Equestrian enthusiasts who are unable to enjoy the Burghley International Horse Trials first hand can look forward to watching all the action on the BBC, which has announced that it will continue to cover the event for the next three years up to and including the 2006 competition.
London-based independent sports production company, Television in Europe, will continue to provide the host broadcast coverage for BBC TV, which features highlights of the cross-country plus live coverage of the show jumping finale.
Michael Cole of BBC Grandstand says: “This new agreement is an indication of our strong commitment to Burghley and the sport of eventing. The event fits well within our schedule and is well received by the audience.”
Event director, Bill Henson adds: “The television format Burghley and the BBC have pioneered and developed over the last seven years brings the whole story together for the audience in a single programme, while maintaining the event’s topicality.”
Coverage of this year’s Burghley Masterfoods Horse Trials 2003 can be seen on Sunday Grandstand on 7 September.
UK versus USA
This year’s Burghley will also host a UK versus USA rider challenge competition, sponsored by Mountain Horse.
Seven riders will be selected from each nation following the first horse inspection on Wednesday. The American and British riders will then be paired up to ride against each other in this “Ryder Cup”-style event.
Each pair will be inserted into special slots in the running order so the audience can easily compare their performances during all three phases.
The highest placed rider from each pair at the end of the competition will be the “match winner”. The winning nation will have the greatest number of match winners.
Mountain Horse will be providing branded team clothing for the riders taking part and prizes which will be awarded at the prize presentation ceremony in the main arena at approximately 1pm on Sunday 7 September.
For more information about Burghley including tickets visit: www.burghley-horse.co.uk
