Burghley Show Jumping Photo Gallery + Press Conference Video

Marilyn & Demi

The weekend has concluded, and the results are in: Andrew Nicholson is an absurdly good rider and that is that. I was secretly (not-so-secretly) rooting for Jock Paget to win, because I thought that might have been a sign that the universe was on his side, but I figure that second place is just about good enough.

Covering a competition like this is emotionally and physically draining. I got goosebumps on my whole body and nervous stomach syndromes when an American rider went out on course, and the blood drained right out of my head when I heard of problems on the cross country course. I want so badly for all of them to go well, but that simply isn’t the nature of the sport.

Watching sixty-some dressage tests all in a row is an excellent way to learn the difference between bad, good, and excellent, and I recommend it to anybody who is looking for some free education from the best riders in the world.

Follow that up with watching how some riders made that unbelievably difficult cross country course look like a smooth hunter round, and then try to emulate them as best you can. When you see some riders struggle terribly with what others seemed to find a simple gymnastic, you know it’s a good course design, because it reveals the weaknesses that shouldn’t be there at this level.

As the token American in the press room, I had a great time enthralling people with my “southern” accent, and eating crêpes with pineapple and cheese (don’t hate until you try it) every morning. The experience of Burghley was amazing, and it was by far the best organized competition that I’ve ever attended, ever. For now, I am heading back to that states to sleep for a while, but I’ll leave you with a photo gallery of the top twenty-five in show jumping today, and a funny press conference video. Enjoy!

Final Press Conference Video: