valuable lesson about the eleven-year-old gelding in the warm-up.

“Looking back, I needed just one more jump in the warm-up,” she explains. “I was trying to not overuse him, but he’s so careful and – a little bit like yesterday – he just gets so high that he nearly wows himself a little bit. He launched [at the triple bar] and sitting on a horse with a massive stride, I struggled to get to the second element. But god, he’s a brilliant horse – he’s tried, and he’s given me everything. It’s very disappointing to have a rail, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more – it’s just one of those things. It’s a dream to be here – we did it. We finished!”

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

A pole down at the fourth didn’t stop Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby from improving their standing in the leaderboard, and they ultimately finished 18th – a 36-place rise through the week, and a two-place improvement upon yesterday’s ranking.

“I wanted to go clear, and he can go clear – I just went a little bit too fast,” she explains. “I’m a bit bummed, but it was riding a bit funny and I probably should have showed it to him. I knew it would be a place to ride well – and I tried to, but I must have missed the mark.”

Even so, she continues, “I’ve never jumped in the second group before!”

A classy clear for Will Coleman and Tight Lines moved them up three places to 25th, closing the book on an up-and-down weekend that saw the pick up 31 jumping penalties across yesterday’s influential track.

“It wasn’t the result we’d come for, but that’s eventing a little bit,” says Will. “We’ve had that a couple of times this year, where we’ve been ready but it just doesn’t come off – but he’ll be less green next year for it.”

The twelve-year-old gelding was as hot today as he had been while tackling yesterday’s challenge, but that only helped him in the ring: after an early low-bodied effort, he gave each fence more and more air time.

“My horse is on his toes in pretty much every phase,” Will says. “It’s like riding a balloon – do anything too strong, and he’ll pop. But he’s been a good horse for me, and he’s a fast horse – I had a double handful the whole way out there yesterday. He’s been a tricky horse, but he’s been my favourite horse.”

US-based Australian Dom Schramm, who is based at Phillip Dutton’s True Prospect Farm, tipped the Grand Slam upright at fence four with Bolytair B to finish 28th overall – a climb of 25 places from the beginning of the week and one place higher than his post-cross-country result.

“It’s good to have that one done and dusted,” says the Burghley debutante. “I’m thrilled to be here – it’s such a prestigious event.”

Dom’s conscientious riding on course yesterday meant that he found himself with plenty of horse for today’s final phase – though perhaps, he reflects, too much.

“I think I’m going to have to go see a chiropractor – my neck is really feeling [those big jumps],” he says with a laugh. “He was jumping out of his skin in there, and he’s fresh because he didn’t run so fast yesterday. But it’s a really good feeling to have your horse feeling good, especially after a day of carnage!”

And so we come to the conclusion of our coverage of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials for 2019. It’s been a week of drama and excitement, reflection and dissection and, as always, a jolly good opportunity for a recreational weep into a glass of Pimms. We’ll be unpacking some of the finer details in a reporter’s notebook over the next few days, as well as revisiting that all-important question: how can we use what we’ve seen and learned this week to improve the sport across the board? But in the meantime, join us in lifting a glass to a woman who has inspired five-star day-dreams in countless pony-mad little girls – what a joy and a privilege to see her live the pony novel heroine dream once again. Always remember, folks: keep your brave pants on, grab life with one hand so you can hail a cab with the other, and never, ever let go of the eventing family around you. Go Pippa, and Go Eventing!

The top ten at the conclusion of an incredibly exciting, enormously emotional Burghley.

#LRBHT19: Website, Ride Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Form Guide, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street head for home. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

At the tail end of a long and tumultuous day over the toughest Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials track in recent memory, it must have made for frightening viewing for the last batch of riders to take to the course. But despite only half the field making it home, and myriad broken pins, missed distances, and unlucky tumbles along the way, dressage leader Pippa Funnell – who confesses to not being a particularly brave soul – was up. And her mount? Well, he’s certainly gained a reputation across the country – and it isn’t one that would fill most people with confidence.

“I’ve hidden away in my lorry all day,” she confesses. “I watched Sarah Bullimore’s round and thought she looked fantastic, so I walked away, sat in my lorry, and felt ill.”

But when her number was called, she knew what she had to do, and that was attack. And so she did: buoyed along by the irrepressible confidence granted her by her clear round inside the time at last week’s European Championships, she dug deep, gritted her teeth, and piloted the quirky, cheeky MGH Grafton Street home, adding just four time penalties to hold onto her overnight lead by the slimmest of margins. It was Funnell at her finest – and at her very grittiest.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed,” she laughs, breathless and beaming after the exertions of her round. “It’s a bit of a surreal day, really – I had no idea what to expect from the horse. He was a little monkey at Tattersalls, where he should have won, and he cost us the win at Blenheim a couple of years ago too, but I thought, ‘he’s not going to have the last laugh on this cross-country day!'”

The former Grand Slam winner’s inarguable experience shone through as she imparted endless positivity – and more than a modicum of gumption – to the eleven-year-old gelding, who makes his five-star debut here.

“It wasn’t a copybook round, and it wasn’t pretty – I had to reward him when I could, but I also had to say, ‘come on, mate!’ He can slip out through his shoulder on corners, and I often correct in a backwards way, but as he’s not as experienced, I had to stay with my brave pants on. If I could have, I would have looked like Piggy, but sometimes you have to throw away the style book.”

On a day when just one rider made the time, Pippa’s speed, too, was impressive.

“I often think I’m a bit of a granny, and so slow, because I don’t run at speed at one-day events,” she laughs. “But at this stage of my career, I can’t go racing around them all – I think about the rhythm, and that rhythm is how you ride these big courses. He’s got a turn of speed, which he probably learned when he was ridden by Andrew Nicholson – he can turn and run.”

The influential Joules at the Maltings was a particular highlight for Pippa, who has had issues with the horse at right-handed corners, and she showed her experience at the Leaf Pit where, she knew, he could stop with her at the drop, as he did at Tattersalls.

“I was lucky that we had enough engine there – he was green off the drop, but we had enough engine that he couldn’t go backwards,” she says.

That today has been her day is made even more special by the fact that Pippa knows the other end of the spectrum all too well.

“Two years ago, I was riding in pain and not confidence,” she says. “I said to Emily Philp earlier, ‘one thing you do learn the more you do is that yes, you do get nervous, but you learn to deal with disappointment.’ I’ve driven away disappointed enough times, and you still have your mates, you’ve still got washing to do, and you still go to the local pub and no one knows who you are.”

It’s all about the highs and lows – and it’s about persistence, too, which Pippa and owners Jonathan and Jane Clarke have exhibited in spades.

“I know the little bugger’s got it in him, but he’s cheeky, with a huge personality, and he’s always getting into trouble on the yard and attention-seeking,” she says with a smile. “But you just have to keep him between the flags without losing his shoulders, and he really dug deep today.”

Though a lifetime of hard-earned experience won the day, Pippa’s burgeoning confidence was bolstered by two good omens.

“I was delighted when they gave me the number 77,” says the rider, who wore back number 7 at the Europeans. “It’s a really lucky number for me – if you look at my Tilly’s Pony Tales books, Tilly wears the number 77.”

The early loss of her hat silk on course also signalled good things to come: “I thought, ‘oh my god, I’ve ridden around the whole course with an egghead, and I always make these faces like I’m hating every minute, so it’s going to look awful! But then I remembered – when I won here on Primmore’s Pride, I’d lost my hat silk and was an egghead then, too!”

So how will Pippa prepare for the final battle ahead?

“I’m going to sleep in my number bib tonight,” she laughs.

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira record the only clear round inside the time of the day. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Badminton winner Piggy French has never made the time at Burghley before, but she picked a good time to do so – she and Vanir Kamira were the only pair to stop the clock inside the optimum time, boosting them from fifth to close second place, just a tenth of a penalty behind the leaders.

“Me! I made the time!” she exclaims. “Usually she can be so quick, but I’ve never quite got there – we always have a few seconds, which is so frustrating.”

Piggy’s impressive round was delivered despite some pre-match concerns about the mare’s readiness, after a long break, a bout of foot-soreness, and a surprise stop at the water at her final prep run cast the team in doubt. And although she happily and comfortably delivered the goods on the day, Piggy had to change her plan slightly on course.

“She got tired between three and four minutes, which never happens,” she explains. “So I let her coast along and then freewheeled her downhill so she could fill her lungs, and then she hit the next hill fighting. I definitely went to my plan B and C on stride patterns in some places. I was definitely conscious of her – has her preparation been alright? And she’s getting older, too. She ran well here last year, but they’re not machines, and you don’t know how they wake up in the morning.”

After clearing the tricky Trout Hatchery, Piggy indulged in a cheer and a wave to the crowd – “I thought, ‘thank god that’s over with!'” – before getting swiftly back to business.

“Once you’ve got the Dairy Farm out of the way you can get home, and all the jumping is there in front of you – and the sizes eases up a bit, thank god,” she says with a grin. “She’s such a little fighter; she really grits her teeth and says, ‘come on, mum!’ She’s a little horse with an enormous heart, and she’s an experienced horse, which is an advantage that not many have. She’ll let me know when she’s hit her limit. She’s her own horse, and I definitely have to get in her mode – but you’re lucky when you have the blood and heart to go round on.”

Vanir Kamira, who remains the diva of Piggy’s yard with a laundry list of management demands, certainly didn’t hit her limit today, pulling up fresh and bright-eyed.

“She’s a pain in the ass 363 days of the year,” laughs Piggy. “Our lives revolve around her, and she’s a tricky little thing, but I’m so proud of her.”

“I feel like a new man”: Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class look at their best at Burghley. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

2017’s victors Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class headed out on course as the penultimate combination to run, and they made child’s play of the enormously influential track, adding just 2 time penalties to sit third overnight. Like Pippa, Oliver – who’s recovering from a slipped disc – only opted to watch a tiny amount of the day’s action.

“I went in the tent at one stage, watched about four people, and walked away. I wasn’t going to learn anything watching what went on,” he says. But Ballaghmor Class is established now – certainly more so than he was when he won here on his debut as a ten-year-old – and both horse and rider knew what they had to do to make an easy job of it.

“He feels completely professional now, like he could run around any course in the world,” says Oliver of the 12-year-old gelding, who has never finished outside the top five in four runs at this level. “Yes, the time penalties are frustrating, but it’s a marathon. We know what he’s capable of now, and we’re not going into the unknown, so the pressure is on me to make sure I give him a good ride. Those five seconds came from coaxing him and trying to give him a nice round – and it was probably the nicest round I’ve had on him at Burghley. It feels like he’s made for it.”

Ludwig Svennerstal and Stinger hold the lead for much of the day, but settle for fourth overnight. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Though the top three are tightly clustered, there’s more than ten marks between third and fourth place. The rollercoaster ride of the day meant that Ludwig Svennerstal and Stinger, placed 29th after dressage, held the lead for much of it – but the final cluster of experienced riders and world-class rounds meant that he was nudged down to fourth at the end of the day.

“He’s a very good horse, and it’s the first really long course for him,” he says. Ludwig started here last year with the gelding, but opted to pull up after knocking a pin at the Rolex Combination, and ultimately took him to the World Equestrian Games instead. His six time penalties were thus attributed to a tactical ride through the same part of the course today.

“Last year we were a bit too quick through there, so today I set up a bit more,” he explains. “Maybe I rode it too slow, but I wanted to give him a nice ride. I could have been quicker from the Cottesmore Leap; I was a bit slow from there, but I’m really happy with him. It’s all about riding the horse you’ve got, and riding your feeling – if you go too fast, you have a tired horse.”

Nonetheless, Ludwig showed committed, forward-thinking riding – particularly through the upright gates at 16AB, where he opted for the forward one-stride, rather than the short and bouncy two.

“It was very good – he was very honest,” he says.

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet pop into the Trout Hatchery. Photo by William Carey.

