Classic Eventing Nation

The Ultimate Guide to Burghley Horse Trials

By on Sep 2, 2022 4:00 pm -

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s here: we’re smack in the middle of Burghley week, and the biggest five-star event in the world is back with a bang, a new organising team, a new designer, and plenty of those iconic, enormous fences that make the Lincolnshire, England competition so fearsome. We’ll be bringing you wall-to-wall coverage throughout the week here on EN, and to help you stay up to date with all the info you need, including the latest reports, schedules, live-stream info, form guides, and more, we’ve created a handy guide that you can bookmark and refer to throughout the week. Want to see the latest news? Just refresh and scroll to the coverage section at the bottom of the page for the freshest articles as they’re published. But first: the fine details.

THE COMPETITION:

We’ve waited since 2019, and the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is finally back. The iconic CCI5* competition, which began in 1961, is the third Rolex Grand Slam leg of 2022 — but there’s a fresh slate here, as Badminton winner Laura Collett doesn’t have a horse entered. The dressage test will be FEI CCI5* B, the same used at Kentucky, Badminton, and the forthcoming World Championships.

WHAT’S AT STAKE:

Most crucially? A shot at the highly-coveted Burghley trophy, a slew of extra prizes and awards, and a share of the £323,500 prize pot, which has been off-limits since 2019 due to the pandemic. Beyond that? There’s also a battle for FEI World Rankings points as the likes of the Price family and Pippa Funnell work to topple Oliver Townend from the number one slot.

THE LINE-UP: 

Seven nations will come forward to fight for the coveted Burghley title, including a slew of entries from the US and France, an Aussie double header, some very good Irish hands, and a single entry for The Netherlands. In total, we’ve got 57 entries across 53 riders, and you can meet them all in our jam-packed form guide, which is in drawn order for maximum ease of use.

THE OFFICIALS: 

There’s a truly top-notch cast of ground jury members on duty at Burghley. New Zealand’s Andrew Bennie will serve as president of the ground jury, while Austria’s Katrin Eichinger-Kniely and Great Britain’s Judy Hancock will work alongside him. The FEI Technical Delegate for the week is Great Britain’s Philip Surl, assisted by Andrew Temkin of the USA. The cross-country course will be designed for the first time by Derek di Grazia, who has been in charge of Kentucky for years and takes over from Captain Mark Phillips, and will be assisted by Adrian Ditcham. On Sunday, the remaining field will tackle a tough course on grass, designed by Paul Connor.

Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV|Form Guide|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

[Times are listed in local time as well as EST, when they pertain to live-streams]

Wednesday 31st August    

16.00  (11.00 a.m. EST) Main Arena: First Horse Inspection

Thursday 1st September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30  Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

9.45 – 15.45 (4.45 a.m. — 10.40 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Dressage

12.30 approx. Main Arena: Yogi Breisner Jumping Masterclass

9.00 – 17.00 Ring 2: LeMieux Pony Club Team Jumping Competition

18.00: Showground Closes

Friday 2nd September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

10.00 – 16.00 (5.00 a.m. — 11.00 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Dressage

12.30 Main Arena: Carl Hester Dressage Masterclass

9.00 – 17.00 (4.00 a.m. — 12.00 p.m. EST) Ring 2: Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Final

18.00: Showground Closes

Saturday 3rd September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.30: Shops Open

10.30 approx: Shetland Pony Grand National

11.30 – 16.00 (6.30 a.m. — 11.00 a.m. EST): Cross Country

18.00: Showground Closes

Sunday 4th September

7.30: Gates Open

8.00 – 9.30 Members Only: Breakfast served in the Members’ Enclosure

9.00 – 17.00: Shops Open

9.30 (4.30 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Final Horse Inspection

11.00 (6.00 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Showjumping

12.00 Main Arena: The Fell Pony Society Display

12.20 Main Arena: Racehorse to Riding Horse (HOYS) Qualifier

13.55 Main Arena: Military Band

14.30 (9.30 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Showjumping

15.25 Main Arena: Parade of Hounds

15.40 (10.40 a.m. EST) Main Arena: Presentation of Prizes

9.00 – 17.00 Ring 2: BSPS Gold Cup Sports Pony Competition

17.00: Showground Closes (No admittance to Burghley Park after 15.30)

HOW TO FOLLOW: 

For the first year, the BBC won’t be broadcasting Burghley — well, not in its entirety, anyway. You’ll be able to watch all the action, including trot-ups, by subscribing to BurghleyTV for a one-off price of £20. This gives you access to the livestream, wherever you are in the world, as well as hours of archive footage from prior events, peaks behind the scenes, course previews, and profiles. If you’re in Britain, you can turn to BBC2 to watch a two hour highlight programme on Sunday, September 4.

You can also sign up for our FREE Burghley Daily Digest email — full of updates, links, photos, and stories — which will begin sending on the evening of Wednesday, August 31. [Click here to sign up]

Hashtags:

#lrbht, #burghleyhorsetrials, #burghley, #rolexgrandslam

Accounts: Burghley Horse Trials, CrossCountry App, Horse&Hound, FEI Eventing, and Equestrian Team GBR. Don’t forget to follow EN, too – we’ll be bringing you all the insanity in the middle you could possibly need! (And if you’d like to see the real behind-the-scenes life of an EN journo on tour, you certainly can. #shamelessplug) Want to know the juiciest stats throughout the competition? Make sure you follow EquiRatings.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:
Burghley Daily Digest: Sunday

“You Dream it Could Be You, But it Just As Easily Might Never Be”: Piggy March Takes 2022 Burghley Victory

One Last Hurrah: The Final Land Rover Burghley Live Update Thread

The Best of Burghley: Your Big, Bold Cross-Country Day Social Round-Up

Two Held – Including One From Top Ten – in Burghley Final Horse Inspection

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3:
Burghley Daily Digest: Saturday

Beware the Rides of March: Piggy Takes Over Burghley Lead in Action-Packed Cross-Country Day

“I Was Sick by the Joules Combination!”: Riders React to Derek di Grazia’s New-Look Burghley Course

It’s Here! Big, Bad Burghley Returns and Here are Your Live XC Updates

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2:

That’s Dressage, Done and Dusted: Friday’s Social Media from Burghley

Burghley Daily Digest: Friday

“I Burst into Tears Like a Baby!”: Kitty King Leads the Way at Conclusion of Burghley Dressage

“He Goes Into Black Horse Mode”: Tim Price Takes Friday Morning Burghley Lead with Vitali

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Day 2 Live Updates

Land Rover Burghley Dressage Day 2 Live Updates

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1:

Thursday Morning at Burghley: Reigning Champion Heads up Global Top Five

“He Has Such Belief in Himself:” Sarah Bullimore Takes Day One Lead at Burghley

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Dressage Day 1 Live Updates

Thursday at Burghley: A Social Media Recap

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31:

One Horse Held; All Accepted in Ebullient First Horse Inspection at Burghley

Wednesday Video from Kentucky Performance Products: Walk Burghley’s Biggest Questions with Laura Collett

THE ESSENTIALS:

Burghley At A Glance: Meet the Riders of the 2022 Field

Burghley At A Glance: Meet the Horses of the 2022 Field

Back to Burghley: Your Bumper Guide to Every Horse and Rider in the 2022 Field

Burghley’s Back – And Here’s How to Watch It, Wherever You Are

PRE-EVENT COVERAGE:

Oliver Townend Takes Pathfinder Role at Burghley (Again)

Burghley Entry Update: The Return Beckons

Keep Calm and Entry-Stalk: The Burghley List is Taking Shape

Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV|Form Guide|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

“I Burst into Tears Like a Baby!”: Kitty King Leads the Way at Conclusion of Burghley Dressage

By on Sep 2, 2022 1:49 pm -
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Kitty King clocks her score – her best-ever at an international – and lets the waterworks commence. Photo by Libby Law.

Yesterday, after Sarah Bullimore and Corouet produced that eye-wateringly good 22.5 to take the lead, those of us holed up in the media mixed zone wondered if we might get anything to write about today.

“Surely no one’s beating that,” we said, before considering a moment and adding, “okay, well, maybe Tim and Vitali can do it, but it won’t be by much.”

And then, of course, the day started with Tim Price and Vitali doing just that, and this time, we really thought we were done and dusted with the day’s headlines — surely, after all, there was no way that a 21.3 could be bested. There were a few that would come close, sure, and we knew we’d see some more entrants into the top ten. But a new leader? No way.

We didn’t reckon for the ferocity of Kitty King‘s point-proving mission, though.

“My aim, to put it bluntly, was to put two fingers up at the selectors and say, ‘you should have taken me!’,” she laughs, moments after producing the best international test of her career to capture the first-phase lead on a 21.2 with Vendredi Biats.

And who can blame her? There are always surprises when team selections are announced ahead of championships, but the absence of Kitty and her now exceptionally consistent gelding from the British World Championships line-up was arguably the most startling omission. To win Burghley, though, would be some consolation prize — and the magnitude of her proximity to that hit Kitty full force as she finished her test and glanced up at the scoreboard, just in time to see ground jury president Andrew Bennie award her a collective mark of 10.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to do it — I’m not going to cry today!’ — but then I saw his last collectives and saw we’d gone into the lead, I burst into tears like a baby,” she laughs. “That’s standard for me — I never cry when I’ve done badly, it’s always when I do well, which is really embarrassing!”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats. Photo by Libby Law.

‘Froggy’, as he’s known at home, is perhaps the consummate stamp of a Selle Français — not just for his flash and athleticism, but for his quirky, occasionally mercurial nature, which has made him equally exciting and frustrating throughout the formative years of his career. Now, as a thirteen-year-old, he’s been delivering time and time again — but for just a fraction of a second, Kitty wondered if she might be about to experience something of a throwback moment.

“He was really with me all through the test, and he felt really soft and rideable,” she says. “But then he did get a bit behind my leg in the last change, and then he did his little tail slap that he used to do as a young horse before he’d buck, so I was like, ‘don’t buck!’ He likes to slap himself up the bum with his tail and then go, ‘oh! Who the hell hit me!’ and then be naughty. So I’m relieved that he kept control!”

