Drama From the Off: One Horse Spun in Defender Burghley First Horse Inspection

Will Faudree and Mamas Magic Way. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

And so the week begins at the 2023 Defender Burghley Horse Trials — and already, before the competition kicks off in earnest (and before anyone gets close to that beefy Derek di Grazia cross-country track), we’ve already seen some drama unfold at this afternoon’s first horse inspection, which was presided over in the main arena by ground jury President Christian Steiner (AUT) and members Nick Burton (GBR) and Anne-Mette Binder (DEN).

Christopher Whittle and Skip Mill. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just one horse was sent to the holding box during the course of this afternoon’s proceedings: Christopher Whittle‘s 15-year-old Skip Mill, with whom he was intending to make his five-star debut, was first asked to trot a second time, before being held and, upon closer inspection and re-presentation by holding box vet Andy Bathe, sadly not accepted to start the competition.

Pippa Funnell: the Burghley first horse inspection’s best-dressed female rider. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Two prizes were awarded for sartorial choices; the best-dressed male award went to Phil Brown, making his sophomore start at the event with Harry Robinson (who was, erroneously but also charmingly, announced as the winner of the prize), while the best-dressed female award went to Pippa Funnell, who will ride the stalwart Majas Hope this week.

Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit fly the flag for Canada at Burghley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tomorrow’s first day of dressage will begin at 9.45 a.m. (4.45 a.m. EST), with Great Britain’s Harry Meade first in the ring aboard Away Cruising. Several of our strong North American contingent will be riding tomorrow: Boyd Martin and his Maryland 5* winner On Cue will ride at 10:25 (5.25 a.m. EST); Jessica Phoenix and Wabbit will ride at 15:18 (10.18 a.m. EST); and Jennie Saville will come forward with FE Lifestyle at 15:50 (10.50 a.m. EST). You can check out tomorrow’s times in full here.

There’ll also be a couple of undoubtedly insightful masterclasses on during the day in the main arena; during the lunch break, former British chef d’equipe Yogi Briesner will lead a demonstration titled ‘Better cross country — without hiring a course’, while current British team performance manager Dickie Waygood will lead one titled ‘The right platform for cross country success’ after the close of dressage.

We’ll be bringing you full coverage, with jam-packed reports at both the lunch break and close of the day – but if you also want to follow the action as it happens, make sure to get your membership to Burghley TV, the only place to stream this year’s competition. Your subscription will also give you access to a wealth of coverage from prior years, plus magazine programs and behind-the-scenes insights into the goings-on this week. Happy viewing — and Go Eventing!

EN’s coverage of Burghley is presented by Kentucky Performance Products. Click here to learn all about their full line of science-backed nutritional support products, including Neigh-Lox Advanced for digestive support.