It was all rather ‘will they or won’t they’ for Sarah Bullimore, who delivered an exceptionally classy clear round aboard the experienced Reve du Rouet, adding ten time penalties and, for a little while, 15 extra penalties for missing a flag. But those penalties were ultimately removed, much to the delight of the experienced British rider.

“He was absolutely awesome – he didn’t deserve that,” she says, a smile lighting up her face. “He’s a true cross-country horse, and so scopey, and so straight on the lines – he’s just unbelievable. We just had a little mishap when he slipped [after the first element at the Dairy Farm] and had to add an extra stride, but he tried his heart out and just screwed over the second egg box. He’s such a good horse, and he doesn’t deserve just to be here for the beer.”

At the tough Trout Hatchery, which claimed its fair share of broken hearts through the day, Reve du Rouet gave one of the best performances of the day: “he was absolutely foot-perfect – you always jump into the second part of the water thinking you might have to go left or right, but it was all right there.”

Santiago Bay ends Gemma Tattersall’s rollercoaster day on a high. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Gemma Tattersall‘s day started with heartbreak when she tumbled off her stalwart campaigner Arctic Soul at the Maltings, but disaster turned to triumph when she romped home clear with the inexperienced Santiago Bay, adding 11.2 time penalties for overnight sixth place.

“I can’t even explain the day – I was furious with myself this morning,” she says. “I was on the floor and he looked at me as if to say, ‘for god’s sake, get up – we’ve got loads more jumps to do!’ He’s got serious anger issues with me now – he’s an old-timer and he knows he should be out there.”

Watching the day unfold didn’t fill Gemma with confidence, either.

“It’s been quite challenging to get on a young horse and go round again, but she’s so scopey and so game, and we just talked each other through the course. I’m so proud of her for producing the most perfect jumping round over the toughest Burghley I’ve ever seen.”

Despite her earlier problem, Gemma made herself go the straight route at the tough Maltings combination – and when she cleared it, she made sure to enjoy the moment.

“I punched the air and cheered and told her how amazing she was when she jumped that bloomin’ fence,” she laughs.

Tim Price and Bango act as pathfinders. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Pathfinder Tim Price had a day of colossal ups and downs, too – he sits seventh overnight on his first horse, Bango, who looked considerably more rideable than he did at Badminton. He added 12 time penalties to climb from eleventh place after the dressage.

“I was tentative with this horse, because at Badminton he raced off with me,” he says. “I couldn’t go flat out with him at the beginning, but the course suited him down to the ground. He was super, and bold, and that’s why we persevere with him – he has so much ability, he just gives me a hard time in front a bit. I just had to get a bit cowboy and dig deep into the toolkit at the gates, but the one stride was there all day long – it’s just a tough stage of the course for us, going downhill, because he tends to run through the bridle.”

But what goes up must sometimes come down.  It would be an early end to the day for Xavier Faer, who was one of many to knock the pin at the oxer at the Trout Hatchery. Knowing he’d incurred the penalties, Tim added in a circle, popped through the Rolex Combination for the experience, and then opted to save the talented gelding for another day. And so all eyes were on last year’s winner Ringwood Sky Boy, the last horse on course. After making light work of almost the entirety of the course, he stumbled while cantering through the Lion’s Bridge water on the way home, and both horse and rider went down, ending their campaign for 2019 and leaving Tim with just one horse for tomorrow’s final phase.

Imogen Murray and Ivar Gooden climb a remarkable 52 places to sit eighth overnight. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Imogen Murray and Ivar Gooden once again showed their prowess in leaping up a leaderboard, climbing from 60th to 8th after zooming around to add four time penalties, while France’s Sebastien Cavaillon, thirteenth after dressage with Sarah d’Argouges, moved into ninth despite experiencing their first-ever stop on course – just before the Cottesmore Leap. “I said to the jury, you are crazy to stop me here!” But the hold – which was to check a minor surface injury that the mare picked up from a flag – didn’t stop them from regrouping, digging deep, and coming home with 19.2 time penalties added to their 29.8 dressage score. Becky Woolven and DHI Babette K romped home in the same time to round out the top ten.

It’s been a whirlwind day of ups and downs for our US contingent, and one which saw some experienced combinations come to grief and relative newcomers to the level impress over the tough track.

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus end the day as the best of the US combinations in 11th place, dropping from fourth place after adding 26.4 penalties, partly due to a hold midway through the course.

“I did really go with the intention of being faster, but I had to take a few unplanned long routes,” she says. “But full credit to him, because he kept trucking on. It was the hardest course he’s ever seen, and it’s the hardest I’ve ever had to work. It’s really hard to get their adrenaline back up after a hold.”

A scrappy ride through the Trout Hatchery was held together by some committed riding on Lauren’s part, and when she reached the Dairy Farm – the last major question on the course – she opted to go long rather than take the risk of attempting to string together the direct route.

“It was just out of reach,” she explains, “and I had to fiddle my way to the option – but all the way, he was trucking on.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan navigate the Trout Hatchery en route to 12th place. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Burghley debutantes Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan impressed in their five-star debut at Kentucky, and they backed it up today, too, notching up 15.6 time penalties and a clear round to sit twelfth overnight.

“It was just amazing – it’s been my goal all year,” says the hard-working rider, who received the Jacqueline B. Mars International Grant to fund her trip. “I’d never stepped on Burghley soil before, or even UK soil – everyone said it was big here, but I didn’t appreciate just how big. But I just went out with a plan, knowing the plan would probably go to pieces at some point. Bobby Costello and Erik Duvander told me to find the line and point, and he fought for me out there – I was just hoping to be a little bit faster.

One rein? No problem. Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 keep on trucking at the Trout Hatchery. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 got what they came for, and then some – they achieved the clear round they’d been hoping for, adding 19.2 time penalties, and they’re in an enviable position, too. They sit 13th as we head into the final phase.

“It wasn’t pretty, but Burghley doesn’t need to be pretty, huh?” laughs Andrea, reflecting on her determined round. “Last year I had a 20, but it was much prettier – I had visions in my head of being pretty again. But I was held at six, which ruined my flow, so I slapped her together a bit but never quite found the rhythm.”

Andrea’s first thoughts on being held were of a prior incident, in which she found herself held for an hour and a half.

“You never know how long it’ll be, or if you’ll be able to keep the adrenaline up.”

Through the Trout Hatchery, Andrea found herself having to dig deep to make up for the flow she hadn’t quite regained.

“I wasn’t planning on going long, but she drifted left – which is odd, because she usually drifts right! I could have made it, but I decided to go for the option – but then I dropped my rein, so we barely made it over. I hope we made it over, anyway – we certainly levitated over something!”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z make it happen. Photo by William Carey.

Liz Halliday-Sharp put a tricky season with Deniro Z behind her, coming home clear with 34.4 time penalties to sit fifteenth overnight, dropping down from equal seventh after dressage. But despite their clear round, Liz found herself having to work hard to tick all the boxes.

“I had to do a couple of options that weren’t in my plan,” says the rider, whose last three-day with the horse was at Luhmühlen last year, where they finished eighth. “He got a little backwards in the middle part of the course, and I wasn’t quite getting the power I hoped for – I had to really kick on at the Maltings and he did a superman jump, so I knew I wouldn’t make the turn and rerouted. It’s disappointing to have the time – he’s a wonderful horse and could have been very competitive, but he’ll come away stronger for it. He’s an incredible horse and so game – but here we are, we’ve got round Burghley!”

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Like Andrea Baxter before her, Lillian Heard had one big goal this week: to come home with a clear round on her third attempt with LCC Barnaby. She did just that, clocking up 28.8 time penalties to round out the top twenty after taking straight routes everywhere except the Leaf Pit – the former architect of her Burghley heartbreak.

“I have more experience out there now, but he was awesome,” she says. “Everything was smooth – who has a smooth ride at Burghley?! Now I’m back, I’m frustrated I wasn’t quicker, but I’ve failed here before and I didn’t today.”

With her Burghley demons banished, Lillian’s looking ahead – well beyond tomorrow’s showjumping.

“I promised myself that if I went clear here I’d go to Badminton – I’ve always wanted to go, and who knows when I’ll have the horse again.”

Prior experience, too, meant that Lillian wasn’t put off by how many people failed to complete throughout the day.

“I wasn’t surprised when they weren’t coming back,” she says. “Last year, I was like, ‘what is this?!’ This year I was like, ‘this is what it’s like.’ I stuck to my plan, and I’d usually change it.”

Will Coleman and Tight Lines. Photo by William Carey.

Will Coleman and Tight Lines were the first US combination on course, but they also had one of the trickier rounds of the day: shellshocked by the crowds, ‘Phish’ proved tough to manage on course, and they ultimately added 20 penalties for a run-out at the C element of the Leaf Pit and 11 penalties for a broken pin at the Trout Hatchery oxer, plus 23.2 time penalties, to their dressage score of 32.4, putting them 28th overnight.

“The plan certainly wasn’t a run-out and a pin, but it happened,” he says. “He was really just pulling like a train, and I couldn’t get him to settle – he got right under the oxer and froze a bit. The whole round, his body was going faster than his brain. But he’s a pretty worrisome horse, and that might be the root cause – he didn’t settle in the crowds. He’s not dishonest and he got it done, and we’ve got to start there, I guess – he came out frenetic and the whole occasion got to him, but he’ll be better for it.”

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B notch up a near-clear at Burghley. Photo by William Carey.

Honourary American Dom Schramm and Bolytair B, who ride for Australia but are based in the States, tackled their first Burghley and second five-star with aplomb to sit 29th overnight after adding 37.2 time penalties and eleven for a knocked pin, picked up at the Trout Hatchery – but that didn’t stop Dom from storming home with an enormous smile on his face.

“I’m happy to be home in one piece,” he grins. “I was surprised how backed off he was by the crowds at the beginning, and I couldn’t really get his head down. But what a horse! I came here for redemption – I rode like an idiot at Kentucky. It’s amazing what an outstanding horse can make an average rider look like!”

A big jump at the Maltings prompted Dom to take an unplanned long route, while a ‘pegasus distance’ at the Dairy Farm sharpened the pair up for the trip home – “that fence kept me awake at 4am!” – which they cruised through in style.

“It’s unbelievable, and it kind of feels like I’ve paid my bit back to all the people who support me,” says Dom, who was astonished by the scale and difficulty of the challenge set. “I kept looking at my watch and thinking, ‘how the hell does anyone make the time here?!’ Mark Phillips is a genius course designer, and it’s a privilege to ride around here.”

Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills also added eleven penalties, though they picked theirs up at the Maltings, and a further 38 time penalties sees them sit 32nd going into the final phase.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to stand in the finish box,” says Chris, who rode with his late grandmother’s favourite flower tucked in his armband. “It’s difficult out there today and a lot’s not going to plan – I was a bit off over at the Maltings, so we had a pin. I overrode it and he tried to use his scope, but couldn’t quite make the rail. It was scrappy, and it was tough, but it was an unbelievable feeling.”

Chris had to ride conscientiously after ‘Billy’ lost his right front shoe at fence 5: “I tried to save him and get him home, and I didn’t want him to lose confidence when he’d been going so well. It’s more than I could have asked for – I was all okay with having a green moment, but he exceeded my expectations in every way. He’s shown me around some of the biggest courses in the world – he’s amazing, and it still hasn’t set in that we’ve crossed the finish line.”

Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The day ended rather earlier for several US combinations. Hannah-Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot retired at the Dairy Farm after a problem, despite showing early flair and promise, particularly at the Trout Hatchery. Doug Payne fell from Vandiver at the Maltings, while Buck Davidson and Jak My Style tipped up over the second upright gate at the Lake, with Buck getting hung up from the stirrup iron as the horse clambered back up, and Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack took an ostensibly nasty but ultimately harmless tumble at the Dairy Mound. We’re pleased to report that all are uninjured.