Froggy’s warm-up, too, didn’t necessarily fill Kitty with confidence, particularly as Burghley, unlike Badminton in the spring, has a much more end-of-school feeling of jolly, good-natured chaos to it.

“The atmosphere has got quite intense, and when you’re warming up here, it’s a lot noisier than at Badminton,” says Kitty. “It’s not only the clapping from the main arena — you’ve got vehicles going back and forth, too. He spent the entire time in the warm-up basically tripping over, and every time he tripped over, he’d leap in the air all upset with himself. I was like, ‘just pick up your feet! That’s your job — you’re not a puppet on strings, and I can’t pick each one up for you, so just do your job!’ But he did in the arena, and that’s all you can ask — he was brilliant.”

Kitty King brings flash and function to her test with Vendredi Biats. Photo by Libby Law.

All’s well that ends well, and their test certainly ended well with that perfect ten on the board. From the outset, it’s a classic case of the right place and the right time, but for Kitty, it’s the product of a long journey, a lot of work, and no shortage of faith in a very, very good horse.

“He’s a fantastic horse, and I know he’s capable of that sort of test, but we haven’t always been able to produce it on a big occasion. We had a good test at Badminton, but there were a few mistakes here and there — so for him to come out today and produce what he can do at home was fantastic. I felt like I had lots of time between every movement to set everything up. We’re here to prove a point and he really let me do that today. It’s been a long road and long process, and we’ve been working towards this for a very long time with him. He’s always been capable, but it’s been about getting him focused. It’s just a progression, but he’s really coming into his own now.”

President of the ground jury, Andrew Bennie, roundly praised competitors across the board for raising the standard of eventing dressage over the last number of years: “We’ve seen some lovely tests. Kitty’s test was very harmonious — it was super, and I couldn’t give her anything other than a ten for her harmony,” he says. “We’ve got those two marks – why not use them! The standard overall has got better and better and better. We haven’t had a Burghley for three years, and it’s just so interesting to see the horses. They all looked fit and raring to go, and while there’s obviously some favourites, the top horses looked super well-trained. The standard generally has improved out of sight, and it’s great to see.”

Each of the three members of the ground jury has different priorities and particular interests when they’re judging, but for him, horsemanship reigns supreme: “As a panel, after the guinea pig test we don’t really have to agree as such, because we all have our personal likes,” he says. “I like to see the horses and riders looking harmonious, and riders riding with empathy – they’re not trying to make their horses do anything; it should look easy and they should be supple.”

Oliver Townend moves into the top five with Swallow Springs. Photo by Libby Law.

Tim Price, who took the lead this morning as the first rider in the ring with Vitali, sits second by just a tenth of a penalty going into tomorrow’s cross-country, while day one leaders Sarah Bullimore and Corouet will leave the start box in provisional third place, themselves just 1.2 penalties — or three seconds — behind Tim. A tenth of a penalty behind them are the 2019 Badminton champions Piggy March and Vanir Kamira in overnight fourth, while Oliver Townend feels confident about his chances in fifth place with Swallow Springs, with whom he finished third at Badminton this spring. Their test this afternoon very nearly scuppered Kitty’s lead but for two mistakes in the flying changes — but even with those errors, they were still able to earn a very competitive 23.6, which sees them just 2.4 penalties, or six seconds, off the top spot, and in the possession of a five-star personal best for the gelding, too.

“There’s still more to come, I think, but we’re getting better every international run we’ve done, and hopefully there’s still more progression,” says Oliver, who previously earned the horse a PB at Badminton, where they posted a 25.7. Previously, the fourteen-year-old son of Chillout was piloted by Andrew Nicholson, from whom Oliver has inherited a number of horses and, like new stablemate Ballaghmor Class, has never finished outside of the top five at this level. His two runs at five-star with Andrew aboard saw him finish third here on his debut in 2018 and fifth the following spring at Badminton.

“I’ve ridden a lot of horses after Andrew. Riders always stamp their horses, and it always beautiful to follow him — and this time, he’s given me a good one,” says Oliver with a smile.

Though the loss of the lead after his issues in the changes is undoubtedly frustrating, Oliver is pragmatic about what his position today might mean for the weekend to come.

“It’s Burghley, and normally the winner comes from sixth or seventh,” says Oliver, who also sits ninth going into cross-country with this morning’s ride, Tregilder. “Ballaghmor Class was sixth the last time I won here, so we’re close enough. He’s a very good horse, and he gets the trip. He’s been here before, and tomorrow should be his strength, so fingers crossed.”

Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel impress yet again. Photo by Libby Law.

Reigning World Champion Ros Canter holds sixth place overnight with the on-form British-bred mare Pencos Crown Jewel, who comes forward for her sophomore appearance at this level after taking fourth in Bicton’s Burghley replacement last year. For ‘Jasmine’, Burghley’s tight, close crowds and loud arena wouldn’t be an ideal stage, but the mare has made enormous strides in her strength and confidence over the last year, which allowed her to produce a professional test for a 24.2.

“She’s such a little trier, is Jasmine. She’s not got the biggest step, and she’s a bit croup-high, so bodily she finds it quite difficult, but she just nails it every time in terms of effort. If there was a gold star for effort, she’d win it every time,” says Ros.

The mare’s very good run over Bicton’s achingly tough hills, and her decisive second-place finish at Bramham CCI4*-L this summer, prove that she’s got the chops to tackle Burghley’s stamina questions — and her excellent performances over much more technical short-format tracks at Chatsworth and Hartpury should stand her in good stead to deal with the early part of tomorrow’s track, which has a much more intense and quick-fire feel to it than in previous years. But Ros’s aim for the day isn’t necessarily to fight for a climb into the top spot — it’s to continue producing a tough, gutsy horse who loves what she does.

“I just want her to enjoy it,” says Ros of the mare, who’s a maternal half-sister to Ros’s Badminton runner-up and World Championships mount Lordships Graffalo. “I’m quite protective of little Jasmine. She’s not very big, and she’s taken a bit longer than some to come up through the levels, but she just has a heart of gold. She couldn’t try harder, and sometimes that’s her downfall, so if she comes out of this happy and having had a good experience then that’ll do for me.”

“So far, she’s kind of done any course. She’s certainly got a huge amount of gallop in her — she’s quite Thoroughbred, even if she doesn’t really look it, so I hope she’ll go the distance. It’s just whether I can keep her confident and enjoying it. I think my biggest worry is the crowds, for her. She dislikes people quite a lot; she’s her own woman, and she likes to be left alone in her stable, so just coming up here today was quite nerve-wracking for us. So I just hope she enjoys it — that’s the biggest thing.”

Spicy CHF Cooliser comes into her own with Tom McEwen. Photo by Libby Law.

Tom McEwen may well have the best event horse in the world in his stable in Olympic gold and silver medallist Toledo de Kerser, but the rest of his string isn’t looking too shabby either — particularly the compact sports car of a mare, CHF Cooliser, who makes her third trip out of a five-star startbox tomorrow in overnight in seventh place. She sparkled in the ring this afternoon, earning herself a tidy international personal best of 25.6 for her efforts.

“It was a huge improvement from Badminton,” says Tom, who scored a 34.4 there with the mare this spring after delivering a 29.6 in her debut at Pau last autumn. “I would say [this test] was more Pau-esque, but with a lot more punch and a lot more flow, and a lot better of an outline, and actually, just another year’s maturity.”

CHF Cooliser, who’s often referred to as ‘Queen Elizabeth’ at home for her rather royal demands, is beginning to look like something of an heir apparent to Toledo’s throne — particularly as each top-level outing acts as a fact-finding mission, helping Tom to identify the circumstances she needs to perform at her very best.

“She’s always been much better in the second half of the season, but it’s a shame that it wasn’t hotter today — she loves a bit of sun on her back, and then she’s even better again. But it’s a personal best for her by a long way, so that’s as much as we can ask for.”

An intensive training spree with secret weapon Ian Woodhead has certainly made a major difference to the tough little mare’s performances, too.

“Ian has given me a whole heap of help,” says Tom. “We did team training a few weeks ago and I was like, ‘right, we need to sort this out a little bit!’ She was all over the place and still spooking at absolutely everything, but he really helped us to get her going forward again. She was fantastic today, and she really loved it — she looked like a more seasoned horse, whereas at Badminton, I’d say she was a bit unripened. She was still interested in everything else, but was focused on what she’s meant to be doing.”

Pippa Funnell finishes the first phase with two in the top ten, including tenth-placed Majas Hope. Photo by Libby Law.

Reigning Burghley champion Pippa Funnell, who won here in 2019, goes into cross-country in the enviable position of having two in the top ten: her first ride and Thursday morning leader, Billy Walk On, holds eighth place on 26.2, while stalwart partner Majas Hope holds tenth after delivering one of his best-ever tests to score 28.2.

“He nailed it,” says Pippa, who acted as pathfinder with the fifteen-year-old gelding at the 2019 European Championships. “He got three-and-a-half changes — I don’t think the last one was late, but I know it was a bit unorthodox and a bit of a hop, skip, and a jump. It did come clean, though, and it’s sort of a record for him to do four clean changes! He isn’t easy — he goes in there and he’s shy, so he doesn’t like to show off, but he is learning to show off.”

Although Majas Hope has always been a real cross-country banker of a horse, the first phase hasn’t come particularly naturally to him, and Pippa has fluctuated between trying snaffles and double bridles along the route to the sub-30 scores. Some things, though, will always be a bit trickier than others: “The walk is always difficult, right from when you lead him out of the stable, so I do struggle with that and it is expensive,” she admits.

Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope. Photo by Libby Law.

Now, it’s time for all the riders to focus fully on tomorrow’s cross-country challenge — and for Pippa, who’s always been candid about her battles with her nerves, that can be a particularly fraught prospect. Fortunately for her, she’s installed an enviable support system that’ll help to carry her through.

“I’ve got to get my head arounds things, mentally,” she says. “Tonight’s going to be a difficult night for me, but the nice thing is that both horses are in a competitive enough position. I’ve got the husband coming up, so he can be a shoulder to cry on. I’m a great one for that — in my work with the Wesko young riders, I give them a lot of advice and a shoulder to lean on, but it’s more difficult when you’re trying to talk to yourself!”

