Latest from Horse & Hound in Derek-di-grazia

What do Ros Canter, Oliver Townend and Harry Meade have to jump this week? Full Burghley cross-country course photos

Pippa Roome — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:33:13 +0000

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course for this week’s event (4-7 September) is designed again by Derek di Grazia.

The track is 6500m long, with an optimum time of 11min 24sec. There are 31 numbered fences. Read on for our complete picture gallery, showing every obstacle…

Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course 2025

Fence 1: Defender Starter

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Parasol Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Defender Log Trailer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4: Defender Lion Bridge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5: Pol Roger Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6ab: Boodles at Anniversary Splash

Fence 6ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative route involves looping round to take two separate fences.

Fence 6a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7abc: Boodles Raindance

Fence 7a (the step up) and 7bc (angled brush off bounce distance) direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The step on the right in the picture above is the alternative fence 7a. On this alternative route, riders then jump two separate elements as 7b and 7c, turning back on themselves.

Fence 7b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8: Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance Helipad

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9abc: Defender Dairy Mound

Fence 9a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative route for 9b and 9c involves a longer distance, turning back away from the direction of travel for fence 9c.

Fence 9b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10ab: Fairfax and Favor at Keepers

Fence 10a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10b direct route, with the alternative fence in the background

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11: Irish Horse Board Cottesmore Leap

Fence 11 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11 alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12: Winners Avenue Plinth

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13ab: LeMieux Paddock Gates

Fence 13a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14: Burghley House Turrets

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 15 and 16: Pedigree Brushes

Fence 15

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 17ab and 18ab: Joules at the Maltings

Fence 17a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: Horseware Ireland Rug Rail

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20: Pardubice

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 21abcd and 22: Trout Hatchery

Fence 21a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

On the alternative route, horses land from the roll-top (fence 21bc) on dry ground rather than in the water and riders come out of the second pond on the right rather than the left, taking a longer way round to jump the following elements. The numbering here limits options for riders wanting to change their minds part-way through a route.

Fence 21bc alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21d alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22 alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23: Champion Triple Rail

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24abcd: Defender Valley

Fence 24a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24d direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative involves looping around away from the direction of travel.

Fence 24a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

There is no alternative at fence 24d – riders on the longer route jump the same fence as those on the direct line.

Fence 25: Trakehner

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26abcde: Holland Cooper Leaf Pit

Fence 26ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26de

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative to the drop down consists of two houses.

Fence 26a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative at 26cde means jumping three arrowheads rather than two on the direct route and is also a more curving line, taking up extra time.

Fence 26c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26d alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26e alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27: Defender Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 28ab and 29: Mars Equestrian Stables

Fence 28a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 29

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 30: Quilter Cheviot Lambert’s Sofa

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 31: Defender Finale

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout Burghley and other major shows this year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website, from £1 a week. Horse & Hound’s 20-page magazine report on Burghley is published in 11 September issue, including full analysis and exclusive comment from six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt.

You may also be interested in:

(Image credit: Pippa Roome)

How to watch Burghley Horse Trials 2025 live streams and on TV wherever you are

Tom McEwen’s Olympic partner Toledo De Kerser to return to Burghley’s main arena

(Image credit: Pippa Roome)

Eight pairs to watch at Burghley this week – will one of these favourites take the title?

(Image credit: Pippa Roome)

Young British star and two debutants among latest Burghley withdrawals

(Image credit: Pippa Roome)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Could you jump this? See all the fences Tom McEwen and Harry Meade will tackle this week at Kentucky five-star

Pippa Roome — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:36:31 +0000

The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for the 2025 event (24-27 April) has been designed again by Derek di Grazia, who has had responsibility for the track here since 2011.

There are 27 numbered fences on the five-star track and the course is 6460m long, with an optimum time of 11min 20sec.

Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course 2025

Fence 1: Woerthy Tribute

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Trellis and Tables

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Wofford Rails

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4abc: MARS Sustainability Bay

Fence 4a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5: Hillside Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6abcd: Care Credit Question

Fence 6a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6b (this ditch is used as element b on both the direct and alternative routes)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative route involves looping around and taking four jumping efforts rather than three.