The Post-Mortem: A Closer Look at Burghley’s Inimitable Influence

After three withdrawals – Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On, who will run at Blenheim instead, Michael Owen and Jims Pal, whose running was contingent on how the course was riding, and Georgie Spence and Wii Limbo – 64 horse-and-rider combinations came forward to tackle today’s phase. Of these, we saw just 33 complete – and only 23 do so without picking up jumping penalties. That’s a 52% completion rate, and a 36% clear rate – interestingly, although Burghley is the biggest track in the world, it ordinarily has the highest completion rate at around 62%.

Though the problems came up thick, fast, and well-spread through the intense middle section of the course, the consensus from riders as they came home was universal: the course was a fair one, and one lacking in gimmicks.

“It’s tough, but there’s no trickery like you see in a lot of European courses, where there are things coming up off blind bends and it feels like they’re trying to catch you out,” says Oliver Townend. Piggy French, who was vocal about her dislike of the white gates at 16AB, agreed, citing her faith in Captain Mark Phillips – and nodding her agreement that this is a course that’s meant to be attacked, not intimidated by.

“I thought it was an enormous course when I walked it – the oxers at the Maltings (13ABC) rode as big as they walked, which was a scary feeling,” she says. “But [before my round], I thought the double of gates were really hideous – nearly unjumpable – and maybe that’s personal, because they wouldn’t suit my horse. But we have so much faith in Mark, and they were there to be attacked.”

But nonetheless, the problems did appear – sometimes as a result of bad luck, like in the case of George Hilton-Jones, who took a tumble from Efraim when the horse’s front shoe got stuck in his martingale, or in the case of 2018 winners Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy who, as the last out of the start box, had made light work of 90% of the course but took an enormously unfortunate tumble when the horse stumbled while cantering through the final Lion’s Bridge water. More often than not, though, issues cropped up because of an error in the approach or in the line, and some fences on the course were particularly prolific in catching out these lapses in concentration – or gaps in knowledge.

Becky Woolven and DHI Babette K, 10th overnight, demonstrate a good effort at the Maltings. Photo by Peter Nixon/Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The Joules at the Maltings combination at 13ABC claimed the most victims throughout the day, with fourteen riders picking up faults at the question, which consisted of two wide oxers on a variable six-stride line followed by a four- or five-stride line to an open corner. This question also saw the highest number of pins break, with seven riders picking up eleven penalties here. Dimensionally enormous, these fences required an aggressive and positive ride, and commitment – though liberally sprinkled with some flexibility – to the chosen stride pattern, but all too often, we saw staid and sedate rides through here, which meant that several horses – left to rely on scope – failed to make the width, taking the frangible elements down in the process.

Michael Owen and Bradeley Law jump the influential timber oxer at the Trout Hatchery. Photo by Peter Nixon/Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The timber oxer at 10, which was the first question at the new-look Trout Hatchery, also proved influential, with eight combinations faulting here – but while the Maltings claimed as many unseated riders and runouts as pins, the oxer here was fundamentally a frangible issue, with six breaking through the day. We saw many horses try for an ambitious leap here, ultimately landing short before the water and kicking out the back rail, effectively making it look like a showjumping question, though three riders did pick up 20 penalties here.

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet pop through the middle element of the Rolex Combination. Photo by Peter Nixon/Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The Rolex Combination at 14ABCD, with its Vicarage Vee-style middle element, saw seven faulters, no broken pins, and the only missed flag penalty of the day, which was notched up by Richard Skelt and Credo III, who were ultimately eliminated two fences later. Mistakes here largely came down to runouts at that middle element, which required a precise stride and an even more precise line, and many other riders through the day opted to take the long route at the expense of a small handful of seconds.

One of the combinations that proved to be a surprise snake in the grass was Clarence Court at the Dairy Farm which, at 20ABCDE, was the last significant question on course. It was the combination, too, that the Captain vowed to change last year, saying, “it didn’t cause any problems – but it could have done.” This year, its three route options provided a fair question, but a tough one, and five riders faulted here. Three picked up stops or runouts, often for failing to make their line after a poor effort over the first fence, and we saw Hannah-Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot retire after a problem here. There was one significant fall, too, when Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack took a tumble that, fortunately, looked considerably nastier than it actually was. And then there was an elimination of a rather different sort: Francis Whittington, who had to make a quick decision to go long with Evento after his approach didn’t quite go to plan, completed the course before discovering he’d been eliminated for piecing together different elements from the two different long routes and doubling up on lettered elements in the process.

All this might add up to look like that grand oversimplification, ‘a bad day for the sport.’ But was it? Or was it indicative of a deeper-rooted problem and, as such, a welcome opportunity to make a positive change within our sport?

Consider this: although it’s an inarguably tough course, Burghley was made to look smooth, sensible, and almost easy by the cream of the crop, who rightly rose to the top throughout the day. Compare this to some of the more contentious courses of the past few years, like Pierre Michelet‘s Pau course in 2017 – even the fast rounds from top riders looked difficult on that track, which saw some of the very best in the world falter. So are the problems today the result of a track that was too tough – a notion most of the week’s competitors would appear to disagree with – or are they a spotlight on a gap in the education of less experienced riders?

Overnight leader Pippa Funnell thinks so.

“It’s really important on the national circuit that the courses add up to become a solid preparation for this level,” she says. “There isn’t be an easy track for qualification, a cheap qualification. Bramham is always a good indicator for [riders] coming here, but they have to be able to see a distance, or the accumulative effect can take its toll on the horses.”

Qualification, after all, doesn’t indicate readiness – and course designer Captain Mark Phillips points out that his job is to create a course that tests the best, and so riders need to be prepared for a suitably tough course.

“I feel a bit battered and bruised – I’ve always been told to make Burghley Burghley, and it was Burghley. I have very mixed emotions,” he says. “You don’t set out to see half the field finish – you want to see a lot more. But everyone said at the beginning that you’ve got to ride forward, and it’s sad that we saw too many people not riding forward. We were really missing the likes of Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson, Tina Cook, and so on in this field. In many ways, we had a weakened field today, and to be honest, that showed. What pleased me is that [through the day] we saw every fence ridden well, and a lot of people made it look really easy, which is what should happen. There wasn’t one fence I thought I shouldn’t have, or that I thought was unfair – in my heart of hearts, I don’t think I made it too hard. If you have to lower the standard for the field, I don’t think that’s what the sport should be about.”

But, continues the Captain, “it was a wonderful day for frangible technology. We’ve probably broken a record [for the most pins broken, 16] but no horse or rider got hurt. We’re still working on the technology – a couple of people broke frangibles and I thought they were unlucky, but others hit the fences harder and they didn’t. The world of frangible technology is a developing one, and there will always be good and bad luck stories.”

So what’s next? Before we head into the showjumping, there’s the final horse inspection to get through – that takes place at 9.00 a.m. local time/4.00 a.m. EST, and as always, we’ll be bringing you a full report and image gallery, as well as live-tweeting throughout. Then, we’ll head into the first session of showjumping at 10.30 a.m./5.30 a.m. EST. Look out for times in the trot-up report – and until then, Go Eventing!

#LRBHT19: Website, Ride Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Form Guide, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

The feeling as you finish: Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy cross the line in 2018. Photo by Peter Nixon.

And so the big one looms once again: it’s cross-country time at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Want to brush up on your knowledge of the course? Check out our comprehensive preview, featuring an in-depth and fascinating course walk video with course designer Captain Mark Phillips. Find your favourites to follow on the live-stream by checking the ride times for tomorrow. Then, check out what some of our competitors have to say about the challenge ahead…

THE RIDERS REACT:

Pippa Funnell (1st): “I’ve walked it with my best friend, Tina Cook – so any problems tomorrow, I can blame on her! He’s had some blips, but we want to try to eradicate the blips – he’s a horse I’ve thought a lot of, but he’s had hiccups along the way. I’ll have to ride his balance a little bit – he can fall on his head and shoulders on cross-country. He’s a rookie, so I’ve got to ride him in the frame of mind I rode with last week [at the European Championships]. You can’t do a nice easy trip – you’ve got to get stuck in and be bold.

Because of the size of the fences, it’s important to give them as good a ride as possible. If you start seeing bad strides, it makes them much bigger. I’ll have to concentrate from beginning to end, because of [MGH Grafton Street’s] sense of humour.”

Oliver Townend (2nd): “I don’t look forward to jumping any of them! I’ve only managed to walk it once so far, as I’ve been suffering a little bit.”

Izzy Taylor (3rd): “It’s a big track and a tough track, and we’ll have to think from the beginning to the very end. There’s no fence to not be concentrating on; the middle of the course is very intense, but that doesn’t take away from the rest of the course. The ground walks very well, but it often rides softer – but they manage it very well here.

[Springpower] is very positive and wants to get on with life, so I need to make sure he’s staying with me as he does so.”

Lauren Kieffer (4th): “I’m not here for experience – I promised the owner that if I came, I’d give it a crack, so we’ll give it a crack or go home trying. But we have Plan Bs, too, as anything can go wrong in the combinations and you need to think really fast to be able to get out of it. He may go out there and say, ‘holy crap! This is different than anything I’ve ever seen!’ Or he might attack it, which is much more him. He’s an Arabian, so the fitness will be okay.”

Piggy French (=5th): “You’ve got to wipe the slate clean before cross-country and take each stage as it comes. She’s a true Burghley horse – our preparation hasn’t been great since Badminton, and I won’t have that in the back of my mind, but I need to make sure she’s feeling her best. She’s got a massive heart and is such a trier – all that helps.

I hate the double of gates [at the lake, fence 16]. I think it’s a horrible fence and Mark Phillips has been brave at that stage in the course. When I jump gates I always turn around to check they’re still standing. We all trust Mark completely, but I’d quite like to bypass it!

The course is enormous, but it’s fair – there’s nothing there to catch us out.”

Jonelle Price (=7th): “The ground here is world class – the best I’ve ever seen in the world.[What make the course tough] is the accumulative effect of big fence after big fence – that’s unique to Burghley. [Faerie Dianimo] is such a dynamic, careful little jumper, which is why I’ve looked after her  a little bit. You never know if you’ve got a Burghley horse until you’re out there, but I think she is, which is why I’ve brought her.”

Eliza Stoddart (=9th): “The first time I walked it, I did it in the dark – so luckily, I couldn’t see some of the fences!

Having not ridden here before, I don’t know what [Priorspark Opposition Free] should feel like at each stage, so I walked the course again with Pippa Funnell and Piggy French, and they told me what he might feel like, and then Chris Bartle said, ‘Eliza, you’re not here for experience – you’re here to do well.’ He’s a very genuine horse, and there are quite a lot of long routes, so you just have to be sensible for your horse. I’ll just break it up into manageable pieces.

I used to come to hunter trials here when I was a kid, and I’d sit on the edge of the Leaf Pit with my mates. We’d say we were the Three Musketeers and we’d do Burghley one day.”

Tim Price (=9th, =11th, and 20th): “Everyone knows what they’re about – you’ve got to do your own job, and your own game, and I’ve got three chances to get it right. The course, by and large, is very cleverly designed. It’s challenging, and I look forward to it.

You’ve got to start in a way that allows them to get into the course, but not at the expense of the time. It’s intense, and you’ve got a lot of obstacles early on. That will affect my three in different ways – Xavier Faer needs to be on his game early on. Once you get up Winners’ Avenue and through the Dairy Mound, you’re ticking boxes – though I don’t say that in a casual way.”

The aftermath. Photo by Peter Nixon.

Sarah Bullimore (=11th): “The first part is heavy with questions, and you have to negotiate them and also be quick. There’s a couple of similar questions, but an awful lot of new questions – some of them are similar but have been tweaked. The terrain here is massively influential, not just on the fences, but on the time.

Reve du Rouet has got so much scope and ability – I just have to direct it in the right way. It’s not like riding a machine; they have a brain too.”

Sebastien Cavaillon (13th): “Its bigger in the middle of the course, though the technicality is similar [to other five-stars]. It’s uphill, it’s downhill – it’s much more difficult than Badminton or Pau.”