Tomorrow takes us into one of the exciting days of the year: cross-country day at Burghley returns, and with it comes a new-look, tough track designed, for the first time, by Derek di Grazia. It’s going to be a day of moving and shaking, with a scant 20 penalties separating the top 50 competitors, and we’ll be back shortly with a closer look at what’s to come, plus riders’ reactions and ride times — but for now, it’s time to raise a glass to the leaders of the day. Go Eventing!

The top ten going into tomorrow’s cross-country test.

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Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV | XC Ride Times | Form Guide|EN’s Coverage | EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

Tim Price Takes Friday Morning Burghley Lead with Vitali

By on Sep 2, 2022 8:51 am -

Tim Price and Vitali soar into the lead on Friday morning. Photo by Libby Law.

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When a rather gammy-kneed Sarah Bullimore posted a 22.5 with her tiny homebred Corouet yesterday afternoon, she threw down a gauntlet that could well have been unsurpassable — but today’s dressage got started with a serious bang as Tim Price, the first rider of the day, stormed straight into the lead with his Tokyo mount, Vitali. Their score of 21.3 becomes the third test this week to go into the top five all-time tests at this venue — but although the elegant gelding is always a serious contender on the flat, a great performance in an atmosphere as close and intense as Burghley’s isn’t always guaranteed with this horse. Today, though, he met the crowds confidently, delivering some of the best work we’ve seen from him, and earning Tim his best-ever five-star score in the process.

“He was great — he was very rideable in there,” says Tim. “To be fair to him, he’s a funny horse: when he goes into black horse mode, which is when he sort of loses focus, it’s there right through the session with him, and right through the warm-up. But normally, when he warms up like [he did today], he goes in and delivers, so I’m glad he did that here with such a big stage to put him off his game, but it didn’t. He stayed with me and was on his game, and it was good fun.”

Oliver Townend’s Tregilder rewards his owners’ dedication. Photo by Libby Law.

Much of the top ten remained unchanged this morning, with second, third, and fourth places currently held by yesterday’s one-two-three of Sarah, Piggy March and Vanir Kamira, and Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On, respectively. But a sweet test from Oliver Townend‘s first ride, the twelve-year-old Tregilder, earned them a 27.5 that allowed them to slide into provisional fifth place. For Oliver, who debuted Tregilder at the level in last year’s Bicton replacement for Burghley, it’s a particularly good pay-off for the horse’s owners, who have been among his most stalwart supporters.

“I’m very proud to have him here,” says Oliver. “He’s been with us since he was four years old, so we’ve been through a lot together, and I’m happy to have him here for the Hazeldene family, who’ve been with me for over fifteen years. It’s been a long road of very loyal support by them to get the horse to this level, so it’s special.”

Oliver, who has previously won Burghley on two occasions, has always been a vocal supporter of Kentucky’s CCI5* and its designer, Derek di Grazia, who takes the reins here for the first time with a new-look, technical track — and one that Oliver himself is excited to get stuck into with his two rides.

“It’s obviously still got the undulations, and I’m a huge fan of Derek di Grazia — I’ve had plenty of nice experience around his courses in Kentucky,” he says. “I have 100% trust in him as a designer; there’s no tricks or hidden agendas, it’s there to be jumped. It’s a very fair course, but it is huge, and it’s a seriously technical test — plus the undulations, plus you’re against the clock. It’s going to be tough.”

Bubby Upton learns to embrace the heat with Cola. Photo by Libby Law.

23-year-old Bubby Upton has had a few real ‘nearly’ moments at this level this year, including leading the dressage at Luhmühlen with Cannavaro, but her first Burghley with Cola — and her second CCI5* since graduating from Edinburgh University — has got off to an exciting start, with a 28.3 on the board and a provisional sixth-place standing.

“I wanted to be sub-30, and he was, so I’m really pleased with him,” says Bubby. “There’s still so much more to come, which is so exciting. Like, the right to left flying change is still iffy, but he’s got so much potential. That sounds strange to say about a twelve-year-old, that there’s more to come, but hopefully next year, we’ll see the best of him!”

We last saw Cola, with whom Bubby twice rode at the Young Rider European Championships, at this level back in May, when he contested Badminton — but there, he went flat in the ring, scoring an uncharacteristically high 36 as a result. Today, Bubby opted to shave her warm-up right down, hoping that a soupçon of freshness might solve the issue.

“I think we hit the nail on the head [today], to be honest. He did a really good test at the start of the year at Oasby, and I haven’t been able to get that since; I overworked him at Badminton, because I thought he’d go in and the crowds would lift him, but he couldn’t give a flying monkey’s about the crowds. So today, I said to my trainer, Amy Woodhead, that we were going to have to risk it. We did fifteen minutes in here and then went in, and he was spot on.”

It’s partly due to dressage rider Amy’s influence that Bubby has been able to revolutionise her approach to this phase, particularly after logging some serious miles in the saddle of several of the rider’s upper-level dressage horses.

“Amy’s been great and has really taken me under her wing and let me ride some amazing horses,” says Bubby. “It just makes a huge difference riding those dressage horses, because it makes you realise how much work you’ve got to do to get [the eventers] to that place. I’ve been able to play around with four, three, and two-time changes, and her horses are just so sharp off  your aids that you then get on your own horse and expect the same.”

That’s paid dividends, particularly with Cola, who isn’t necessarily built to find this phase easy.

“It’s helped me to get him way more in front of the leg, because actually, he can only really give a maximum of like, twenty minutes,” says Bubby. “He gets really tired, because he’s actually a really long horse — although he doesn’t really look it because most people only see him when he looks pretty in the ring! But he does find it hard to stay short and compact, so it’s made me get him way more fired up. I’ve learned not to be afraid of them being hot. I’m learning to like that.”

Ireland’s Susie Berry demonstrates why she’s the next Piggy March with Ringwood LB. Photo by Libby Law.

It’s been a good day to be a young up-and-coming superstar, and Bubby was joined in the top ten by Ireland’s excellent Susie Berry, who posted a 29.3 for eighth with the former Jonty Evans ride Ringwood LB.

“I’m over the moon with him, to be honest,” she says. “There’s way more to come; he’s a really flash horse and so naturally, out of any of my string, he’d be the one that would find dressage the easiest, but sometimes it takes a bit of persuasion.”

That mixture of a tendency towards laziness and the occasional bolt of sharpness makes ‘Alby’ much less straightforward to ride than he might appear from the outset — but he comes into his own in long-format events, particularly when there’s a buzz about the place.

“He was actually spooking a bit at the clapping and everything, but as soon as I have him into canter and concentrating he really does [cope well]. He’s done a lot of four-stars, so he’s seen a lot of atmosphere, and I do think he grows with the atmosphere. Doing one-day events with him is sometimes a bit of a pain, to be honest — I have to do a lot of kicking and flapping to stay on track! But a little bit of a crowd and atmosphere brings him to life.”

Susie, who made her five-star debut at Badminton this year with John the Bull, and who’ll ride Monbeg by Design at next month’s World Championships, has found her first experiences of Burghley slightly daunting so far.

“The first time I walked [the course] I was like, ‘no, I’m just going to go home; this is ridiculous!’ But when I walked it yesterday with a clear mind, I thought we could give it a good go. But it’s definitely very different than any course I’ve done before,” she says.

We’ve got one session of dressage left to go, with thirteen combinations lined up to try to usurp those at the top end of the board from 13.45 p.m. BST/8.45 a.m. EST. Want to try to catch the highlights? Here are our picks of the bunch:

  • Kitty King and Vendredi Biats – 14.25 p.m. BST/9.25 a.m. EST
  • Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel – 15.05 p.m. BST/10.05 a.m. EST
  • Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser – 15.29 p.m. BST/10.29 a.m. EST
  • Tim Price and Polystar I – 15.37 p.m. BST/10.37 a.m. EST
  • Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs – 15.45 p.m. BST/10.45 a.m. EST

We’ll be back with a full end-of-day report — plus, an in-depth look at tomorrow’s cross-country challenge. Until then: Go Eventing!

The top ten at the midway point of day two at Burghley.

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Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV|Form Guide|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

Burghley At A Glance: Meet the Riders of the 2022 Field

By on Sep 2, 2022 7:46 am -

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We’re well and truly stuck into Burghley’s 2022 renewal now, but it’s never too late to get a good breakdown of the competitors — and if you’ve already exhausted the limitless depths of our extensive form guide, and caught up with the at-a-glance info on this year’s equine competitors, it’s time to see how the 48 riders in the field stack up. Here’s the need-to-know info…

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Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV|Form Guide|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Day 2 Live Updates

By on Sep 2, 2022 4:30 am -

Piggy March and Vanir Kamira hit the first of their goals for the week with a five-star personal best. Photo by Libby Law.

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Welcome back to Burghley! Yesterday we were treated to a wonderful day of dressage competition, which saw Sarah Bullimore take the early lead aboard the diminutive Corouet on a score of 22.5. Breathing right down their heels are Piggy March and Vanir Kamira, who laid down a 22.6 to lead for the better part of day one.

Today we’ll wrap up dressage competition, beginning with Tim Price and Vitali (Contender x Noble Lady I, by Heraldik), Tim’s partner for the Tokyo Olympics last year owned by himself along with Joe and Alex Giannamore. You can study up on Tim and the rest of today’s competitors here in Tilly’s Form Guide.

Burghley TV has been hard at work to bring you the best quality product out there. You can sign up for a one-time fee of about $23 USD or £20 GBP right here.

Judges for this weekend are Andrew Bennie (NZL), Katrin Eichinger-Kniely (AUT), and Judy Hancock (GBR). You can view the full list of ride times and scores here. If you want more Burghley news delivered straight to your inbox, you can also sign up for our FREE Burghley Daily Digest email — full of updates, links, photos, and stories — here.

And we have a special treat for you! We’re bringing back our live chats (if you’re an OG EN reader, you might remember our live chats from back in the day at Kentucky). This is a test run for us, so please bear with any technical difficulties! The chat is limited to 50 users at once, so if you get a Chat Full message try again later! We are using this as a test, and can always upgrade capacity later if this works well. Can’t see the embedded chat below? Try this link.

Refresh this page periodically for more updates — the most recent can be found at the top, so if you want updates from the beginning scroll to the bottom.

