Walk the Burghley cross-country course [PICS]
Take a look at every fence on the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course.
It’s a true four-star with some big fences and some interesting tweaks and additions for this year.
The Discovery Valley, Land Rover Trout Hatchery and the Land Rover Dairy Farm all look set to be influential again in this year’s course.
“It’s a big course and it will need a special horse to get around it,” said this year’s Badminton winner Sam Griffiths.
The recent good weather has meant that Burghley’s watering system has come into play. The final optimum time is yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be around 11min 30sec.
Burghley 2014 Cross-Country key facts and banter
- 36 clear rounds out of 63 cross-country starters.
- Biggest faller — Andrew Hoy: He was the highest placed rider after dressage not to complete the cross-country. He retired after the Dairy Farm during what looked like a brilliant round.
- Biggest climber — Lousia Lockwood rose 34 places on cross-country day from 52nd to 18th on Ballyfarris Flight.
- Ben Hobday, clear in both jumping phases on Mulry’s Error, took over the ride from owner Sallie Ryle in 2011 when she entered the CCI* at Tattersalls and pulled out a week before because she was too nervous. “He’s never left my yard since. He’s a cob, but a class horse and an amazing jumper,” he said.
- 2 — the number of riders awarded 21pen for breaking a frangible pin — Marilyn Little (RF Demeter) and Sarah Bullimore (Valentino V).
- Irish rider Michael Ryan was at Burghley for the first time. He said: “It’s one of the toughest tracks I’ve ever ridden. What’s that mother and father of fences, the one with the great big hole in the ground?!” (The Cottesmore Leap, Michael.)
- Francis Whittington: “I turned my watch off at the Land Rover Dairy Farm. I learnt a lot at Badminton, where I should have concentrated on horsemanship, not time. A positive ride sets him (Hasty Imp) up for next year.”
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.