Gemma Tattersall (=14th and 28th): “I have two different plans, but they’re both fast, bold cross-country horses. I can bring the information back from Arctic Soul’s round to use for Santiago Bay. It’s the biggest track I’ve ever seen in my life, and that suits me! Obviously anything can happen, and Arctic Soul is still a horse, but this is his best event and I’m looking forward to taking the handbrake off.”

Zara Tindall (17th): “I’m going to go out meaning business – with [Class Affair], it’s easier to go straight than to keep turning around. He almost needs a big occasion to make him back off and not be so buzzy. Obviously you have to have a plan B, but we want to be economical.”

Georgie Spence (18th): “It’s big – it’s always big! – but it looks particularly big in some places. The Maltings seems to walk on four-and-a-half strides, and it’s hard to decide whether to do the four of the five. It all seems jumpable, bit it’s all there.”

Will Furlong (19th): “We’ve done a couple of Badmintons now, and I think I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be! The middle section from the water onward will be intense, and where the problems will come. If you can get around to the Cottesmore Leap, it’s quite a nice ride home and downhill, too. I’m seventh on so I’ll have to stick to my plan – it’s nice, actually, because you can overanalyse by watching and really, you know your horse best.”

Ludwig Svennerstal (=21st): “It’s a good course, and always Mark Phillips builds a good course. It’s going to be very demanding, but it walks very fair. It’s very tough, but that’s what you expect here.”

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet at the Maltings. Photo by Peter Nixon.

Doug Payne (=21st): “It’s a tremendous place – just having a walk around, it’s incredible. There’s no stone or blade of grass left unturned, and the course is beautifully presented. I watched as many videos as possible, and I find the most value in helmet cams – I watched Tim Price’s round from last year, which gives you an idea of where you’re going and what comes up next.

I might go long at the Leaf Pit, as it’s unpredictable, and you won’t lose too much time. There’s trouble that can be had from beginning to end. I’m lucky to have the horse I have – he’s an absolute machine on cross-country. You just have to hope you’re fit enough. You wouldn’t want to enter here questioning if you’re ready – you need an abundance of confidence.”

Ben Hobday (=21st): “[Harelaw Wizard] has got it in him to go fast – with him, it’s the brakes that can sometimes go wrong! He’s very brave, and he’s also very strong.”

Will Coleman (26th): “This, to me, is the epitome of our sport – I value it above all others. It’s the most pure form of our sport that’s left – it’s a true cross-country dominated event. The Maltings fences are the biggest jumps I’ve ever seen.”

Johan Lundin (27th): “This is one of the biggest courses I’ve ever seen – it’s inviting for the horses, but frightening for the riders!”

Becky Woolven (30th): “It’s very hilly, and there are a lot of questions in one area. I do feel happy having done Luhmühlen with DHI Babette K – she was bold and straight, which does give me confidence, but she’ll never have experienced a test like this.”

David Britnell (32nd): “I’m itching to get out there! There’s a little bit more width in places [than at Badminton], but nothing Continuity can’t read. [Having a long partnership] gives you a feeling of ease where others may have anxiety and doubt – you know how he’ll read things. It’s organic; you feel, you don’t think.”

Buck Davidson (=34th): “Of any event, this is the biggest, and it’s always a dream come true to be here. I’d like to see Mark Phillips’ measuring tape, though! The Dairy Mound and the Maltings are for real serious – and my little horse has never seen crowds, and is a little bit spooky. You need a galloping horse, and a brave horse, and I think Jak is that.”

Emma Hyslop-Webb (=34th): “The Maltings will be tough – it’s not the fences, it’s putting them together, and you have to decide whether to go on four or five strides. The nice thing is that the Captain releases the course video, so you can train the lines at home – I train with Caroline Moore, and we’ve trained over a lot of them. Burghley really is the pinnacle of the sport – I’ve got my whole team here so they know what the end goal is that we’re producing the young horses for.”

James Sommerville (=37th): “I got run away with at the end of Blair last year, so stamina shouldn’t be a problem! Everything here seems to have extra elements – I don’t remember seeing Ds and Es at Badminton. It’s big jumping all the way with very few let-up fences. Winners’ Avenue is certainly a long way – I knew it was a long gallop, but you don’t quite realise how long it is from the gates to the Cottesmore Leap. It’s a good minute of galloping.

Some of the long routes are quite long, but some are as quick as the short routes. I’m having half a glance at the Leaf Pit, though. I’m in a good position in that I’ll get to see how it rides.”

Francis Whittington (=39th): “I intend to go long at the Leaf Pit – I don’t see a reason to jump that big drop, and it’s better to keep him moving round. How do you prepare for the Leaf Pit? I remember coming to the edge of it the first time I ever walked it and thinking, ‘I’m a goner!’ I’ve got a VHS tape that I watch sometimes of that round, and the commentator says, ‘Francis Whittington – reckless at the Leaf Pit!’ I like to think I’ve improved since then! For Evento, it’s an ideal course – we’ll grab it with both hands.”

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class take the scenic route. Photo by Peter Nixon.

Andrea Baxter (46th): “It’s the same track as last year – in a way, it’s not as technical, but it’s bigger, and when the technical things come up, they come out of nowhere.”

Dom Schramm (53rd): “They’re huge – I got up to the Leaf Pit and was like, ‘I don’t even know if this is possible!’ I guess it is, because they do it every year – part of me is terrified, and part of me wants to give it everything we’ve got. I wouldn’t want to be on a whippet that runs out of jump at the end.”

Matt Heath (=54th): “I’ve been here six times, and it’s the hardest I’ve ever seen. It’s tough out there this year – because it’s different, you start to think it’s bigger and stronger. But Mark has been very kind in that once you’ve got to the top of the hill, he helps us out from there – last year, there was a nasty skinny at the Dairy Mound, but he’s taken that out this year.

I’ll watch the first group of riders go, because you’ve got some of the best in the world in there – they’ll give us an indication of how it’s riding, but I won’t watch after that.”

Lillian Heard (=54th): “I don’t want to have a 20 but I want to be quicker, too, so I won’t take too many long routes. I’m not very good with drops, so the Leaf Pit is my concern – but it’s a long long-route. [LCC Barnaby] is good on cross-country, so I have to be too – but he’s up for it!

I love Kentucky, but this feels like a different sport – it’s as big and as bad as it gets, which makes the first phase a little less important.”

Imogen Murray (60th): “There’s a couple of places where you have options, where one route isn’t actually quicker than the other. The Trout Hatchery is a lot scarier this year – it’s very big. You can’t go to sleep on course out there at any point.”

George Hilton-Jones (=63rd): “I’m still not sure what I’m going to do at the Rolex Combination – the two routes don’t have much of a time difference. It’s a big, impressive track, and it’s what most of us have dreamt of, tackling the biggest course in the world. I’ll probably go long at the Leaf Pit – [Efraim] gets quite strong and forward, so I’ll have to see whether I can get enough control to just step off.”

Woodge Fulton (65th): “He’s an excellent practice horse and super honest – if I don’t mess up, he’ll jump all the jumps.”

Ginny Howe (66th): “As a child, you always look at the Cottesmore Leap, so it’ll be nice to get over that and get a nice picture. I’ll go long at the Rolex Combination – it’s [Undalgo de Windsor’s] first time at the level, and it’s a strong enough middle question – and you don’t lose that much time on the long route. There’s not one small fence, really, but you don’t come to Burghley for any other reason. I’m hoping he’s the right horse to take me round.”

Kirsty Short (67th): “After fence eight, it’s our course – but up till then, I’ll need to keep [Bouncer] steady and together. They’ve got to come into the main arena and be short and nippy, and then there’s a skinny before the Leap Pit where there’s normally a big oxer – and it’s a tight turn, too. It’ll be tough for a big-jumping horse. From then on, it’s a good galloping course.”

The US riders (plus honorary yank Dom Schramm) will ride at the following times:

• Will Coleman & Tight Lines – 11:55 a.m. (6:55 a.m. EST)
• Andrea Baxter & Indy 500 – 12:11 p.m. (7:11 a.m. EST)
• Ariel Grald & Leamore Master Plan – 12:31 p.m. (7:31 a.m EST)
• Dom Schramm & Bolytair B – 12:47 p.m. (7:47 a.m. EST)
• Doug Payne & Vandiver – 1:07 p.m. (8:07 a.m. EST)
• Liz Halliday-Sharp & Deniro Z – 1:35 p.m. (8:35 a.m. EST)
• Chris Talley & Unmarked Bills – 1:55 p.m. (8:55 a.m. EST)
• Hannah Sue Burnett & Harbour Pilot – 2:03 p.m. (9:03 a.m. EST)
• Buck Davidson & Jak My Style – 2:19 p.m. (9:19 a.m. EST)
• Lillian Heard & LCC Barnaby – 2:27 p.m. (9:27 p.m. EST)
• Woodge Fulton & Captain Jack – 3:03 p.m. (10:03 a.m. EST)
• Lauren Kieffer & Vermiculus – 3:07 p.m. (10:07 a.m. EST)

To all our competitors heading out of the start box tomorrow: have fun, stay safe, and we’ll see you on the other side. Go Eventing.

#LRBHT19: Website, Ride Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Form Guide, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street take their biggest leaderboard yet. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“At Tattersalls my exact words were, ‘I’m not retiring until I get to the bottom of this little bugger!'” laughs Pippa Funnell, the former Grand Slam victor and our dressage leader with MGH Grafton Street. For those of you who keenly follow the sport – and, indeed, our reports from across the country – it should come as no surprise to see the Padraig McCarthy-sourced gelding at the top once again, nor to see him boasting such a considerable lead on his score of 22.8. But if you know MGH Grafton Street as a reliable first-phase performer you know, too, that he can be somewhat less consistent across the country. It’s that Tattersalls performance that Pippa holds onto: in a commanding lead after the first-phase, the gelding stopped at an innocuous drop as Pippa adjusted him for the following corner, dropping them well out of contention.

“He’s got loads of ability, but he can just get the last laugh – he’s a real comedian,” says Pippa, who rides the horse for long-time owners Jonathan and Jane Clarke. “But I’ve walked the course with my best friend, Tina Cook, so if I have any problems tomorrow I can blame them on her!”

Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The first battle, though, was the first phase – and although the horse scores remarkably well each time he comes out, today’s test was the first time that Pippa thought he felt as good as the scores suggested.

“He’s an attractive horse to look at, but the judges actually tend to like him more than the feeling I get – which is a nice way around to have it,” concedes Pippa. “He’s short-coupled and can feel stiff in the back, and it’s a bit like riding round on a pogo stick.”

Pippa’s decisive, precise riding today came down to two things: firstly, a stern word with herself – “last night I was thinking, ‘it’s ridiculous to have Billy Walk On so far down the field when he’s usually right up there’; I told myself off!” – and secondly, an interesting warm-up tactic, taught to her by long-term coach and mentor Ruth McMullen. In the collecting ring, just moments before her test, she continued to school the horse as normal – but with one hand behind her back.

“It means I can’t start niggling with my hands, and it’s a reminder to turn with my legs, not my reins,” she explains. “For the last few minutes, I can just focus on myself, not him – it’s actually something I used at the Olympics with Billy the Biz, too. It really helped me, and it brought him up through his withers. It gives him something to focus on, and it puts me in a little zone, rather than focusing on everyone else. Yesterday, I got too hooked up on riding the movements from the test – with this horse, I know he can do the movements, but I needed to get the basics. If they’re there, everything else slots into place.”

Pippa will bring just the overnight leader forward to cross-country – Billy Walk On, placed fourteenth after dressage, will reroute to Blenheim, a manoeuvre designed to give the rangy youngster his best chance of a positive, competitive run after Pippa’s week away at the Europeans fractured her training plans.

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class settle for second. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

2017 champions Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class couldn’t quite usurp the lead, though their 25.3 and second place should be well worth raising a glass of something naughty to, anyway. Or, well, it would be – but for the fact that Oliver hasn’t been able to actually walk tomorrow’s course properly yet.