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials: 
[Website] [Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

To check out the full scores, and times for today’s tests, click here — or, if you want to try to catch the highlights of the day, here are some of the biggest tests yet to come:

  • Tim Price and Vitali — 10.00 a.m. BST/5.00 a.m. EST – 21.3
  • Susie Berry and Ringwood LB – 10.40 a.m. BST/5.40 a.m. EST – 29.6
  • William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio  – 11.31 a.m. BST/6.31 a.m. EST – 30.2
  • Bubby Upton and Cola III – 11.39 a.m. BST/6.39 a.m. EST -28.3
  • Kitty King and Vendredi Biats – 14.25 p.m. BST/9.25 a.m. EST – 21.2
  • Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel – 15.05 p.m. BST/10.05 a.m. EST – 24.2
  • Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser – 15.29 p.m. BST/10.29 a.m. EST – 25.6
  • Tim Price and Polystar I – 15.37 p.m. BST/10.37 a.m. EST – 31.0
  • Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs – 15.45 p.m. BST/10.45 a.m. EST
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10:53 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at your final top 10 after the completion of dressage. Our American riders have been pushed down out of the top 10, but Meghan O’Donoghue will remain the highest-placed in 15th with Palm Crescent. Woods Baughman is in 16th with C’est La Vie 135, Emily Hamel and Corvett in 41st and Cornelia Dorr and Daytona Beach 8 in 50th. It’s a very tight field: 21.1 penalties separate first place from 52nd, and one 20 penalty error tomorrow separates 50 horses in this field. We know Burghley is nothing if not a jumping competition, and riders have been labeling Derek di Grazia’s debut track as “a thinking track” that will require riders to know their lines and options. It’s a true test of stamina here, so we can be sure that the leaderboard will likely look much different when the dust settles tomorrow. Tilly will be along with the day’s report later on, but in the meantime thank you for following along! Full scores here. Cross country will begin at 11:30 a.m. BST / 6:30 a.m. EST tomorrow, and I’ll see you back here then!

10:50 a.m. EST: And that will do us! Oliver finishes a solid test, earning a 9 from Katrin Eichinger-Kniely at M on his Harmony mark and collecting a total score of 23.4 — also a Burghley best for Oliver — and fifth place overnight.

10:42 a.m. EST: A little bit of tension sneaks into this test, but some really nice moments for Tim and Polystar. They will take a score of 31.0 for 20th place for now. Tim’ll be a busy guy tomorrow with three rides, all with a solid chance of competing for the top placings, tomorrow. We now move to our final rider of the order, Oliver Townend with former Andrew Nicholson ride Swallow Springs (Chillout – Kilila, by Cult Hero), who is owned by Paul and Diana Ridgeon. This pair escaped a horse fall/flag penalty at Badminton earlier this year and will look for a clear round free from controversy tomorrow. I’m not sure this horse will challenge with a 21, but he’s well capable of a low or mid-20s score, and we know Oliver is excellent with his ring craft.

10:39 a.m. EST: Pro tip from Carl: The slower the horse goes at the walk, the more “dangerous” the walk becomes in terms of losing marks and quality.

10:33 a.m. EST: I really enjoy this mare. She’s got excellent presence and a natural uphill balance that will serve her well as she continues to gain strength. She was a pleasure to watch at Badminton and you’ll definitely want to mark her as one to watch tomorrow. She scores a 25.6 to go into sixth — a personal best for “Eliza” in her FEI career and surely not the lowest she can go. Tim Price will next bring forward the 17-year-old Polystar I (Polytraum x Waldbeere, by Waldstar), who is owned by longtime Team Price owner and supporter Trisha Rickards. This is a horse who’s had a few different partners through the years, and this is a 5* debut. The Westphalian gelding has scored quite well in the past, so we’ll see how close Tim can get here.

A stellar performance from Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser. GIF via Burghley TV.

10:26 a.m. EST: Carl recommends better use of half-halts to help Rioghan Rua rebalance and avoid going onto her forehand. She and Cathal score a 33.5 to go into 26th overall. We’ll next see Pratoni-bound Tom McEwen with CHF Cooliser (Womanizer – Super Spring, by Ramiro B), who should put in a low-30s score in her second 5* start. She jumped a steady clear at Badminton earlier this year in her debut and Tom will look to build on that foundation this weekend.

10:21 a.m. EST: Next up will be Irish fan favorite and individual European bronze medalist from 2019, Cathal Daniels with Rioghan Rua (Jack of Diamonds – Highland Destiny, by Flagmount King). This 15-year-old Irish mare is capable of a sub-30 score but typically averages more in the low-30s.

10:19 a.m. EST: A couple of lost marks but a lovely test to watch from Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope, who earn two 8s on their Harmony mark leading to a 28.5 for 10th currently.

10:16 a.m. EST: Ros describes Pencos Crown Jewel as not the biggest fan of people (relatable, tbh) and says her goal was a sub-30, so the “over achievement” has her over the moon.

10:12 a.m. EST: A lovely, correct test from Ros and Pencos Crown Jewel to earn a 24.2 — a best Burghley score for Ros — to go into fifth place. Now in we’ll have defending Burghley champion Pippa Funnel with Majas Hope (Porter Rhodes – Brown Sue), who were 14th at Kentucky earlier this spring.

GIF via Burghley TV.

10:07 a.m. EST: Carl doesn’t miss a single detail and explains how the “twisting and turning” nature of this FEI 5* Test B really allows riders to show suppleness (or highlights how much suppleness is still needed, for some!). I can’t recommend watching these live streams enough, not just from the perspective of seeing the full competition but also for the usefulness of good commentators for education. I don’t ride much these days, but I feel I’ve not stopped learning from simply watching so many of these events.

10:04 a.m. EST: It’s time for the final session and a very special treat in the commentary booth: joining superstar Nicole Brown is none other than British dressage legend, Carl Hester! We can’t wait – there should surely be some gems coming from Carl’s expansive perspective this afternoon. We’ve got six left to see, starting with reigning World Champion and Pratoni-bound Ros Canter with Pencos Crown Jewel (Jumbo – Cornish Queen, by Rock King), a 13-year-old British-bred mare owned by Kate James and Annie Makin. This mare finished fourth in her 5* debut at Bicton last year and is more than capable of putting down a sub-30 test. Fun fact: Carl Hester used to ride the great stallion Jumbo!

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9:47 a.m. EST: Kitty King shares her less than ideal prep leading up to her great start this weekend:

“Obviously, I was aiming for championships missed out on selection. So, you know, it means a lot to go pretty good. It’s been quite tricky, because obviously I was really hoping to get to Pratoni, so my final prep for Burghley wouldn’t have been what I have done. So I’m hoping that’s not gonna kind of make life too tricky tomorrow. I’d normally give him a slow run round [before] and I instead he ran around Hartpury reasonably quickly.

So I’m just hoping that’s not going to wind him up too much and make him too keen for tomorrow because he needs to be listening and needs to be listening to my aids and slowing down when we need to slow down and not arguing about it. So yeah, it’s not been ideal. I would have done something definitely different if we I knew I was definitely coming here, but we were trying to give the horse the best prep for the World Games. So it’s been tricky, but you know, we’re here and we’re really enjoying Burghley and it’s great to be back. I’m looking for a completion — I’ve never managed to complete before, so I’m hoping it’s third time lucky!”

The depth of the Brits is nothing to sneeze at, and Kitty’s energy this weekend is throwing me back to Sinead Halpin and Allison Springer’s epic weekend at this very event in 2012, shortly after both riders were left off the U.S. team heading to the London Olympics. Go get ’em, Kitty.

That feeling when you missed out on Worlds but throw down a 21.2 at Burghley instead. GIF via Burghley TV.

9:40 a.m. EST: Emma and Darrant close out this penultimate group, earning a 38.2. We’ll be back in about 25 minutes with Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel.

9:36 a.m. EST: I think the live feed is back, somewhat, and we’re now joined by Emma Hyslop-Webb and Darrant (Warrant – Noberlina, by Lux), a 14-year-old KWPN gelding who’s had a bit of a rough and tumble journey to get to this point. He’s a bit spooky in the ring, but Emma’s using her experience to squeeze the points she can out of the test.

9:34 a.m. EST: Well we missed it, but she’s done it!! Kitty King takes the lead, squeaking past Tim Price with a 21.2 to take over first position with Vendredi Biats!

9:33 a.m. EST: Live stream has gone out again, blast — will update when it comes back!

9:30 a.m. EST: Vendredi Biats earns a 9 on his rein-back from judge at M Katrin Eichinger-Kniely.

9:28 a.m. EST: Relatable reaction shot from Phil Brown:

GIF via Burghley TV.

9:26 a.m. EST: Well now here’s one we’ve been waiting to see: Kitty King now brings forward the 13-year-old French gelding, Vendredi Biats (Winningmood – Liane Normande, by Camelia de Ruelles). Owned by Diana Bown, Sally Lloyd Baker, Sally Eyre and Samantha Wilson, Vendredi Biats is one that easily could’ve been named to the team heading to Italy for World Championships, but we’re pleased to get a chance to see this pair here at Burghley nonetheless. This pair scored a 24.8 in their debut at this level at Badminton and will look to prove the selectors that they deserve a shot on the next team this weekend.

9:24 a.m. EST: Oh gosh, I think Phil’s made a fan out of me. He’s so adorably happy with his ride, and he should be: he and Harry Robinson earn a 35.4 for their debut!

9:15 a.m. EST: Richard and Credo finish their test and Credo struts out of the arena on a mission to find cross country as soon as possible. They’ll take a score of 35.9. This is a personal best at this level for this pair, who will have their work cut out for them as they seek their first completion of a 5* event. Next in will be another first-time pair, Phil Brown and Harry Robinson (Laytender – Jodie, by Ontario), a 14-year-old British-bred gelding owned by Orbit Electrical Services Ltd. This is a quite local pair to Burghley and they’re well-prepped to give their first 5* a proper crack: they’ve collected clear jumping rounds at tough UK events such as Blair Castle, Barbury and Bramham. Dressage wouldn’t be the strongest suit for them, but a low or mid-30s score would set them up well for a strong debut.