Fence 6a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7: Triple Bar

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8: Fox’s Den Gate

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9ab: Equestrian Events Corners

Fence 9a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative route involves turning back round against the direction of travel to take two different corners, at an easier angle.

Fence 9a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10: Ditch Brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11: Angled Hedge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12abc: Rolex Crossing

Fence 12a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12c alternative route

This arrowhead is off to the side so requires a slight diversion.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13: Mick’s Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14abc: Pete’s Hollow

Fence 14a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Terrain is a big factor here – horses run down in to the hollow and up the other side to element b.

Fence 14b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The long route involves looping round, taking extra time.

Fence 14a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15abc: EEI Root Cellar

Fence 15a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View from 15a down to the b and c elements.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16: Over on the Knoll

Fence 16 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The alternative fence is at a 90-degree angle, so involves a slightly longer route.

Fence 16 alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17: Bourbon Barrel Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18abcdef: Defender Head of the Lake

Fence 18a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence18bc direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

If riders don’t want to jump this corner in the water, they instead jump an arrowhead (alternative b) and then a corner on dry land (alternative c).

Fence 18b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18d

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18ef direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The longer route involves jumping an arrowhead (element e) and a corner (element f) on an S-bend.

Fence 18e alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18f alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: T Bar

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20abc: Normany Bank

Fence 20a and 20b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 20b showing the angle of fence 20c on the direct route.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Riders on the alternative route take a circle around the bank.

Fence 20a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21: Stairway Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22abc: Cosequin Cove

Fence 22a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

There is an alternative to 22b on a less direct line.

Fence 22b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23: Market Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24: Lincoln Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25ab: Mighty Moguls

Fence 25a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 25a to fence 25b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26: Fallen Tree

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27: Lucky Horseshoe

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from Kentucky and other major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘Bigger than anything I’ve seen at five-star’: riders give their verdict on the Burghley cross-country track

Martha Terry — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:33:16 +0000

On the first day of dressage, top riders have given their verdict on the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course, designed by Derek di Grazia. Competitors will walk the course several times before riding it on Saturday, but their first impressions typically give a good indication of how the course is being received. Burghley is well known to be an influential cross-country track, with only two horses having made the time last year. The track is almost four miles long – 6,420m – with an optimum time of 11min 16sec.

Riders are united in their opinion that the skinnies are massive, and that this year’s track is challenging almost from the outset.

Riders’ first impressions of the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course

The 2018 Burghley winner Tim Price said the course is “right on the tipping point”.

“It’s big and challenging,” he said. “That’s what challenges us on a personal level, but then you walk it and think ‘do I really want it to be that tough?’. We’ve seen Burghleys before that are just big and keep asking questions all the way, but this one is quite front-heavy. In a nutshell it’s one of the toughest.”

Tim pinpointed the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit as the biggest head-scratcher, but added: “There are a lot of questions throughout – it’s typical Burghley, so you have the fatigue to deal with and bringing home a healthy horse that still has a desire to jump and run at the end.”

As Tim said, the Leaf Pit at fence 7abcde is the main talking point. Kiwi Dan Jocelyn, rider of Blackthorn Cruise, said: “I couldn’t believe the size of those arrowheads – I thought have they not finished trimming them yet! It’s a real Burghley track, tough and demanding all the way, and a stamina test.”

Richard Jones is lining up at his 12th CCI5* with Alfies Clover and predicts that the dressage “won’t be too relevant”: “The brushes off the Leaf Pit are bigger than anything I’ve seen at any five star. I am sure some will jump them, but not many the direct way.”

Francis Whittington is one rider who is sure he’ll be taking the long route here on DHI Purple Rain. “It’s quite an imposing fence and the dimensions look crazy, with the ground, the terrain in front of it,” he said.