“I’ve been suffering a little bit,” admits Oliver, who injured his back earlier in the week, and has barely been able to walk or ride since. As a result, he had to withdraw his second entry, the first-timer Ulises. “It’s been a little bit tricky. I’ve had a lot of physio in my career, obviously, but what Ash Wallace, the Team GBR physic, has done since Wednesday has been nothing short of a miracle.”

Despite his own physical limitations, he produced a test with all the consistency and sprinkling of sparkle we’ve come to expect from the Courage II gelding, who has never finished outside of the top five in his four five-star runs.

“Two years ago [when he won here on his debut], he was a novice, really – I remember I was still putting flying changes into him in the warm-up,” says Oliver. “He’s become a lot stronger, and a lot more established since then – but if I could go in again, I’d just get him revved up a bit more. He was very relaxed, and I actually had to kick him on a bit in the walk.”

Although ‘Thomas’ is a reliable low-20s performer – and briefly held the record for the lowest-ever dressage score at Badminton, quickly eclipsed by stablemate Cillnabradden Evo – Oliver doesn’t consider this the horse’s best phase.

“That’s not his strongest bit, I don’t think – but tomorrow’s another day, and the best bits are hopefully to come,” he says. “He’s proven himself here before, and hopefully he’ll do it again, but it’s just lovely to have a horse of this calibre at these sort of events. He’s still only twelve, and he’s not yet finished improving – we’ve not seen his best, yet.”

But how will Oliver make sure he’s at his best before giving the Burghley course another go?

“I don’t know what Izzy’s got planned for me tonight,” he laughs, shooting a sidelong glance at his girlfriend, who sits just behind him on the leaderboard. “She’ll probably spike my drink and give me a kick in the back!”

Springpower shows off his potential with Izzy Taylor. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“He’s got a lot of movement, but he’s not entirely able to control it at the moment,” says Izzy Taylor, placed third overnight with the ‘cheeky’ Springpower, who was second in the Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S last season. Though he’s always shown enormous promise in this phase, his previous marks have been somewhat scuppered by a proclivity for naughtiness – but today, in his second five-star start, he looked nothing if not professional, scoring 25.6 to slot in less than half a penalty behind the 2017 winners.

“He’s still green at the level – he went to Badminton [and did his test] on the Friday afternoon, which went to his head a bit, so we had a lot of work to do,” says Izzy. “The cameras are very close in there, so he got a bit tense, but it’s still so exciting – there’s so much more to come, and I’ve always been excited about him since day one. I just had to say to him, ‘it’s alright, we’re still together, I’m still here – let’s go and do this.’ The experience will be fantastic for him.”

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus battle the elements. Photo by Tim Wilkinson/Eventing Images.

Lauren Kieffer and the diminutive Anglo-Arab Vermiculus stormed into a late lead this afternoon, and by the end of the day, they remain in fourth place and best of the US riders on their score of 26.7 – yet another personal best, despite some grumblings of harsh marking across the board.

“I’m thrilled with him,” says Lauren, who began her test in heavy rain showers. “He hates the rain, and when it started coming down in [the collecting ring] he kept trying to turn his butt to it – I thought we’d just be trying to survive in there!”

Ultimately, though, the rain proved a surprise advantage to the gelding, who lives out all year round and goes into ‘survival mode’ against the elements as a result.

“In canter he can get a bit stuck and fresh, and he can throw in some changes – but the rain was letting up, and I think he was so thrilled that he was like, ‘I’ll behave, just give me the sun!'”

For Lauren, who finished twelfth here in 2017 with Veronica, Vermiculus isn’t just an exciting part of her competitive string – he’s a poignant link to the past, too. He’s a full brother to Snooze Alarm, the horse with whom she made the transition from childhood rider to five-star competition.

“He was my first-ever horse, and it was a bit of a fairytale – I got him as a kid, and did my first Kentucky on him,” she explains. “After he retired, I didn’t really have any other horses, so I thought I’d start with what I knew, and so I brought his full brother – Vermiculus. He was a two-year-old at the time, and he was so feral that I didn’t manage to catch him until he was four.”

Now, Vermiculus is part of a formidable group of US event horses owned by Jacqueline Mars, arguably the patron saint of upper-level eventing in the country.

“She’s a godsend, and our fairy godmother – she deserves this more than any of us,” says Lauren. “I promised that if I came, I’d give it a crack – so we’ll give it a crack or go home crying.”

Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo dazzle in the early movements. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The Price family are a formidable force at any event, and even after the late withdrawal of top contender Classic Moet, Jonelle Price still finds herself comfortably within the top ten after dressage. Riding Burghley debutante and Luhmühlen winner Faerie Dianimo, she scored a 28.4 to sit in equal seventh place with Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z. She started her test with a bang, scoring a 10 for her first halt, and produced a nearly impeccable test for the first two-thirds, in which the flashy mare – a maternal half-sister to fellow entrant Xavier Faer – showed her remarkable trot work at its best. ‘Like Marilyn Monroe,’ reads the horse’s bio on the Prices’ website, ‘she’s at her best in front of a crowd’ – and that certainly shone through for the first half of today’s test. But while the medium trots were a highlight, some marks slipped away in the latter part of the canter work, in which she showed some tension and began to slip behind the vertical.

“It’s not quite the start I’d hoped for,” says Jonelle, who scored a 27.1 when winning the German five-star last year with the mare. “If I can get her right in those seven minute, she can be quite special. I thought, at the grand old age of fourteen, that she’d grown a bit more sedentary – but she surprised me by being a little hot in there, and then we had a bit of tension.”

Jonelle had tried a new tactic with the mare this week, riding and preparing her slightly less than usual for this phase – “but it caught up with me,” she says with a rueful smile. “She dances to the beat of her own drum, for sure – she’s certainly a hot little thing, and hopefully that serves us well tomorrow, but it would have been nice to have a few extra seconds up our sleeves!”

But a spot in the top ten at Burghley is enough to continue the fight for the win and, as Jonelle laughs, “we’re in front of the hubby, so that’s always a good start!”

Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy round out a star-studded top ten. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The reigning Burghley champions might have hoped for something better, but a 28.7 isn’t too shabby a place to start for Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy, who sit in equal ninth place with yesterday’s leaders Eliza Stoddart and Priorspark Opposition Free – the only competitors in yesterday’s group to remain in the top ten.

“That’s the best he’s been at this level, but I was disappointed with the score,” says Tim. “He’s not flashy, but he’s a serious workman. I’d hoped and thought that this guy would be higher up the leaderboard; he stayed right with me, but he doesn’t have that ‘wow’ that some of the others do.”

Tim is the only rider in the field with three horses this week, and all three sit in the top twenty as we move ahead to cross-country: Bango, tenth here last year, sits just behind stablemate Oz in equal eleventh, while Xavier Faer, who was third at Kentucky this spring, sits twentieth.

Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack begin their last hurrah in a busy summer abroad. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

It’s been a long and productive summer for Woodge Fulton who, powered by the $45,000 Wilton Fair Grant, has spent a season training in Germany with Dirk Schrade. Her adventure began with a successful first trip to Badminton, and now she’s back at Burghley for her last hurrah before she heads home – and this, for her, is the event that matters the most, and the one at which she and her ex-racehorse Captain Jack have unfinished business. Though they came here in 2017 and jumped clear across the country – and, in fact, they’ve never done otherwise in their four five-star starts – they ultimately withdrew before the final phase.

Today, the heavens opened just in time for their dressage, though wise-beyond-her-years Woodge and the experienced sixteen-year-old gelding didn’t succumb to the conditions. Their score of 45.4 might leave them out of the hunt competitively in 65th place overnight but, she sagely points out, “you have to be prepared to be a little bit embarrassed if you want to improve.”

“He’s a bit of a new man, but I’m still riding the old one,” she says. “Dirk has been great in getting him better, but now it’s on me to ride this new horse I’m on.”

Woodge’s go-for-it ethos has been the driving force behind her year abroad, which has seen her compete not just her own horse, but a number of young horses owned by Dirk.

“I think it’s really important to get out of your comfort zone,” she explains. “We [US riders] can’t just compete against each other all the time and lose sight of the bigger picture.”

Riding with Dirk hasn’t just been a positive influence competitively – it’s also allowed her a comprehensive insight into training.

“I can’t remember a time I’ve been riding in the ring alone there, which has been so useful,” says the 23-year-old rider, who shares arena space at Dirk’s with dressage riders, showjumpers, eventers, and stable jockey, who produce the myriad sales horses at the property. All roads lead here – and, most pertinently, to tomorrow’s cross-country track, over which Woodge is hoping to produce the goods yet again.

“I had a text from Dirk this morning, saying ‘good luck – try not to mess it up!'” she grins. “I mean, thanks, coach!”

Cross-country commences tomorrow morning from 11.15 a.m. local time/6.15 a.m. Eastern time, with Tim Price and Bango leading the way. Stay tuned for a look at the course from the riders’ perspective, and in the meantime, revisit our course preview to prepare yourself for the exciting day ahead.

Until then? We’ll be off to light a candle under our poster of Pippa and Supreme Rock, which has been Sellotaped to the walls of EN HQ since the mid-90s. Fangirls? Guilty as charged.

Go Eventing!

The top ten at the conclusion of dressage at the 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

#LRBHT19: Website, Ride Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Form Guide, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Big pats for Vanir Kamira after a lead-equalling performance. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

There’s nothing we value more than consistency over two days of dressage, but the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials took our pleas to Eventing Jesus perhaps a little too literally, dishing out more of the same blustery, spooky weather that plagued us yesterday. But despite the conditions – and the little bit of extra pizzazz they can bring to a fit horse’s dressage test – we were witness to some top-class performances across the board in the penultimate session of dressage this morning.

To add to the excitement? We saw a total changing of the guard in the top three – and a tie for first place, held by one of Britain’s finest and one of the USA’s best.

Hannah-Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot move into a joint lead. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Hannah Sue Burnett could have been forgiven if she’d come to Burghley fearing the worst for this phase – after all, Harbour Pilot had fizzed over entirely at Kentucky, putting a 39.6 on the board and precluding a top-ten finish for the pair. But what’s life, and sport, without keeping those competitive embers well-stoked? And so Hannah Sue rode for every mark, delivering a five-star personal best of 26.9 for the horse to hold onto provisional equal-first place.

“He was awesome – that was definitely the best test we’ve done at this level, and for him to come out and let me really ride him was so exciting,” she says with a broad smile. “He’s normally pretty good, but we had a really disappointing test at Kentucky, where he exploded, so I rode him in a lot more here to make sure he didn’t get nervous. He just got better and better in the ring – he was like my old reliable horse that I used to have.”

Ever the competitor, a nevertheless delighted Hannah Sue reflects, “I could have gone a bit crazier in the extended canter, but I didn’t want to push it! But we’ve got to get it at its best, because these guys over here are pretty good.”

Piggy French and Vanir Kamira start their quest for a second Grand Slam leg. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Pretty good may be a bit of an understatement, and Hannah Sue shares the top spot with one of the very best: Badminton winners Piggy French and Vanir Kamira equalled their 26.9, despite a less-than-ideal summer of preparation.

“She’s not a dressage horse, so nailing the ‘clear round’ is what’s important with her,” explains Piggy, who took her first five-star victory this spring from a starting score of 26. “She finds some things hard – like the canter to trot transition on the centre line. It’s the simple things that are hard for her, but she kept her head and had presence. She’s not naturally a fancy horse, so it’s about keeping her on the right side of the line – and it’s a very fine line.”

Piggy came forward with some trepidation about how the quirky Irish Sport Horse mare might react to the main arena. Though the mare has become a consistent mid-to-high 20s performer, this is her first major appearance since that Badminton, at which she enjoyed a lengthy and exciting victory gallop.

“I really milked the Badminton prize-giving – I went round and round, so I thought maybe she’d go in and get excited, but she’s obvious getting older and wiser,” she laughs. So old and wise, in fact, that we saw her deliver a textbook transition into the tough stretchy canter circle, which remained supple, through, and expressive.