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9:08 a.m. EST: A really nice test from this Australian pair and we wish them the best of luck this week! Sarah and LV Balou Jeanz score a 34.3, putting them just outside of the top 25. This improves on their Adelaide score by 4.2 penalty points — always a great direction to trend in! It sounds like Sarah has been working with Bettina Hoy, both in Australia and here in the UK. Next in will be Richard Skelt and Credo III (VDL Tenerife – Tandora, by Marlon). Credo III is another who will struggle to put in a competitive mark here — but again, it’s Burghley and almost any dressage mark is competitive if you can manage to finish on it!

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9:03 a.m. EST: A 43.3 gets Rose and Balladeer Humbel Guy started for the week, and now we’ll move on to Sarah Clark and LV Balou Jeanz (Balou du Rouet – Cotton Jenny, by Colombia) — great name. This pair actually made the trek from Australia for their Burghley debut — they moved up to the 5* level at Adelaide in 2019 — and have been based in the UK with David Doel leading up to the event.

8:56 a.m. EST: Some tension manifests in this test for Balladeer Humbel Guy, who is likely seeing the most atmosphere he’s ever been in here at Burghley as a debutant horse. This guy doesn’t look to have a naughty bone in his body, and he’s trying hard to keep his focus on the task at hand.

8:53 a.m. EST: Well, I’ll eat my words then! Tom and Capels Hollow Drift pull out a 28.9 to slip into the top 10. Nicely done! Next up we’ll have Rosie Thomas, returning to the 5* level for the first time in a decade, and Balladeer Humbel Guy (Loughehoe Guy – Humbel Lass, by Humbel).

8:40 a.m. EST: Welcome back! I’ve had a quick cat nap (California is not the most fun place to work these live streams from!) and ready to kick back up with Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift (Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan – Lucky Crest, by Lucky Gift), an 11-year-old Irish gelding owned by Patricia Davenport, Milly Simmie, and Sarah Webb. This pair was top-20 at Badminton in their debut at the level earlier this year, and likely won’t squeeze out a low-20s score to challenge the top of the board but should find themselves well within striking distance if they’re able to jump clear. Just 13 more pairs are left to see in this first phase, so let’s get to it!

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7:03 a.m. EST: A quick look at the top 10 after this morning’s rides (full scores here). If you’re tuned in for the live stream, stay on it as there will be a Carl Hester Dressage Masterclass happening on the break!

7:01 a.m. EST: Very classily ridden for Sammi Birch, who clearly knows Finduss PFB like the back of her hand. This will take us into a lunch break — this field is going by quite quickly! We’ll be back at 8:45 a.m. EST / 1:45 p.m. BST with Tom Jackson and Capel’s Hollow Drift. Plenty of heavy hitters still yet to come this afternoon, so stay tuned.

6:54 a.m. EST: Bubby Upton says she tweaked her warm-up for Cola III after he “went a bit flat” in the arena at Badminton (she scored a 36). Today, she shortened her warm-up to just 15 minutes and put her trust in Cola to lock in despite the shorter timeline, and that seems to really have paid off. Meanwhile into the ring come Australia’s Sammi Birch with the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Finduss PFB (Saffier – Belle Miranda, by Sarantos), owned by Sammi alongside Parkfield Breeding.

Bubby Upton gives Cola a big pat after a stellar test. GIF via Burghley TV.

6:54 a.m. EST: A 32.0, shaving 6.9 penalties off their Badminton score, for Helen and My Ernie!

6:50 a.m. EST: A fun fact about My Ernie: he only began his eventing career in 2019 and didn’t do his first FEI event until 2020. It was through no fault of his own — he didn’t travel very well as a young horse, so Helen put her focus on hunting the gelding instead of going eventing straight away to give him some self-assurance. That hunting experience has proven to be invaluable as a foundation for his eventing career, and even though they had some growing pains in their 5* debut at Badminton this year, they’ll have put that experience under their belt ahead of tomorrow’s test.

6:49 a.m. EST: Wise words that I’m probably going to put on a t-shirt from William: “I might have a lucky day, or I might fall off!”

6:45 a.m. EST: That was a really strong test, despite a few lost marks in the changes. Bubby scores two 8s on her Harmony mark and receives a 28.2 to go into the top 10! That shaves nearly 10 points off her Badminton score. Well done! Next up are fan favorite pair Helen Wilson with My Ernie (Cardento – Whoopiminka, by Cantos).

6:44 a.m. EST: A decent amount of variance on these movement scores between judges, particularly between Andrew at C and Judy at E. Bubby is losing a few marks in her canter work as some tension bubbles up, but she’s still receiving competitive marks.

6:42 a.m. EST: Andrew Bennie at C gives Bubby a 9 on her extended walk — Cola does have a lovely, active and reaching walk. A bit of bracing in the rein-back and now let’s see what the canter looks like.

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6:41 a.m. EST: This pair earned a 30.4 at Badminton in their debut at this level, but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see them squeak under the 30 mark if their canter work quality can match that of their trot work.

6:38 a.m. EST: Bubby Upton and Cola III (Catoki – Vanessa XII, by Contender) will be the next to see, and this is one on a bit of a revenge tour after an incredibly frustrating stop at the final fence, of all fences, at Badminton earlier this year. But she’s the defending British U25 champion, so we know the girl has nerves of steel already. Her entrance just oozes competence and confidence, and I’m eager to see this test. A 9 from Andrew at C on the halt and salute. The judge at E, Judy Hancock, gave the same movement a 5.5 as Cola was not quite square behind.

6:36 a.m. EST: Well that won’t quite be the end result William was likely hoping for today, but if there’s anything we know about him it’s that he’ll have accepted this as fact and already moved his focus on to the task at hand tomorrow. He earns a 30.2 and will go into 11th for now.

6:35 a.m. EST: A bit of a bobble in the first change for Oratorio brings in some sub-par marks, but he recovers well to earn 7s and 8s in his next change and the subsequent extended.

6:32 a.m. EST: Some really strong scores — plenty of 8s and 8.5s as he heads into the walk work — coming in for William so far. This is one of my all-time favorite riders to watch. The simplicity with which he approaches riding and training is wonderful.

Ah! Blast. Oratorio looked up and realized he was at Burghley and then flubbed his rein-back quite stylistically. That’ll bring him down from threatening Tim and Sarah in the lead, but this should still be an easy top 10 score surely.

6:28 a.m. EST: A 33.6 and current top-20 for Cedric. We’ll now move on to a name you may or may not know: William Fox-Pitt will ride the 13-year-old British-bred gelding Oratorio II (Oslo Biats – Cinnamon Brulee, by Topanoora). This is a horse by one of William’s earlier 5* horses, Oslo Biats, making this an extra-special one that’s been among those who’ve helped get William back at this level — and competing for the win, too. This pair could certainly threaten the top 5, if not the top of the board with one of those personal bests we’ve been seeing so many of.

6:26 a.m. EST: Ok, here we go! Back up now. Let’s catch up: Michael Owen has finished his test (no score quite yet) and we’re about 3/4 of the way through Frenchman Cedric Lyard and Unum De’Or’s (Yarlands Summer Song – Fee du Logis, by Prince Ig’Or) test.

6:23 a.m. EST: Still nothing here on the live stream, so I’ll pick back up whenever it comes back up!

6:18 a.m. EST: Ope, well there goes the live stream. Hopefully just a small glitch!

6:15 a.m. EST: Bradeley Law must have heard me type out his age, because he tosses in a…buck/rear/hop?…on the first centerline approach. Duly noted, pal, duly noted.

6:13 a.m. EST: We’re back and ready to get underway with our next to see. Michael Owen will ride his very experienced partner Bradeley Law (Mill Law – Scarlet Lady). At 18, this is Bradeley Law’s seventh 5* start and third time at Burghley; most recently here this pair was 19th. Look for them to earn a low-to-mid-30s score to start things off today. John Kyle is now joined in the commentary booth by Zara Tindall — I have to say I am really enjoying the commentary this weekend!

5:56 a.m. EST: That brings us to our first break, and we’ll pick up in about 20 minutes with Michael Owen and Bradeley Law.

5:54 a.m. EST: A 33.2 is not an awful score here at Burghley, as Tina Cook reminds us — this is an event where a quick clear jumping will move you up the board (as is the case at any good 5* event).

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5:53 a.m. EST: Some tension is going to bring this score a bit higher than this horse is likely capable of, but man I am really liking Toronto d’Aurois. He just wants to have a look around at everyone who came to see him! Looking forward to watching this pair tomorrow.

5:45 a.m. EST: Some bobbles in the changes will mar an otherwise lovely test from Susie and Ringwood LB, who at 13 still will grow and improve in his strength as he continues his education. One thing Tina points out is that the horse allowed Susie to actually ride him, which honestly is often more key than natural talent in this sport. Susie earns a 29.6 and will go into seventh for now. Lots of potential to like here! Our last before the first break of the morning (thank goodness because I am in desperate need of coffee) will be Frenchman Arthur Duffort with Toronto d’Aurois (Polack II – Jovaly d’Aurois, by Daloubet d’Evordes, who he owns alongside Julie and Paul Gatien. This horse debuted at the level at this event in 2019 and should be another who will hit the board in the 30s ahead of tomorrow’s cross country.

5:37 a.m. EST: Safe to say Solo is ready for the jumping, but what nice “diplomatic” riding (as Bettina Hoy would say) to ride the horse you have on the day — something we can all remember! A 42.3 for this pair to start on. Next in for Ireland will be Pratoni-bound Susie Berry with 5* debutant horse Ringwood LB (Iroko – Seoidin Alainn, by Master Imp), owned by Helen and Nick Caton. This is a horse that’s capable of a sub-30 score, so we’ll see what sort of marks they’ll pull this morning. Susie, lucky girl, has been basing with Piggy March to hone her skills this year — what an opportunity that must be!

Relateable: when your horse can’t get away from the dressage ring fast enough. GIF via Burghley TV.

5:34 a.m. EST: Oliver Townend commented earlier that his second ride, Swallow Springs — who’s been tapped as a potential winner this weekend — may not be quite as built or bred for the dressage as Vitali, but that he should be “close enough” if he rides well.

5:31 a.m. EST: Next up, another Kiwi rider and a Burghley debut for Hollie Swain with the 13-year-old Solo (Solos Landtinus – Manie Af Sulsted, by Praestegardens Hamlet), who is owned by John Bodenham. This pair averages in the mid-high-30s, but, as Tina Cook describes, “he’s a handful” that requires tactful riding in this phase.

