‘I’m 6ft6 and I can barely see over the fence!’: Burghley debutant eyes up challenging cross-country

Will Rawlin is making his debut at the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials having finished best first-timer at Badminton four months ago. He kicked off his bid with a 32 dressage on Ballycoog Breaker Boy, which should put him well into the top half of the contenders, with just one mistake in the change in the serpentine in an otherwise smooth test.

Although Will, 30, is now based in Berkshire, he spent his formative years in the Fitzwilliam branch of the Pony Club and so this feels like a local event.

“Where the lorries are parked, there’s a couple of cross-country fences that I used to jump when I was doing the one-day event here,” he says. “It’s surreal seeing them when I’m doing the big Burghley. It’s a bit like, ‘wow, this is actually happening’.

“It’s such an incredible venue, and amazing to have a horse I’ve had since a four-year-old and bring him here.”

Will Rawlin assesses Burghley Horse Trials cross-country track

Ballycoog Breaker Boy, a 12-year-old by Womanizer, is “a worker, who absolutely hates holidays”. Will also describes him as “the straightest cross-country horse I’ve ever sat on”, a key attribute over a track that is billed to be particularly challenging.

“I’d say Burghley is so much bigger than Badminton, particularly the first couple of minutes,” says Will. “It’s so intense, particularly if you’re on a horse that could get a bit brain-fried.

“Those brushes in the Leaf Pit are huge – I’m a tall guy at 6ft 6in and I could barely see over the top. Sadly they don’t get any smaller from my height, and last night I was dreaming they were getting bigger, and I thought, ‘no come on, you still need to do the dressage done — take each phase as it comes’.”

But Will is all set for the challenge ahead.

“The course and ground look amazing, like galloping on a golf course,” he says. “I’m looking forward to getting out there. Once you get through the Trout Hatchery the horses should have time mentally to relax.”

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