‘Tilly’, who went to stud for her post-Badminton holiday to make use of the embryo transfer she won for being the competition’s best mare, has had larger hurdles to overcome on her way back to five-star, though. Her stay at the stud lasted eight weeks – longer than usual – while they waited for her to cycle, and in the meantime, they opted to make a farriery change. For the mare, who Piggy describes as “a high-maintenance gal,” it was a big step in the wrong direction.

“She’s gone there enough times that we expected it all to stay the same,” says Piggy. “Then, we had eight weeks to get her fit enough – and she was fat from being out, so when you’ve got a horse with delicate feet, it’s not an ideal length of time.”

After noticing that the mare was walking cautiously when being led out to the field, Piggy opted for drastic action, and now the mare has pads to redistribute and diminish some of the pressure. But the rider, who currently ranks third in the world, remains cautious – particularly after a surprise stop at a water jump in a one-day event at Keysoe.

“Some horses have a stop and need to go school water and get revved up again – she’s not one of them,” says Piggy. “Obviously you’ve got to wipe the slate clean before you go cross-country [at a five-star] and take each stage as it comes – but I wouldn’t say I’m confident. If she gets to the Leaf Pit and doesn’t want to jump or isn’t comfortable, I’ll put my hand up.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Burghley has been a major goal for UK-based American Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z, who are on the hunt for redemption after unlucky blips at Kentucky and Aachen this year. But if there’s one phase in which their performance never comes into doubt, it’s this one: despite an ongoing struggle to nail down the changes, they’re perennially correct, geometrically accurate, and flashy between the boards. Today, they find themselves in provisional third place after putting a 28.4 on the board, once again hinting that when those changes are solidified, they’ll be flirting with the very low 20s.

“He was such a good boy – I’m absolutely thrilled,” says Liz, who has worked closely with leading dressage trainer Pammy Hutton to fine-tune the buttons. “He finds the flying changes mechanically difficult, and they’re still definitely a work in progress, so I really concentrated on trying to get as many eights as I could elsewhere. He always give his all for me, though.”

This is a first Burghley for the prolific and talented Liz, who combines a busy career eventing in the UK and the US with a sideline in race driving. That proclivity for speed and toughness should serve her well this week – and so, too, should the learning curves of this season, which haven’t dented the incredibly talented gelding’s enthusiasm at all.

From fourth to eighth place, the lay of the land looks familiar: yesterday’s leaders Eliza Stoddart and Priorspark Opposition Free sit fourth, followed by Tim Price and Bango (5th), Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet (6th), Sebastien Cavaillon and Sarah d’Argouges (7th), and Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On (8th).

Richard Jones and Alfies Clover chase down the big guns. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Richard Jones and Alfies Clover recorded a career-best result here last year, when they finished seventh – but this year, the local rider has the top three in his sights. He made great strides towards that goal this morning, delivering a 30.7 – a significant personal best at the level.

“I’m absolutely delighted with him – dressage isn’t his forte, but that’s four marks better than he’s been in a five-star before. He doesn’t find it easy, but the thing with him is, he doesn’t have a weak link: he’s got everything, all the lateral work, the changes, and he’s not reluctant, but it’s just not easy for him,” says Richard, who lost his wedding ring finger in a lorry park accident in 2017 but debuted the gelding here just three months later for 22nd place.

With an improved finishing result on his mind, Richard puts himself well in the hunt.

“The main thing,” he says, “was getting close to the top guys, and we’ve done that. If you look at the track, and look at the field, I’d still be thinking [I could get] a top-five finish on a 35.”

Buck Davidson and Jak My Style sit just outside the top twenty: “he’s a super cool horse to be around.” Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Although Jak My Style isn’t a true five-star debutante – he did a test at Kentucky, though was withdrawn before cross-country after Buck Davidson suffered a broken collarbone in an earlier round – he comes to Burghley wet behind the ears at the upper levels. But the fourteen-year-old full Thoroughbred, who was struck off before making his racing debut as a result of his bad behaviour, made a professional start to his week, posting a 34.3 to very nearly match his Kentucky test and sit 22nd at the lunch break.

“For him, it’s good – it’s a work in progress in the dressage. The trot is still weak, but his canter and his changes are really good,” says Buck, who took over the ride from former student Justine Dutton after she suffered a plethora of injuries in a rotational fall from the horse in 2017. “She did a great job on him, and I’ve hopefully been able to take it to another level.”

Though Jak flunked out of his racing career, Buck maintains that his brain is one of his greatest assets: “You can teach him something and he does it. He lacks a bit of trot, but he’s got a great brain and he’s a super cool horse to be around. Of course, you’d always like to be better, but it’s [nearly] his personal best, so you can’t really ask for more.”

A run at Kentucky in the spring may have been a crucial part of Buck’s Plan A, but in hindsight, he’s found a silver lining – the horse, he says, “has had six months to get stronger and better. It may have been the best thing for him.”

Now, there’s one goal in mind for the rider, who finished in the top twenty here last year with Park Trader: “If I can stay on [this score] for the whole weekend, I’ll be happy. I’m so fortunate to be here; of any event, this is the biggest, and it’s always a dream come true to be here. I just hope I’ve brought the right horse.”

Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby make their third consecutive Burghley appearance. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Lillian Heard is becoming something of a mainstay at the Lincolnshire five-star, and just like Andrea Baxter yesterday, she returns for a third consecutive year to chase the ultimate goal: a clear round over the biggest course in the world.  Like Andrea, too, she’s followed a trajectory of clear improvement – she failed to complete after falling on course with LCC Barnaby in 2017, and returned last year to complete, incurring 20 penalties along the way.

“It’s nice to be going somewhere you’ve been before – it’s a bit more comfortable every year, because I know where I’m going and what I’m doing,” she says. “I’ve been here three times, yes, but I don’t know when I’ll come again, so I don’t take it for granted.”

Today, she ticked the first-phase box, putting a score of 39.1 on the board for equal 39th place. Their calm, steady test lost some marks in the canter work, in which the Irish Sport Horse gelding lacked in some hind-end activity.

“He can get really hot in the ring and I never know where the line is, but today he was really calm and I rode on the safe side of that line,” explains Lillian. “I should have ridden for more, so I actually got a worse mark than normal – I’m a bit frustrated with myself.”

But this is just one phase of three, and Lillian remains pragmatic and focused on the task ahead: “I love Kentucky so much, but Burghley feels like a different sport. It’s as big and bad as it gets, which makes this bit a little less important.”

Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills add some sparkle – though perhaps a sprinkle too much – between the boards. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Burghley debutantes Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills have had a long road to get here, and it’s been one paved by crowdfunding, rather than grant money. But for the rider, who made his five-star debut at Kentucky this spring with the Thoroughbred gelding, it’s been worth all the hard work.

“It’s pretty special – it’s a pretty magical place, so it’s been an incredible experience so far,” says the rider, who has been hard at work confirming his horse’s connection and rideability in this phase. But preparing for Burghley isn’t just about nailing the dressage, as Chris well knows – and after finishing Kentucky “with plenty of gas in the tank,” he began to build Billy’s fitness further to ready him for the hills. And what do you get when you ask a Burghley-fit horse to stay sedate between the boards? Well, sometimes you end up having to nurture, rather than push.

“It was pretty wild,” laughs Chris of his test, which earned a mark of 40.6 for provisional 46th place. “He struggles with tension a bit in there, and he was quite hot. He’s very fit right now, and so the changes were a little bit early and a little bit excited, and putting my leg on wasn’t quite easy, but he stayed with me, so I’m happy with him.”

We’ve got sixteen combinations left to come in the final session of dressage, so stay tuned for a wrap-up of all the action and the riders’ thoughts on tomorrow’s cross-country challenge, too. Until next time, folks!

The top ten after Friday morning’s dressage session.

#LRBHT19: Website, Ride Times, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Form Guide, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet move into equal second overnight. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The first day of Burghley dawned cool, crisp, and enormously competitive – but after 34 of the 67 combinations, debutantes Eliza Stoddart and Priorspark Opposition Free still lead the pack on their score of 28.7. But there were big strides made – and an enviable amount of sheer joie de vivre – throughout the leaderboard this afternoon.

(Missed the morning report? Jog your memory here!)

The perennially consistent and enormously tactful Sarah Bullimore moved into equal second place with Tim Price and Bango this afternoon, delivering a score of 29.6 with the fifteen-year-old Reve du Rouet, a son of the notoriously mercurial Balou du Rouet.

“He was a really good boy,” she says. “This wouldn’t be his best phase – he’s very capable, but he doesn’t enjoy it, and he gets nervous of the crowd. But he’s an old pro, really, and he was in the right frame of mind today. It’s never about excitability with him – [any problems are due to] panic and worry.”

Today, though, ‘Blou’ didn’t boil over when faced with the full house – in fact, Sarah found herself sitting on quite the opposite.

“He went a bit quiet in there and when he does that, he just holds himself a bit. It’s a bit frustrating, because it could be great, and it would be lovely to be sat on a 25. There’s a lot of pressure have gone well last year – you always want to better it. But we had a few little mistakes and threw away some marks, and because he went a little shy in the arena, he didn’t show himself as well as he can. I really have to bring out the best in him – he can look relaxed on the outside, but there are voices in his head and all this inner turmoil.”

Reve de Rouet has become – perhaps unfairly – known for his blow-ups in the arena, which have subsided over the last couple of seasons, but which previously saw him attempt to escape at speed from big atmospheres. Sarah, who produced the horse from a three-year-old – “so it’s all my fault,” she laughs – has demonstrated a remarkable level of tact and patience in bringing the best out of the gelding, who missed out on a five-star win by a tenth of a penalty at Pau in 2017.

“We understand each other a lot better now,” she says. “We genuinely believe he’s autistic, because of the way he has to do things – even things like putting him in his stable. He has to turn a certain way, or he gets confused and upset. It’s all a compromise – I have to keep my promises, and I have to hope that he does, too.”

This means that the dressage warm-up has to remain consistent – unlike other horses, Blou can’t be brought up to the collecting ring for a schooling session earlier in the day, and instead, is only brought out just before his test.

“Otherwise,” she says, “he gets upset and offended. I’ve had trainers in the past who have said we have to dominate him, and that’s where we’ve really seen him put his dummy out – and he’s a horse who will hold a grudge.”

But despite his tricky nature, Blou is, and always has been, “a good horse – it’s just about finding what works for him.”

The pair, who were reserves for the British team at the European Championships, are almost certainly one of the most underrated combinations in the sport, and although the Oldenburg gelding is a quirky character, Sarah can’t help but smile when she talks about him. For our part? We look at this combination in much the same way we looked at Jonelle and Classic Moet in early 2018, or Tim and Ringwood Sky last year – the big one is coming, it’s just a matter of when.

Sebastien Cavaillon and Sarah d’Argouges. Photo by Tim Wilkinson/Eventing Images.

France’s Sebastien Cavaillon and his smokey-eyed mare Sarah d’Argouges produced a flashy, polished test to score 29.8 and sit fourth overnight. Though they lost some marks in the end of the test, in which the naturally uphill mare began to over-shorten through the front end – or, as one of our press area pals remarked, concertina! Fancy words! – in the canter work, she still executed clean changes and transitions to remain in the seven-plus zone.

“I’m very happy – it’s a few points better than Badminton,” says Sebastien, who made his five-star debut with the mare at Pau last year, before contesting the Gloucestershire fixture this spring. “She’s a good dressage mare with beautiful paces, but she’s very hot – but here, she was with me, so I’m happy.”

Tim Price makes a second entry into the top ten, taking overnight eighth with Xavier Faer. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On move into fifth overnight, followed by Georgie Spence and Wii Limbo in sixth, and Will Furlong and Collien P 2 in seventh. Reigning champion Tim Price remains in equal second place with Bango, but he adds another horse to the top ten in the form of Xavier Faer, who finished third at Kentucky this year. But unlike his stablemates, ‘Hugo’ struggles in this phase: “he’s a bit of a spooky character, but he kept it together in there,” says Tim, who earned a 31.5 with the gelding, a maternal half-brother to wife Jonelle’s Luhmühlen winner Faerie Dianimo. “There were a few technical problems, and the changes weren’t so flash – but he’s a cross-country horse, not a dressage horse.”