5:29 a.m. EST: Well Kristina looks pleased with her debut test, and her mare seemed to take a breath and begin to work with more relaxation in the canter work to bring her marks up. She’ll take a first-phase score of 33.0 into the jumping phases.

5:22 a.m. EST: A 37.5 and a respectable debut for Kate Shapland! We’ll now see another British horse, Kristina Hall-Jackson and CMS Google (Baltimore – Shalom Internet, by Cavalier), another pair making their first 5* appearance and another beneficiary of the Wesko Equestrian Foundation training program with Pippa Funnell.

5:17 a.m. EST: “I know he’s capable of that kind of score, but to actually put it together in the warm up and have him stay with you…I was very happy,” Tim commented after his ride that took the lead. “When he’s not focused and a little nervy, that’s when nothing’s there for me. I was able to go out there and stay soft with him and that’s why we were able to deliver such a harmonious day. I’m not a dressage rider, I just gallop around jumps well sometimes. I know the horse is capable of it, and it’s kind of on me to bring that out in him.”

5:14 a.m. EST: Oliver earns a 27.5, shaving a couple marks off the 29.5 Tregilder received in his long-awaited 5* debut at Bicton last year. We’ll now see a 5* debutant pair, Kate Shapland and Uris Cavalier (Uranium du Hossoit – Smoothstep Cavalier, by Cavalier Royale). Kate works with Chris Burton as she produces this horse — the only FEI horse she’s had — up the levels.

5:12 a.m. EST: After struggling through the first change, Oliver brings the marks up into the 7-8 territory on the back half of the test. He’s not quite going to catch the leaders, but a workmanlike test for Tregilder and Oliver looks pleased enough.

5:07 a.m. EST: A 21.3 from Tim Price, his best-ever score at this level! That will easily slot into the lead early on here. That will give my Eventing Manager team a nice boost, thanks Time! Next up, we’re really stacking them in here as British World Championships team member Oliver Townend now brings forward the Hazeldines and Mitchell Fox Group’s Tregilder (Royal Concorde x Trewins, by Hand In Glove).

5:05 a.m. EST: Live marks aren’t quite loading just yet, but what a really lovely test from Tim and Vitali, who is just 12 this year but has really stepped up to the plate as a member of Tim’s string in all three phases.

5:00 a.m. EST:: Good morning! We’re ready to kick off this morning and what a treat to see Tim Price with his Tokyo partner, Vitali (Contender – Noble Lady I, by Heraldik), first up!

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Friday News & Notes Presented by Zoetis

By on Sep 2, 2022 12:03 am -

WFP trotted up Courouet for Sarah Bullimore, photo courtesy of Fox-Pitt Eventing.

If there is anything you take away from Burghley this week, it’s that size really, really doesn’t matter. Take 15.1 hand Courouet here, with the size reference of William Fox-Pitt. That little horse blew us away in dressage yesterday, but just you wait until cross country. I remember watching him on course this spring at Kentucky and every jump made me smile so hard. He has absolutely no idea that he’s considered an underdog due to his height, and certainly doesn’t consider those jumps a challenge.

Just in case you’re behind the eight-ball on this, all you need to know for the AECs can be found here, and everything Burghley can be found here.

North American Weekend Preview

USEA American Eventing Championships (Kalispell, MT): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores] [Livestream] [Shannon Brinkman Photography] [Ride On Video]
Park Equine Kentucky Classique H.T. (Lexington, KY): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores]
Course Brook Farm Fall H.T. (Sherborn, MA): [Website] [Live Scores]
Silverwood Farm Fall H.T. (Camp Lake, WI): [Website] [Live Scores]
Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores]
Seneca Valley PC H.T. (Poolesville, MD): [Website] [Entry Status]
Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Revere, PA): [Website]
Foshay Horse Trails (Jemseg, NB): [Website] [Live Scores]
Major International Events
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials: [Website] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream]

News From Around the Globe:

Classic Moet just keeps on keepin’ on. At 19 years of age, this machine of a little mare shows no signs of slowing down, which is a testament to both her toughness, and the management team behind Jonelle Price. She may be a little unorthodox, but she’s always a joy to watch on Saturday, and jumps for fun. Horse & Hound interviewed Molly’s groom to find out more about the black mare. [Treasuring Every Moment]

The horse-human connection is one that honestly boggles the mind. In mounted teams, horses, with prey brains, and humans, with predator brains, share largely invisible signals via mutual body language. These signals are received and transmitted through peripheral nerves leading to each party’s spinal cord. Upon arrival in each brain, they are interpreted, and a learned response is generated. It, too, is transmitted through the spinal cord and nerves. This collaborative neural action forms a feedback loop, allowing communication from brain to brain in real time. Such conversations allow horse and human to achieve their immediate goals in athletic performance and everyday life. In a very real sense, each species’ mind is extended beyond its own skin into the mind of another, with physical interaction becoming a kind of neural dance. [Becoming a Centaur]

What happens if your horse’s shoe takes down a pole in show jumping? Now, the shoe in question was not attached to the horse at the time, so does it count? When it comes to horse sports, anything is possible, and Taylor St Jacques knows that well as she and her chestnut mare Jakilly encountered a strange penalty issue in their five-star debut. [Rogue Shoe Can’t Ruin Five-Star Debut]

Speaking of unfortunate mid-course accidents, Nicholas Beshear recently pulled a Toddy at Great Meadow International, finishing the 3* course on Rio de Janeiro with only one stirrup after fence 9. He finished the course with no jumping and no time penalties, finishing 6th individually, and topping the Under 25 Combined Leaderboard. [No Stirrup, No Problem]

#AEC2022 Day 2: Upper Level Cross Country, Lower Level Dressage at Rebecca Farm

By on Sep 1, 2022 10:52 pm -

James Alliston and Paper Jam lead the way in the Advanced Championship. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Time to check in on our USEA American Eventing Championship competitors! Many thanks to the hardworking team at the USEA for the awesome press releases, which are used in part below.

Today, the upper levels (Modified through Advanced) tackled Ian Stark’s cross country track, which certainly stood up to the task of presenting a championship-caliber challenge. More than a few pairs were caught out throughout the day, primarily stemming from a need to embrace the Ian Stark way and keep kicking. These riders will all take home some valuable information, clear round or not, from their experiences today.

Here’s a quick look at division leaders:

$60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final: James Alliston and Paper Jame (32.1)
USEA Intermediate Championship: Travis Atkinson and Don Darco (32.3)
Bates USEA Jr./YR Preliminary Championship: Maddie Smith and Versace (40.2)
Bates USEA Preliminary Horse Championship: Nicole Aden and Illustrator (26.8)
Bates USEA Preliminary Rider Championship: Ghislane Homan-Taylor and Mt. Whitney (32.4)
Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship: Amy Haugen and Ebenholtz (27.2)
Festival Open Preliminary: Karen O’Neal and Clooney 14 (20.0)
Festival Open Modified: Sarah Sullivan and La Copine (22.4)
USEA Open Modified Championship: Madison Langerak and Normandy Kivalo (20.6)
Festival Open Training: Stephanie Goodman and Esmèe (23.8)
USEA Training Amateur Championship: Morgan Wenell and Kremer VD Falieberg (26.1)
USEA Training Horse Championship: Jennette Scanlon and Zoltaire (23.1)
USEA Training Jr. Championship: Lizzie Hoff and HSH Limited Edition (24.0)
USEA Training Rider Championship: Cindy Kennedy and Third Times the Charm (26.5)
Festival Open Novice A: Tommy Greengard and Shark (24.4)
Festival Open Novice B: Dani Sussman and Bacana (24.4)
USEA Novice Amateur Championship: Jennifer Williams Southworth and Special Agent (27.2)
USEA Novice Horse Championship: Tommy Greengard and Cappachina (23.3)
USEA Novice Jr. Championship: Olivia Keye and Oso Mighty (27.2)
USEA Novice Rider Championship: Alyssa Cairo and Paddington (25.4)

Dressage begins tomorrow for the Beginner Novice divisions, while the upper levels conclude with show jumping and the Novice through Training riders go cross country. You can view the full schedule here. Tomorrow’s live stream will primarily feature show jumping, but one main camera will be positioned for some cross country viewing too. Check out the full schedule and the stream here.

The following press release excerpts were written by Meagan DeLisle for the USEA:

Helen Alliston and Ebay are second in the Advanced Championship following cross country. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It’s Alliston Versus Alliston in $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final

It is the battle of the Allistons in the $60,000 Adequan® USEA Advanced Final during the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. The husband and wife duo currently sit hold all three of the podium spots following cross-country day with James in the lead aboard the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Paper Jam (Paparazzo x Reely Jammin XX) on a score of 32.1. Helen, who was the overnight leader following dressage, has moved down to the second place position with the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding Ebay (Escudo x Contessa), and James also has a claim on the third place spot with the horse the Alliston’s have brought along since he was a yearling: the 8-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding Nemesis (by Novalis).

“The horses were really good,” James commented. “The time was really tight so I think it was a benefit having multiple horses because I realized to get near the time you really had to be on it from the start really. Even then, I didn’t make it, but it was definitely tight.” Riding Paper Jam, James added just 1.2-time penalties to their dressage score and incurred 5.2-time penalties with Nemesis.

Comparing this year’s AEC track to the four-star held at Rebecca Farm in July, James reflected: “I think in July I was going slower in the longs because you have more time. But with all of this money on the line, you are pretty motivated to be as competitive as you possibly can. I think just adding the speed makes everything harder. The horses have to make split-second decisions and things don’t always come up perfect when you are going that sort of speed.”

Helen added 7.2-time penalties to their score after crossing the finish flags of Ian Stark’s Advanced course. “That was awesome,” said Helen. “I had a lot of fun. I went as fast as I possibly could, but it wasn’t quite fast enough, unfortunately. The horse was awesome and I don’t think I would change the way I rode anything. He jumped beautifully and felt like a pro. I was thrilled.”

