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13 things you didn’t know about Burghley Horse Trials

Cathy Comerford

    • The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is one of the most prestigious events in the eventing calendar and the popular event ranks within the UK’s top 10 national sporting occasions by attendance.

    But just how much do you know about the event? Here are 13 fun facts that you may not have known about Burghley Horse Trials…

    1. Eventing came to Burghley House almost by accident in 1961 after the Marquess of Exeter heard an event at Harewood was to be cancelled ­– he invited the BHS to move the event to his estate, proving the start of a remarkable journey
    2. Equestrian Team GBR’s Izzy Taylor is the niece of Burghley’s first winner, Anneli Drummond-Hay, who won the event riding Merely-A-Monarch
    3. In Burghley’s first year only 19 competitors took part, and just nine of these combinations completed the event
    4. Today approximately 1,100 volunteers are involved in the organising and running of the event. These include vets, fence judges and stewards who are crucial to ensuring that the event runs smoothly
    5. 5,185 fences are jumped during the course of the four days
    6. 26 gallons of Pimms are drunk by visitors each year
    7. There have been just six course designers in the event’s history, with the current designer Captain Mark Philips in place since 2005. The previous designers were Bill Thomson, MRCVS (1961 – 1983), Lt. Col. Henry Nicoll, D.S.O., O.B.E. (1975), Philip Herbert (1984 – 1988), Capt. Mark Phillips, C.V.O. (1989 – 1996 and 1998 – 2000), Mike Tucker (1997 and 2001) and Wolfgang Feld (2002 – 2004)
    8. Burghley welcomes over 160,000 visitors during the four days of competition
    9. There are approximately 600 carefully selected exhibitors at Burghley
    10. The total prize fund at Burghley is an amazing £250,000, which is split between the top competitors
    11. Burghley Horse Trials is one of just six CCI four-star events worldwide. The others are Badminton, Kentucky, Luhmuhlen, Pau and Adelaide
    12. William Fox-Pitt is Burghley’s most successful competitor, having won the six times (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2011)
    13. Andrew Nicholson has completed Burghley Horse Trials a staggering 33 times

    The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials takes place on 1 – 4 September 2016. For more information visit: www.burghley-horse.co.uk

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