It was accurate riding that saved the day for the occasionally quirky Hugo. “That’s called mopping up marks were you can,” says Tim with a laugh. “He’s not one of those where you go ‘wow!’ in the cadence and the paces. I was a little bit disappointed in myself – he struggles with the connection required for flying changes. I knew what I needed to do, and I didn’t quite get it. I’m pleased with him, but disappointed with myself.”

Doug Payne and Vandiver round out the top ten at the culmination of the first day of dressage. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

A familiar face in an unfamiliar setting completes the top ten. Despite his well-stamped passport, Doug Payne has never been to Burghley – well, not since he was a toddler, anyway.

“I was about my son’s age,” he laughs, “and all I remember is the knee-deep mud – although it could have been about two inches deep!”

But despite a lack of prior experience with the venue, Doug has found a novel way to familiarise himself with the challenge ahead.

“I watched as many videos as possible, and actually, I found the most value in helmet cams,” says Doug, who is a prolific helmet-cam user himself. “I watched Tim Price’s round from last year a few times, and I know a number of the team took advantage, too – you get an idea of where you’re going and what’s going to come up.”

Riding Vandiver, he put a score of 32.1 on the board, matching the horse’s personal best at the level, scored at Kentucky in 2017. This puts them into equal ninth overnight.

“That’s about as good as it gets at the moment,” he says. “It sets us up well – not just here, but for the future, too. He just ran out of gas a little bit as we got to the stretchy canter circle. But the score’s the score, and it won’t be a dressage show – so now, my goal is to finish on it.”

With the first phase in the bag, Doug is making sure to take time to enjoy the experience: “It’s a tremendous place – just having a walk around is incredible, there’s been no stone or blade of grass unturned, and the course is beautifully presented.”

Ben Hobday and Harelaw Wizard. Photo by Tim Wilkinson/Eventing Images.

Fan favourite Ben Hobday holds equal ninth place overnight with the half-Clydesdale Harelaw Wizard, who posted a 32.1 despite a tricky warm-up.

“He’s quite a hot horse,” he says. “He just fluffed one of the changes behind. We have to do a lot of walking just before a test just to keep his heart rate down – he’s half Clydesdale, but also half Thoroughbred, and that Thoroughbred side does come out. But if he’d done in there what he did outside this morning, I might have cried!”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan sit 24th after the first day. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Whether you’ve lived twenty minutes down the road all your life, like overnight leader Eliza Stoddart, or whether you’ve had to pack yourself, your horse, and all your hopes and dreams on a plane to get here, there’s one thread that runs consistently through all our riders’ stories: simply to ride on this hallowed turf is the culmination of a childhood dream. For US representative Ariel Grald, who comes here with Leamore Master Plan after a successful debut at Kentucky this spring, it almost beggars belief.

“It’s everything I hoped for and more,” she enthuses after her test, which scored a 38.1 for overnight 24th place. “It’s a real honour to be able to come over from the US, and it’s been a real dream of mine to compete abroad.”

Ariel, who received the Jacqueline B. Mars International Grant from the USET Foundation last month, finished 12th at Kentucky this spring with the ten-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Master Imp x Ardragh Bash), demonstrating a remarkable level of focus when completing the cross-country course with just 6.4 time penalties, despite bringing a flag along for the ride. But there, as today, the dressage proved to be a work-in-progress for the young horse, who suffered some stage fright in the atmospheric main arena.

“He warmed up well, and then just got nervous in there,” explains Ariel. “It’ll be time, strength, and practice with him – I can’t fault him for being nervous. He internalises, but it’ll just take time and mileage for both of us – I’m green, too. Compared to Kentucky, too, you don’t have a lot of room [in the arena here] – and the grass means that there’s less margin for error.”

Ariel’s trip abroad hasn’t brought her straight to Burghley – instead, she’s come via Ireland’s Millstreet International Horse Trials, at which she recorded a top-20 CCI4*-S finish. But the biggest eye-opener for her in Ireland didn’t have anything to do with training or production – instead, it was cultural.

“I was so excited just to see a different atmosphere, and Millstreet was so different from anything in the US,” she explains. “It’s a real cultural thing – you’d never get crowds like this on a Thursday afternoon in the States, so I’ll need to prepare him for that on Saturday, too.”

Dom Schramm and Bolytair B. Photo by Tim Wilkinson/Eventing Images.

Australia’s Dom Schramm – an honourary American, by any standards – posted a 38.7 with Bolytair B for overnight 28th. But in spite of a tumultuous time in between the boards, Dom is thrilled to have finally made it to the UK – a long-term goal that’s been thwarted by roadblocks.

“I felt like I was a bit cursed here, but we finally got on the plane – and everything’s gone to plan so far. He’s come back great from Kentucky, and finally, we’ve had a non-dramatic prep,” he says with a smile. “But he’s a bit of a ticking time bomb – we got into the canter and he was like, ‘HEY! We’re in the Burghley ring!’ I was like, ‘yeah, buddy, keep up – we’ve been in here the whole time!'”

Like Ariel, Eliza, and so many others before him, Dom has been fuelled by dreaming.

“We all grow up with childhood dreams,” he says. “It’s a fire that burns in you from the Pony Club days.”

Dom’s path to the UK has been well-supported by his American copatriots, despite not flying the Stars and Stripes himself.

“I got here, and I was in a separate barn,” says the affable rider, who has been based in the States for nine years. “I wasn’t sure where to put my tack trunks, and those guys said, ‘no, you’re one of us, come use our tack rooms!'”

We’ve got one more action-packed day of dressage ahead of us – but who should you be tuning in for?

• Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z – 9.38 a.m./4.38 a.m. EST
• Chris Talley and Unmarked Bills – 10.18 a.m./5.18 a.m. EST
• Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot – 10.34 a.m./5.34 a.m. EST
• Buck Davidson and Jak My Style – 11.24 a.m./6.24 a.m. EST
• Lillian Heard and LCC Barnaby – 11.40 a.m./6.40 a.m. EST
• Piggy French and Vanir Kamira – 11.56 a.m./6.56 a.m. EST
• Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo – 2.32 p.m./9.32 a.m. EST
• Woodge Fulton and Captain Jack – 2.48 p.m./9.48 a.m. EST
• Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus – 2.56 p.m./9.56 a.m. EST
• Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street – 3.49 p.m./10.49 a.m. EST
• Gemma Tattersall and Santiago Bay – 3.57 p.m/10.57 p.m. EST
• Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class – 4.13 p.m./11.13 a.m. EST
• Tim Price and Ringwood Sky Boy – 4.21 p.m./11.21 a.m. EST

Until next time, folks – stay cool and Go Eventing!

The top ten after the first day of dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

#LRBHT19: Website, Entries, Live Scoring, Live Stream, Course Preview, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

A double of debs come good: Eliza Stoddart and Priorspark Opposition Free take an early lead at Burghley. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

“It’s a wonderful moment – god, I’ve got so many people supporting me here,” says 26-year-old Eliza Stoddart, wiping the tears from her eyes in disbelief. You can’t blame her for being overcome with emotion – after all, it’s not every day you go into the lead in your first crack at Burghley. But while a debutante performance like Eliza’s, which saw her score an impressive 28.7 with Bruce and Anna Staley’s homebred Priorspark Opposition Free, would be an emotional experience for anyone, it’s made even more poignant by the fact that Eliza is a local.

“I’ve come here every year of my life,” she says. “I’ve been here as a Pony Clubber, for the Young Event Horse classes, and just with my friends. It’s awesome to be here – and quite strange, when you’re usually a spectator! I had so many pairs of eyes on me that I knew, so I wanted to do it for them.”

Eliza Stoddart and ‘Razor’ leave no marks behind, presenting a classic picture – helped along by a lucky charm in the form of a silk top hat, originally worn by Eliza’s great-grandmother on the hunting field. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Eliza made her five-star debut earlier this summer, starting – though not completing – at Luhmühlen with Dick O’Malley. But Priorspark Opposition Free, whose stablename is Razor – because he’s so sharp – was never an obvious compatriot for this level. But today, we saw none of his characteristic quirks in the arena, and we even saw our first 10 of the week, which the pair earned in the first halt.

“My horse really tried very hard and was very rideable, so I tried for every inch of every mark. I’ve ridden maybe seven horses for [owner Anna], and he was the one we maybe didn’t expect to make it this far – but he’s awesome. He’s very genuine and he tries; he might not be flashy, but he does the job. At the end of the day, flash isn’t everything – they’ve got to do what you say, and if he gets the marks as a result, that’s amazing,” explains Eliza.

The pair picked up particularly good marks in the canter work, where they demonstrated a correct, supple, and appropriately ambitious stretchy circle and clean, correct changes. But, says Eliza, who learned the art of the trade (and the art of continuous improvement) from Pippa Funnell and Oliver Townend, “I’m annoyed we stepped back in the halt – I heard [judge at C] Nick Burton give it a nine, and then he changed it to a four.”

But if eventing is about winning one moment, and then the next, and then the one after that, then Eliza can certainly sleep well tonight, knowing she eked everything out of this morning’s performance. So, too, can she take pride in the eleven-year-old British-Bred Sport Horse (Fleetwater Opposition x Raunds Freeway), who put in short and sweet international seasons in 2015 and 2017, but only lodged his first full season of FEI competitions last year. We suspect the hard-working up-and-comer won’t take too long to celebrate, though: “I’ve just got some youngsters to school,” she could be heard saying as she dashed across the collecting ring, “but I promise I’ll come back in time for the press conference!”

Reigning Burghley champion Tim Price got the day off to a rollicking good start when he posted a 29.6 with Bango, who was placed tenth here last year.

“It’s the best test of the day, right?” he quipped, making his first appearance of many in the media mixed zone. Tim has saddled himself with a remarkably busy schedule this week – if riding just once around the big, bad Burghley course sounds like more than enough to you, spare a thought for the Kiwi, who’ll tackle it three times, and probably won’t stop grinning throughout. But first, it’s all about laying down those performances between the boards – and the thirteen-year-old Irish Sport Horse Bango set the ball rolling with a personal best at the level.

“He’s not always the most easy in this phase, as most people in the game will know,” says Tim with a laugh. “He’s a redhead, and you have to take everything that comes along with that, generally speaking. We’d call him brittle – he’s good at home, and then he comes out for a test like he’s on eggshells, so my priority was for the test to be smooth and flowing, which it was.”

Tim is the only rider in the field to bring forward three horses – but is it part of a tactical manoeuvre, or is he just a glutton for punishment?

“I had no logical reason not to,” he explains. “I have three horses that are very much this type of horse; they’re brave, bold-jumping geldings, and when you’re preparing for something like this, things can go wrong in the lead-up – just look at Jonelle, who was meant to bring Classic Moet and now she can’t, for a silly little reason. These guys just kept pitching up for work, and here we are with three healthy horses suited to the course. If I have to work a bit harder, that’s my problem, not theirs.”

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Pippa Funnell must scarcely have landed back at home from the European Championships before she was on the road again, but if she felt lacking in any preparation, it certainly didn’t show in the ring with Billy Walk On. The rangy young horse scored a 29.9, despite losing marks for halting in the wrong place at the end of the test – this is enough to see them sit third at the lunch break.

“I’d like to say that was a blonde moment, but I think it was more of a senior moment,” she laughs, shaking her head. “But it was nearly a clear round, and it’s all very much a work in progress with him – he’s a big, young horse and there are still areas he needs to strengthen. He was a little bit more off the floor at Badminton, but I’ve had to be careful how much work I’ve done this week – I was back on Monday, and we came here on Tuesday, but you can’t overload them with [the missed work] because you’ll make them sore in their bodies.”

