The Skelton brothers will team up for a masterclass on the opening day of Defender Burghley Horse Trials (3 to 6 September).
Reigning National Hunt champion trainer Dan Skelton and his brother, Harry, who won the respective champion jockey title in 2021, will give a demonstration in the main arena during Thursday’s lunch break.
It will be hosted by racing broadcasters Nick Luck and Alice Fox-Pitt and will end with a Q&A session.
“Harry and I are really looking forward to delivering a masterclass at Burghley Horse Trials this year,” said Dan.
“It will be a great opportunity to take people behind the scenes and demonstrate how we use techniques from other disciplines to help develop our racehorses in training. We’re excited to share our approach and highlight the benefits it brings to our horses.”
Horses for the Dan and Harry Skelton masterclass will be provided by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme, an initiative set up by David Howden in 2024 designed to support riders taking on former racehorses.
After the first day of dressage, Australian eventing medallist and course-designer Clayton Fredericks will lead a masterclass on cross-country course design. He will also be joined by fellow designer and Olympic rider Andrew Heffernan – the pair are assistants to course-designer Derek di Grazia at Burghley this year.
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Dressage legend Carl Hester’s popular masterclass is scheduled for Friday’s lunchbreak this year. He will work with a grand prix dressage rider on their freestyle performance, and with a leading event rider on the CCI5* dressage test.
A demonstration from the Howden Way Young Horse Academy, led by BHS Fellow and CCI5* event rider Kylie Roddy, will round off Burghley’s masterclasses on Friday afternoon. It will showcase promising young horses and provide training tips on producing horses through the levels.
Defender Burghley Horse Trials director Martyn Johnson said: “We are thrilled to welcome Dan and Harry Skelton to Burghley for the first time. The Skelton family is almost unparalleled in the range of its equestrian achievements, and we think our visitors will be fascinated to watch Harry and Dan work together.
“We are determined to keep raising the standards of what we offer visitors, and this year’s masterclass line-up reflects that ambition. From the dressage precision of Carl Hester to the groundbreaking cross-discipline insights of the Skeltons, there is something to inspire every equestrian enthusiast.”
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
