Get the lowdown on this fixture from Eventing magazine's horse trials guide — including what riders say about the event, plus vital statistics
Date: Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 April 2015
Organiser: Musketeer Event Management
Contact: 01485 210070; info@musketeer.co.uk; www.musketeer.co.uk
Location: Norfolk
Entries open: 26 February
Ballot date: 12 March at 12 noon
Entries close: 23 March
Link to Burnham Market (1) entries: www.britisheventing.com/burnhammarket1
How to get there
20 miles north-east of King’s Lynn and 10 miles north-west of Fakenham. The event is signposted from the B1153 Docking to Brancaster road.
What the organisers say
Burnham Market is an excellent event early in the eventing calendar. Course-designer Alec Lochore creates bold and attacking courses, which are good for horses wanting to gain CIC qualifications.
The dressage has ample warm-up space adjacent to the arenas, the purpose-built showjumping is on flat land and the cross-country is an all-grass course on well-drained, undulating farmland.
With the possibility of using a sand arena for the showjumping and the exceptional free-draining sandy soil, the event is almost always guaranteed to run in all weather conditions. Care and attention is paid to the ground, ensuring that the going is as good as possible, including the use of an agri-vator if necessary. Extensive ground preparation will be taking place over the winter prior to the 2015 event.
Musketeer Event Management will once again be running a shuttle service and provide an owner’s marquee adjacent to the showjumping, serving light refreshments.
What the riders say
Dressage & showjumping — “Dressage is set away from the main marquees, but the downside is no atmosphere bar the wind that can rip across the dressage area and provide entertainment for some riders.” “Plenty of area to warm-up.” “Nice flat arenas and the non-competing horses were not allowed to work in the warm-up this year (extra work area provided near the tradestands instead) which was not welcomed by some, but a sensible move as before it was like traversing the M25 on a Monday morning.” “Showjumping is always inviting and in a superb permanent arena. When wet the jumping is on a surface.” “The courses are well built with good technical questions — it is not a first-time track, but is a very fair test at all levels and no trouble if you are on a jumper!”
Cross-country — “The tracks this year I felt were a little tired and disappointing. It was an expensive combined training event for me as I felt the ground was too firm and the questions not educational enough to risk my horses, which was a real shame as it used to be one of my favourite events.” “It would be a good course to take a horse needing a qualification at a CIC level as the courses for the national and international classes were almost identical and the tests very fair for their respective levels.” “The final coffin didn’t ride well in the three-star and advanced, but it was very well run, with a slick organising team.”
Percentage of cross-country clears 2014
CIC3*: 78%
A: 43%
CIC2*: 76%
OI: 79%
I: 72%
ONU18: 58%
ON: 89%
N: 67%
BE100 Open: 90%
BE100: 81%
Download part one of the horse trials guide for just £1.49: Eventing horse trials guide part one
Buy Eventing magazine’s March issue for our full horse trials guide detailing every event from March to June 2015 or purchase a digital copy of the guide here. The second half of the guide will be in our April issue (on sale 20 March) and online to buy digitally after publication