Both of Pippa’s entries missed their final planned runs when the rider received an eleventh-hour call-up to head to the Europeans, which throws a spanner in the works of Pippa’s carefully-honed pre-three-day routine: “In they’re training, they’re all established, and that shouldn’t affect it, but I plan a system and it’s all gone to pot.” But, she says, she’s indebted to stable rider Lily Wilson – “the most amazing girl; she’s like gold dust to me” – for holding down the fort and maintaining the horses’ fitness and training in her absence. And, she explains, being part of last week’s silver medal-winning British team does wonders for one’s mindset: “It gave me a huge buzz,” she says. “This is a totally different competition – if you’re having a bad day, you can make a judgment call without letting the whole team down – but I’m in a really good frame of mind.”

Georgie Spence and the experienced Wii Limbo hold onto fourth place on 31.

“I’m delighted with him, and with his performance – he had a few small errors, and though we’d have liked to break into the 20s, there was some inconsistent judging,” she says, citing the wide margin between the 172.5 good marks awarded by Xavier Le Sauce and the 186 granted by Christina Klingspor. But when her horse’s remarkable hind leg activity is pointed out, she laughs: “yes, he likes to stand up on them quite a lot!”

Will Furlong and Collien P 2. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Fifth place is held by Will Furlong and Collien P 2, tackling their first-ever Burghley. They earned a first-phase mark of 31.2 which, though competitive at this early stage, doesn’t quite rival the mid-20s territory we’ve seen them hit before.

“The draw for me probably wasn’t ideal – there’s a common feeling that judges don’t get warmed up until later,” he says. “You always feel like you did a bit better than the marks suggest, though.”

With two Badmintons and a Pau run under his belt, does the former under-21 and under-25 National Champion feel ready to grab Burghley by the horns?

“I think I’m as ready as I’m ever going to be,” he laughs. “I’m seventh on, so I’ll have to just stick to my plan – but that’s nice, actually, because I think you can overanalyse by watching too much and really, you know your own horse the best.”

William Coleman and Tight Lines lead the way for the US invasion. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

The first of our eleven US riders took to the centreline this morning, and Will Coleman made every movement count, scoring a level personal best for the horse of 32.4 to sit sixth provisionally. Will, who did his first-ever five-star here at the tender age of nineteen, seems to be working on an eight-year Burghley rotation: he came back eight years after that first appearance, though had to withdraw when Twizzel went lame in the collecting ring, and is now back for another go eight years after that. This time, he’s brought a Thoroughbred horse for a Thoroughbred course – and ‘Phish’ has set himself up for a good week already.

“He’s a real trier, and we’ve worked really hard on a formula to get him ready for tests, with a lot of help from Ian Woodhead and my wife, Katie – but he can be a pretty tricky number in the dressage,” says Will. “32 is a good mark for him, and a steady improvement – you don’t improve by 10% overnight. The track will be the biggest he’s ever seen, he’s a good galloper and has been a good cross-country horse.”

For Will, coming back to Burghley is a pivotal moment – and doing well here would mean an enormous amount, too.

“This, to me, is the epitome of our sport – I value it above all others,” he says, explaining: “It’s the most pure form of our sport that’s left; it’s a truly cross-country dominated event. A top placement here would best any other.”

Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul sit seventh on a 32.8, though the cross-country machines hope to climb on Saturday.

“He was really good and really relaxed, and he let me ride him today, which is so nice – though I managed to miss two changes coming off the diagonal because we’ve been practicing not doing the changes there,” she says. “He was a bit surprised, so that was a shame. This is our aim all year – Burghley suits ‘Spike’ down to the ground, and it won’t be a dressage competition, so my aim now will just be to stay on this score.”

Despite being big and strong, Spike is actually a sensitive sort – and Gemma, who struggled to hold him over the Badminton course, has struggled to find a bit that he can tolerate, but that will also do the job.

“He’s ever so difficult to bit,” she says. “I used to ride him in a Waterford running gag, and he became more rideable, so for the last couple of years I’ve had him in a lozenge. But he’s gotten stronger again – before Badminton, I toyed with the idea of going back, but I thought, ‘don’t be silly.’ But then, he was pretty much impossible. We tried the old bit in an Advanced run at Aston and he was very polite, and so we’ve gone back to it – and I’m hoping, now, that I can let the handbrake off and then slow him down. I didn’t dare hit that eighth gear of his at Badminton. It’s a fine line with him, though. At home he goes in a rubber pelham, but there’s no way I could do that here – I’d be off to Scotland!”

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 make their third appearance at Burghley, and this time, there’s just one, crystal-clear goal on the agenda: come home with a big, fat ‘0’ in the jumping penalties column on Saturday. This is their third Burghley, and after falling in 2017, they completed last year – but that clear round has eluded them. But this year, they’re back with a bang – and Indy at her very best. This morning, they scored a 37.6, which pops them into twelfth at the lunch break.

“She was great, and the lightest in the bridle she’s ever been – now I just need to be braver and more forward,” says Andrea, who nearly lost her way twice in the test when Indy spooked at the atmosphere, but who deftly got back on track without incurring errors. “The preparation for the shoulder-in probably wasn’t ideal, but I was confident in her frame, and her suppleness was better.”

Though Burghley success has always been a major goal for Andrea, her California base makes it tricky – and expensive – to factor it into her plans.

“I came here on my own dime, and actually, I wasn’t going to come until two weeks ago,” she explains. “But then I thought, ‘it’s only money’ – I mean, I don’t have any, but I do have credit cards, and you’ve got to hit it while it’s hot!”

That’s all from the morning session at Burghley – we’ll be back this afternoon with the full report from today’s competition!

The top ten at the lunch break on the first day of dressage at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

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The 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials coverage is brought to you in partnership with the team at Voltaire Design United Kingdom. Going to Burghley? Head to Voltaire Design in the World of the Horse and meet the team of Sports Saddle Specialists, arrange a free, totally no-obligation fitting for you and your horse, or indulge in the Deal of the Day. Put a deposit on a new saddle during the event, and you’ll receive a matching bridle – free! Looking for a bargain? Head to Voltaire Design’s sister stand, EquiTack, to check out their premium pre-loved saddles at rock-bottom prices.

Welcome to dressage day one at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Yesterday, we introduced you to the riders taking part in this year’s competition – today, we’re delving into the details of the 67 horses entered. Who’s the smallest? The tallest? Which horses have won five-stars before? And which breed reigns supreme? Let’s dive in…

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Welcome to the Burghley edition of the Golden Chinch Awards, in which we celebrate many things, but especially riders who look like they should be on the cover of Jilly Cooper novels. Emma Hyslop-Webb nails the brief.

Trot-ups are a serious, stoic, and straight-laced affair, full of jolly good tweed and Very Important People making Very Important Decisions. They’re also a time for prizes to be awarded – Best-Dressed Lady, Best-Dressed Gent, Best-Shod Horse…you know the drill. But here at EN, we can’t help but feel that a few essential accolades are always left off the official roster, and so we’ve made it our job to make sure that everyone gets the recognition they’re owed. Welcome to the Golden Chinch Awards – often (quite literally never) compared to the Oscars of eventing, they’re the prizes that everyone (quite literally no one) truly wants.

The Golden Chinch for Yogic Neck Elongation goes to…

De Beers Dilletante, who is a #longboi and loving it. Get thee to a zoo, Giraffe Man.

Best Lateral Work in a Situation that calls for Absolutely No Lateral Work

Undalgo de Windsor hits them angles. A day early, mind you, but still a formidable effort.

The Golden Chinch for Sustainability Goes to…

Caroline Powell, whose Moloh coat is made from a recycled bed-spread. No, we haven’t made that up.

The Horse Most Likely to be Caught Smuggling Corgis

As Ludacris once (never) said: “what in the world is in those EARS? What you got in them EARS? A couple of gats, a couple of knives, a couple of rats, a couple of wives?” (Just kidding, Santiago Bay. We love your well-stocked ears.)

The Golden Chinch for the Best Reenactment of a Meme goes to…

Sarah Bullimore and a suspicious Reve du Rouet. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet, who did a passably good job of nailing the ‘distracted boyfriend’ meme.

The “Did I leave my straighteners on?” Award goes to…

Francis Whittington. And for what it’s worth, Frannie, we’re guessing not.

The Best Audition to be Willow Smith’s Back-Up Dancer

Continuity whips his hurrr back and forth, he whips his hurrr back and forth…

The Rider Most Likely to Appear in a 90s Computer Game

Where in the World is Alicia Hawker? Stamford, actually.

The Rear of the Year Award

Firmness, roundness, and an almost impossible level of lift – MGH Bingo Boy‘s peachy cheeks have it all. *chef’s kiss*

The Horse Most Likely to Have a Photo of Himself Next to a Sedated Tiger on his Tinder Profile

Arctic Soul, it’s time to settle down, find a nice lady, and stop sending those naughty photos to girls on the internet.

The Best Mare Glare (as Executed by a Gelding)

Hey Billy Walk On – u ok, hun? xoxo

The Best Impression of a Questionable Politician

Ludwig Svennerstal and Balham Mist. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’re not sure if you’re going for the Donald Trump combover or the Boris Johnson barnet, but whatever it is, Ludwig Svennerstal, you’re werking it. Come see us tomorrow and we’ll tenderly apply a hairnet to that mop.

Congratulations (apologies) to all our lucky (?) winners. Stay safe, have fun, and please do still talk to us in the mixed zone.

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US-based Aussie combination Dom Schramm and Bolytair B make their Burghley debut. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The start of the 2019 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials dawned bright(ish) and blustery, as 67 horse and rider combinations came forward to present to the ground jury of Xavier Le Sauce (FRA), Nick Burton (GBR), and Christina Klingspor (SWE). Despite some equine acrobatics, all horses passed on first presentation – much to everyone’s relief, we suspect, nobody was asked to trot again after merrily cantering down the strip.

Two riders were named the best-dressed of the afternoon by country jewellers Hi-Ho Silver: Caroline Clarke, who presented Touch Too Much, took the ladies’ prize, while France’s Arthur Chabert, who will ride Goldsmiths Imber, took the gents’.

Andrea Baxter and Indy 500 come forward as one of eleven US combinations. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’re excited to welcome the largest-ever US contingent to Burghley this year – eleven horses and riders have been deemed fit and ready to fly the Stars and Stripes this week.

Dressage commences tomorrow morning at 9.10 a.m. local time/4.10 a.m. EST. World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B will ride the guinea pig test, marking a welcome return to the rider, who has been on maternity leave from the sport. After that, here are the tests you shouldn’t miss tomorrow, particularly if you want to support our intrepid Americans (and our honorary American, Australia’s Dom Schramm):

• 9.30 a.m. local time: Tim Price and Bango
• 9.54 a.m.: Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On
• 10.02 a.m.: Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul
• 11.08 a.m.: Will Coleman and Tight Lines
• 11.40 a.m. Andrea Baxter and Indy 500
• 2.08 p.m.: Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan
• 2.16 p.m.: Sarah Bullimore and Reve du Rouet
• 2.40 p.m.: Dom Schramm and Bolytair B
• 3.41 p.m.: Doug Payne and Vandiver
• 4.21 p.m.: Tim Price and Xavier Faer

Want to follow along from afar? You’ll be able to tune in through Burghley’s own live-streaming service. Or, if you can’t watch but want to listen, check out Burghley Radio for up-to-the-minute commentary and interviews. In the meantime? Get to know the field of competitors in our jam-packed form guide, arranged into drawn order for your perusing pleasure.

We’ll be back later on with our own unofficial (read: VERY OFFICIAL) trot-up awards. In the meantime, Go Eventing!

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This year’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials field is one of the most compact we’ve seen in a long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in colour. Far from it, actually – it’s absolutely jam-packed with a mixture of five-star winners and exciting debutantes, a Grand Slam contender, and the most Americans we’ve ever seen at this event. The conditions are perfect as we head into the world’s biggest three-day event, and the hunger in the air is palpable – so join us over a coffee, and get to know the 62 riders taking on the challenge this week.

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