[Read the full Advanced recap]

Travis Atkinson and Don Darco are in control of the Intermediate Championship. hoto by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Atkinson Enjoys the Ride as He Leads USEA Intermediate Championships at #AEC2022

Time was definitely a factor in the USEA Intermediate Championship at the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds as horse and rider pairs contested Ian Stark’s cross-country track on Thursday. Of the 11 pairs to compete, only one went double-clear. Adding just 2.8-time penalties to their dressage score to take the lead going into the final phase was Travis Atkinson of Lehi, Utah, and his own 13-year-old Zweibrucker gelding Don Darco (Damarco x Gong Lee).

Dressed in red, white, and blue, Atkinson piloted “Darco” skilfully around Stark’s track despite an early miscommunication with a crossing guard, which he attributes to part of the reason why he found himself incurring the handful of time penalties. Overall, however, Atkinson was very pleased with the horse’s performance.

“He is my first horse to move up through the levels,” he shared. “We have been learning the ropes together. I got him as kind of a troubled horse, he is a little bit spooky and can be a little funny here or there. But on cross-country, he really seems to want to do the job. He is fun out there and is a game horse– even when he worries he is looking for a way to get the job done. He was great today, as good as I could have expected him to be. At the end of the day, it didn’t really matter, it moved us where we needed to be in order to be in contention for the win tomorrow.”

Darco and Atkinson have competed on the grounds at Rebecca Farm once before in 2021 where they competed in the Preliminary division. Going into show jumping, the pair were in the lead, but two rails cost them the win. “We were both a little less educated back then, so we are hoping we finish a little stronger tomorrow than what we did back then,” Atkinson reflected.

Looking to improve on last year’s performance, Atkinson sought the help of John Michael Durr in relation to their show jumping efforts. “In the past, our show jumping phase hasn’t been our strongest,” he said. “For me, I want to go and jump clear tomorrow obviously, but at the end of the day, my outlook with this horse is a lot bigger so I want to go in and have a good show jump round. If that is a clear round, then that is what I am going for. If it doesn’t, we just go to the next show and keep chipping away at it like we always do.”

[Read the full Intermediate recap]

Two Colic Surgeries and a Torn Tendon Don’t Hold Leader of USEA Modified Championship Back at #AEC2022

Madison Langerak and Kelly Langerak’s 10-year-old Hungarian Sporthorse Normandy Kivalo (Kalaska De Semilly x Carina) clenched tight to their overnight lead in the USEA Modified Championships during the 2022 American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds with a double-clear cross-country performance on Thursday afternoon. The partnership goes into the final phase of the Championship with a nearly 7-point lead above the current second-place pair with their impressive dressage score of 20.6.

“He came out of the box and at fence number three, he spooked so hard and I lost my stirrup and I thought he was going to run out,” Langerak shared after her ride. “After that, I sat down and buckled in, and rode harder than I thought I was going to have to and got the job done. Normally he’s pretty slow so I was happy to look at my watch and be up on the time by the end of it.”

While Normandy Kivalo has had what Langerak refers to as a “picture-perfect upbringing in eventing,” it hasn’t come without its challenges. The horse has overcome two colic surgeries and overcome a torn tendon in his career so far. “We were actually headed to Montana a week after he had his first colic surgery where we were supposed to be for our first two-star. And then his first colic surgery happened and then the next year he tore a tendon, then he had another colic surgery and he’s just kind of a disaster—a walking disaster—but every year somehow he makes it out again.” As a testament to that, the pair competed in last year’s AEC held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, where they finished in ninth place in the Bates USEA Preliminary Amateur Championship.

“Honestly he’s had such a successful career at Preliminary that he very much could have been doing that but I took him Modified this spring at Spokane and he got a 17 in dressage and he killed cross-country. He won that but he came home a little weird so I kind of just decided to take it easy on him all summer. I just rode him at home and set my sights on this show because obviously, this would mean the most to me. So I really did not do anything this year. I had no plan and I have no plan after this but I just know the horse so well at this point and I know how consistent and reliable he is in the dressage phase in particular that it made it really easy to come out here and perform.”

[Read the full Modified recap]

Tommy Greengard and Joshuay MBF are within striking distance of the leader in the Intermediate Championship. hoto by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

USEA American Eventing Championships (Kalispell, MT): [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scores] [Livestream] [Shannon Brinkman Photography] [Ride On Video]

 

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Thursday at Burghley: A Social Media Recap

By on Sep 1, 2022 8:00 pm -

With the first day of dancing in the books at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, it’s time to take a gander around at what everyone’s been up to this lovely Thursday…

Burghley 2022: Website | Live Scores|Burghley TV | Form Guide | EN’s Coverage | EN’s Twitter | EN’s Instagram

“He Has Such Belief in Himself:” Sarah Bullimore Takes Day One Lead at Burghley

By on Sep 1, 2022 2:46 pm -
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Sarah Bullimore’s 15.2hh homebred Corouet swaps cockiness for responsibility in a stellar test. Photo by Libby Law.

This morning’s first session of dressage brought us plenty to get excited about, with three tests sneaking below the 30 barrier and a barrage of talent to come — but it’s been the afternoon session that’s really kicked Burghley up a notch. Most thrillingly of all, we were treated to two tests that made it into the top five all-time best Burghley tests — and though they initially tied for top spot, a slight revision in the scores pushed Sarah Bullimore and her diminutive homebred Corouet into the top spot on a 22.5, just a tenth of a penalty ahead of Piggy March and her 2019 Badminton champion Vanir Kamira.

“He was amazing — he actually really listened to me and was on side,” says Sarah, who is battling through a period of unsoundness herself after a fall at Wellington Horse Trials earlier in the week saw her take a stud to the knee. “He actually looked after me. I’ve not come here in the best state to perform, but he was great in there — that’s probably the best test we’ve performed all year. Last year our confidence was on a high and he was pulling it out of the bag, but this year, he came out very cocky and arrogant, and he’s just felt like he thought I was a hindrance to him. And perhaps I was enough of a hindrance to him that he felt he ought to carry me today because I was injured — I don’t know.”

Sarah Bullimore and Corouet. Photo by Libby Law.

Last year’s season of highs saw Corouet, who Sarah bred from her 2015 European Championships ride Lilly Corinne, go sub-20 in a CCI4*-S at Burgham and, most notably, take individual bronze at the Europeans, but this year, he’s had rather more of an educational season. That was compounded in his five-star debut at Kentucky earlier this year, where he sat second going into cross-country but began to go into orbit over the solid fences, eventually picking up a 20 after running out of room in a combination. The precocious gelding has no shortage of talent, though, and it’s not hard to imagine that the experience may have helped to temper and shape his unique case of Small Man Syndrome. For Sarah, who has a wealth of mileage at this level, most prolifically accrued with Reve du Rouet — who shares a sire with Corouet — it’s particularly special to have her homebred at an event like this, particularly because he is so different to his half-brother.

“He knows he’s special, and he just goes in there and says, ‘watch me, everybody!’ He loves the crowd, and he doesn’t actually want to come back out of the main arena — he’s so laid back in there, which is very different from his big brother, who does his test and can’t wait to get out! Corouet has such belief in himself, but he’s always right,” she says. “It’s amazing — I’ve known him since he was born, and that makes it so special. He’s such a huge, massive character, and he doesn’t realise he’s quite small, so he doesn’t feel small when you ride him. He has a huge stride, and so you forget [he’s small] until you leap off and hit the ground sooner than you expect to!”

Now, Sarah is planning to spend her Friday nursing her injured knee, which is getting incrementally better by the hour despite being packed full of iodine-soaked dressing to mitigate any risk of infection.

“Yesterday I couldn’t walk up and down stairs or do rising trot — but fortunately, you don’t have to do that in this test,” she laughs. “It wasn’t the best preparation, but to be fair, I’ve been quite lucky as to where it is — I could easily have fractured something, but there’s luck and then there’s luck, isn’t there? It’s quite stiff and sore at the moment, and very bruised; it looks quite a pretty picture, but it is getting better daily, and we’re just going to keep on icing it and seeing the physio.”

Piggy March and Vanir Kamira hit the first of their goals for the week with a five-star personal best. Photo by Libby Law.

Piggy March came to Burghley with every intention of delivering a big test with her Badminton winner, seventeen-year-old Vanir Kamira, but a five-star personal best of 22.6 was probably beyond the realm of even her own imagination.

“As we came out of the arena I gave her a big hug and a kiss — I just couldn’t really believe it, bless her little heart,” says Piggy. “There’s plenty of pressure that I put on myself for this week, and I was hoping and praying that she’d get a PB because she’s felt great this year. Badminton was one of our best tests and she’s just felt good; she looks amazing, she’s strong, and she’s been working so well that I thought she really deserved it.”

Although ‘Tillybean’ is looking at her very best this season, much rides on the strength of the warm-up — and her preparation for her test today didn’t fill Piggy with confidence.

“Just before I went in, I felt that I hadn’t got her totally where I wanted to,” she says. “She felt quite hot, and she was sneezing quite a lot. She suddenly gets in quite a sweat, even though everyone from the outside would think she looked very calm and nice. But she’s been in these main arenas now a few times for laps of on our and things like that, and it doesn’t take much for them to know it’s an occasion.”

Piggy March and Vanir Kamira. Photo by Libby Law.

After the first movement in the test, though, Piggy and Tillybean rallied — though Piggy confesses that producing the goods today took some seriously hard graft.

“I didn’t love my first centreline; it was straight, but she just went to pull herself up and halt early. That’s something I’ve struggled with all her life, because she’s a mare that half-halts herself and goes a bit swishy and croup-high in every transition, and it takes a lot of attention to detail to stop her doing it. So I thought, ‘oh, balls, I’ve not got her on the button today.’ There’s always such a fine line with her, and I thought I was on the wrong side of that. But then I just thought, ‘get on with it and believe — ears up, sit down, hands together, breathe, ride it, just go through it.’ And she kept on the right side of the line — but for me, personally, it felt like the hardest test I’ve ever ridden on her, because it felt like I was on the edge. Whether that was just a mental thing, because I was so desperate for it to go as well as it can today… I’m not one that normally minds pressure, but she’s getting to the end of her days, so I really was desperate for it to be good.”

Piggy often fondly describes the mare as ‘a pain in the ass 362 days of the year’ or ‘a scopeless yak’, variously, but the gutsy mare is a classic long-format horse: when it really counts, she’s able to overcome her physical hindrances and get the job done, with a little help from her friend.

