We’re not going to lie, we are pretty sad not to be heading to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials today (2 September). But to pick ourselves up, we have delved into the Horse & Hound archives to reminisce about Burghleys of the past, including bringing you some Burghley Horse Trials trot-up videos from the 2008 event, featuring big names you may well recognise…
As with any eventing trot-up, there’s always a handful of horses that find the occasion terribly exciting — and who can blame them when they are five-star fit and have a pensive crowd watching on?
Here are a few horses from the 2008 event who helped entertain the crowds, including the eventual winner that year, Tamarillo with his rider William Fox-Pitt.
William is our special guest on tomorrow’s episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast during which he chats to H&H eventing editor and podcast host Pippa Roome about his six Burghley-winning rides.
Every year the best turned-out prizes are hotly contested, by both grooms and their riders, but which was your favourite outfit in 2008? Here are some of the highlights.
Stay tuned to the Horse & Hound website this week for more Burghley archive content, showcasing some of our favourite moments from one of the toughest five-star events there is.
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
