Plenty of riders had made a real effort to make a fashion statement at the first horse inspection of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials today (29 September).
Competition for the best dressed man and best dressed lady, sponsored by HiHo Silver, was hot. But in the end, the winners were Alexander Bragg and Caroline Powell.
Here we round up just a few of our favourite looks, as captured by Peter Nixon…
Caroline Powell
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New Zealander Caroline Powell teamed a powder blue three-quarter length tweed jacket with leather-look trousers by Holland Cooper and Fairfax & Favor over-the-knee boots
Alex Bragg
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Alex Bragg went for the traditional British look with a tweed two-piece, which was lined with the same baby blue as his tie
Nana Dalton
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Nana opted for a smart navy coat with maroon trilby, both by Holland Cooper, and Fairfax & Favor boots, which featured pink tassels — these particular tassels proved popular with a number of other female Burghley riders as all proceeds from the sale of the pink accessory is donated to British Cancer Care, a charity that works with women suffering from breast cancer
Harry Dzenis
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Harry Dzenis’ pink shirt matched the lining of his suit
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Ginny Thompson
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New Zealander and Burghley first-timer, Ginny Thompson, wore a versatile cape with pearl detail
Ludwig Svennerstal
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Ludwig completed his look with velvet smoking slippers and a white pocket square to match his shirt
Julie Tew
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Julie’s tailored jacket stood out against her black trousers
Katrin Khoddam Hazrati
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One that got the crowd talking was Austrian competitor Katrin. She wore a dirndl, which is traditional Austrian dress
Sarah Bullimore
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Sarah cut a dash with leather-look trousers and a faux fur collar to her coat. The look was completed with statement maroon ankle boots which matched her Holland Cooper trilby (and that also did its best to blow away while trotting up the excitable Reve Du Rouet)
Kirsty Short
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Kirsty Short was elegant in this light blue/grey three-quarter length jacket dress
Emilie Chandler
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Emilie looked super-chic in white jeans and shirt paired with navy over-the-knee boots from Fairfax & Favor, plus a jacket and trilby from Holland Cooper.
Lissa Green
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Lissa channelled 70s style with these camel flares and dusty pink scarf
Katie Preston
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Katie Preston styled her navy cape with light blue lining and matching skirt, made by Christie Lloyd Art and The Little Tweed Co, with a feathered trilby
Don’t miss H&H’s Burghley preview, including afull form guide and a scorecard to fill in for every rider, on sale now (issue dated Thursday 23 August), and you can read the full report in next week’s magazine (Thursday 6 September).
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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.