“She’s got a neck and a backside on her, and as a six-year-old, she couldn’t go on the bit for more than two minutes because of how she’s built. So trying to get her to lift her ears and come up in front, well, you can only manufacture that for so long. It’s just taken that much time and consistent training, but it’s bloody hard. They start to go on their head, and then you start to hold them, and then they’re like, ‘hold me more!’ and then you hold more — my brain’s going overtime the whole time; I felt like I was about to explode, and then I was like, ‘thank fuck that’s over!’ She felt hot enough, but that probably made the changes a bit more expressive, and she kept her rhythm in the medium trots, and it was just good. For Tillybean, a 22 at this level! That could easily be even better, but I don’t care — I’m just so proud.”

Zara Tindall’s Class Affair becomes a man in Burghley’s main arena. Photo by Libby Law.

Zara Tindall‘s sometimes tempestuous Class Affair stepped up to the plate in a major way today, delivering a five-star personal best of 28.4 to take overnight fourth, 2.2 penalties behind third-placed Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On.

“He’s always had the potential, but sometimes his brain takes over a bit — and it did, a little bit, in a couple of the movements [today], but he came back and was much calmer than he’s ever been in there,” she says. “I’m just delighted to be under 30!”

Class Affair comes forward for his third crack at five-star this week after debuting here in 2019 — but ending his day at the Leaf Pit — and then travelling to Maryland last year, where he completed with 20 penalties. There have been hints throughout his career that a very good test might be simmering away under the surface, and it’s now, as a thirteen-year-old, that he seems to be coming into his zenith.

“The last time I came here he was a ten-year-old, so he was very green. We’ve spent a long time with him — he’s pretty crazy in the brain, so he’s quite tricky. He can be really towing you and then just suddenly drop behind your leg, so that’s quite difficult, but he’s been going really well. We’ve just been truing to keep him comfortable, because he gets quite tense, and trying to be consistent with him.”

Zara credits dressage riders Carl Hester and Amy Woodhead with helping her to get the best out of the gelding: “I actually send my horses to Amy in the winter like, ‘please can you get them on the bit?!’,” she laughs. “Amy’s been based with Carl, so she trains how he would, and she’s brilliant. Both of them just make it fun, so it’s not like, ‘oh god, I’ve got to go for dressage lessons.’ They also understand the difference between their horses and event horses — they know that our horses might not be quite as capable, but actually, they can do what they want us to do.”

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent fly the flag for ex-racehorses with a sparkling personal best. Photo by Libby Law.

There are few horses who so wholly represent the classic American Thoroughbred as well as gutsy, tenacious Palm Crescent, who raced on the flat more than 20 times before starting his second career with the USA’s Meghan O’Donoghue – but his undeniable reliability across the country hasn’t always been matched by a natural inclination to perform on the flat. That all changed today, though, when the pair slipped sub-30 for the first time at this level, producing a sweet, smart test that earned them a 29.6 and put them into fifth place overnight.

“I’m ecstatic with him,” says Meghan. “He was absolutely phenomenal. He’s a performer, so he knows when we’re at a big competition, and we’ve been ticking away at this phase because this would be the hardest bit for him.”

Like many Thoroughbreds, with their busy, clever brains and endless well of effort to give, Palmer is at his best when he’s able to set up shop at a competition for the week, rather than chasing the quick thrills of a short-format: “I think that he’s at a point in his career where he really thrives from the set-up of a big three-day — he comes here, he has his groom, he’s all she thinks about, and he gets all of his things and rises to the occasion.”

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent. Photo by Libby Law.

Meghan, who made her team debut — and enjoyed her first experience of eventing abroad since her travels with old friend Pirate back in 2013 and 2014 — at CHIO Aachen in July, has stayed put in the UK since in order to prepare for her second crack at Burghley (she started the event in 2014 with Pirate but ended her weekend early on cross country).

“We’ve had an amazing support crew over here; after Aachen, I was able to stay over here at Rebecca Howard’s place near Marlborough [Wiltshire],” she says. While she’s been there, she’s focused on the marginal gains that would steer her sixteen-year-old partner to his best-ever performance on the flat.

“It’s mostly been about the suppleness and where he is in his head, and that would kind of be the case for Thoroughbred horses that have had a relentless beginning. You can’t really blame him for it, because he’s not really built to do it, either,” she explains. Now, with an excellent starting score on the board, she can focus completely on Saturday’s tough cross-country course, on which she hopes to replicate the speedy clears they’ve delivered in all three of their previous five-star runs. This time, she’ll have the added challenge of Burghley’s unique, relentless terrain — but there’s nothing she’d rather be sitting on than a Thoroughbred full of gumption.

“I got to have a run at Hartpury in the four short as his last prep for this, and so I’ve had a little taste of the terrain over here,” she says. “He went super well there, and I have no reason to doubt him — he’s showed up for me every day that I’ve asked him to, so I’ll just do the best piloting job that I can and look after him.”

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Tom Rowland’s ‘cobby’ Possible Mission delivers his best to sit in the top ten. Photo by Libby Law.

Tests from this morning’s competitors make up much of the lower half of the top ten: pathfinders Tim Price and Bango and the USA’s Woods Baughman and C’est la Vie 135 sit in equal sixth on 29.8, while France’s Rodolphe Scherer and Song du Magay hold eighth on 30.4. 25-year-old Harry Mutch and HD Bronze are ninth overnight on 30.8, while Great Britain’s Tom Rowland rounds out the top ten after delivering a five-star personal best of 31.2 with his longtime partner Possible Mission, who’s the sort of horse who wouldn’t look out of place in the hunting field — but nevertheless has jumped clear around both Badminton and Burghley previously. His experience, and his workmanlike nature, meant that he was able to make the best of Burghley’s curious, close atmosphere today.

“He’s fifteen now, and he’s a bit stuck in his ways, but I think we might have got a few more of the flying changes this time than we normally do,” laughs Tom. “But he’s nice to ride in there, because you sort of forget how it goes from being really loud to suddenly really, really quiet. You think, ‘oh, god!’ but actually, he rises to that occasion.”

There’s an old saying in the theatre world that a bad dress rehearsal ensures a good opening night, and that adage certainly proved true for Tom, who took Possible Mission out for a final test earlier in the week that didn’t go wholly to plan.

“I took him to Wellington on Monday to do the Advanced and he did the most horrendous dressage test. He’s a bit of a head shaker, and the arena is down by the trees there,” he explains. “He wasn’t even on the bit — he just threw his head around everywhere, but I thought, ‘no, this is a good thing. He’s got it out of the way.’ And actually, he’s felt really good this week, so I haven’t given him very much work.”

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Emily Hamel and Corvett survive some exuberant moments in their test. Photo by Libby Law.

“I wish he’d have been a little more submissive in the ring, but at least we had pretty good trot work,” laughs US representative Emily Hamel, whose test aboard Corvett upped the comedy ante when the expressive gelding turned one of the flying changes into a colossal series of bucks. They’ll head into Saturday’s cross-country on a score of 37.3, which puts them in 21st overnight. “I always want a little bit better, but overall, I’m really happy with him. He’s going to eat up the course here — I just have to make sure I keep myself in the tack!”

Emily has been busy training with Angela Tucker for this phase — “I’m kind of sad I couldn’t show off our dressage a bit more,” she says — and New Zealand’s Grant Wilson in the showjumping, and comes to Burghley feeling on top form after tackling Badminton this spring just weeks after a serious knee injury.

“I feel more prepared than I did for Badminton, so hopefully that’ll show,” she says. “It’s been a busy summer, and I’ve had a good time, just seeing different events and taking lessons. It’s a cool atmosphere over here.”

To check out the full scores, and times for tomorrow’s test, click here — or, if you want to try to catch the highlights of the day tomorrow, here are some of the biggest tests yet to come:

  • Tim Price and Vitali — 10.00 a.m. BST/5.00 a.m. EST
  • Susie Berry and Ringwood LB – 10.40 a.m. BST/5.40 a.m. EST
  • William Fox-Pitt and Oratorio – 11.31 a.m. BST/6.31 a.m. EST
  • Bubby Upton and Cola III – 11.39 a.m. BST/6.39 a.m. EST
  • Kitty King and Vendredi Biats – 14.25 p.m. BST/9.25 a.m. EST
  • Ros Canter and Pencos Crown Jewel – 15.05 p.m. BST/10.05 a.m. EST
  • Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser – 15.29 p.m. BST/10.29 a.m. EST
  • Tim Price and Polystar I – 15.37 p.m. BST/10.37 a.m. EST
  • Oliver Townend and Swallow Springs – 15.45 p.m. BST/10.45 a.m. EST

The top ten at the end of day one of dressage.

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Burghley 2022: Website|Live Scores|Burghley TV|Form Guide|EN’s Coverage|EN’s Twitter|EN’s Instagram

US Equestrian Names Team for FEI Nations Cup Netherlands CCIO4*-L

By on Sep 1, 2022 2:11 pm -

Graphic via US Equestrian.

US Equestrian is pleased to announce the four combinations selected to represent the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Netherlands CCIO4*-L hosted in Enschede, Netherlands at the Military Boekelo-Enschede from October 5-9, 2022.

The following combinations have been named to the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team and are listed in alphabetical order:

James Alliston and Nemesis at Rebecca Farm this July. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

James Alliston (San Ramon, Calif.) and Nemesis, a 2014 Canadian Warmblood gelding owned by Alliston Equestrian.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C at Rebecca Farm this July. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) and Miks Master C, a 2012 Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Ocala Horse Properties & Deborah Palmer.

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B at Bruce’s field this spring. Photo by Christine Quinn Photography.

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Fedarman B, 2010 KWPN gelding owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate

Alyssa Phillips and Oskar at Rebecca Farm this July. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Alyssa Phillips (Fort Worth, Texas) and Oskar, a 2009 Holsteiner gelding owned by Alyssa & Julie Phillips.

The competition will begin on Wednesday, October 5, with the horse inspection and continue through Sunday, October 9. The cross-country course is designed by Adrian Ditcham (GER), while the final jumping phase will be built by Kris van Gelder (NED).