“The thing about Burghley is it’s an accumulative thing, so someone might have a problem later on on the course, but it will be down to an accumulation of knocks, taking it out of that bucket, so it’s about riders putting some goodness back into the bucket where you can. It’s not a course you can ride off your watch, it’s what you feel.”

Zara Tindall has had three non-completions with Class Affair here but is hoping to “get through the early part”.

“It’s a great track but I’m definitely going long at fence seven,” she said of the Leaf Pit, where she has repeatedly picked up penalties in the past. “The skinnies are enormous. Although my horse has great scope, the beginning is really busy, and there’s no easing into it. The terrain, where they put the fences and how the horse adapt to it and figure it out – that adds an extra 10%.”

Ros Canter expects her journey over the first eight of the 30 fences to determine her fortunes. This is especially the case for the less experienced of her two rides, Izilot DHI, who took a sensational early lead in the dressage phase.

“The course looks intense at the start, the narrow passageways into the main arena [fence 4ab] are the kind of thing that will unsettle Izilot,” she said. “So if I can get him out of Defender Valley [fence 5abc), the Leaf Pit and back through Defender Valley [fence 8ab], then I think he’ll settle and I’ve got every faith in his ability. I’m sat on two great horses.”

Harry Meade foresees plenty of places where Derek is trying to slow riders down: “I thought last year was brilliant and I’m surprised how much it has changed. There are quite a lot of fiddly bits – he has been clever, as some of those places will take time and eke away the clock. You need a plan and to kick on.

“Fences like the Leaf Pit and the Maltings, and the Dairy Mound, have sneaky late turns. It’s not that difficult but you need to be able to take the pace away, switch the clock off in your head and then get on with it again. You need to mean business.”

“This is what the sport is all about”

Tom Jackson, a leading contender sitting in third place after the first day of dressage with Capels Hollow Drift, believes “it’s a fair test, but that doesn’t make it easy”.

“There are some big, tricky combinations. You make a marginal error and you’ll end up with penalties so need to be on it all the way round. They’ve done a phenomenal job with the ground everywhere – which is really appreciated.”

Aaron Millar scored 33 in the dressage on Friendship VDL, but is hoping for an “influential cross-country”: “It’s definitely Burghley. At the Leaf Pit, those skinnies are fairly sizeable, but the horse has a lot of scope – it’s just trust in my riding, the same as a normal competition, but it’s massive.”

Five-star first-timer Nicole Mills says she is planning to opt for a couple of long routes: “My first feel is that up to the Trout Hatchery [fence 10] it’s throwing everything at you and then you might be able to have some breathing space after that.”

One rider who is definitely looking forward to the challenge is US rider Jennie Brannigan. She said: “I love the course; hardest event in the world and everyone knows it. This is what eventing is all about, this is the sport, and this is why as a kid I wanted to do it. A big bad Burghley.”

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Would you jump this? Check out every fence on the 2024 Burghley cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:33:43 +0000

The Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course for the 2024 event (5-8 September) has been designed again by the USA’s Derek di Grazia.

The track has 30 numbered fences and is 6420m long (almost four miles), with an optimum time of 11min 16sec.

Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course: fence by fence

Fence 1: Defender Starter

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Lambert’s Sofa

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Quilter Cheviot Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4ab: Mars Equestrian Arena Brushes

Fence 4a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5abc: Defender Valley

Fence 5a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c long route – riders have to loop back round against the direction of travel to jump this

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6: Trakehner

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6 side view

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7abcde: Holland Cooper Leaf Pit

Fence 7ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence de direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7a long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7d long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7e long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8ab: Defender Valley

Fence 8a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9: Pedigree Rails

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 10ab and 11babc: Trout Hatchery

Fence 10a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Horses then have the opportunity to wet their feet through this unnumbered pond

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11bc direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11ab long route – this alternative route is quite circuitous

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12: Log Stack

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13: Horseware Ireland Triple Bar

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 14 and 15abc: Joules at the Maltings

Fence 14

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16ab: Rolex Corners

Fence 16a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16a long route – this alternative involves looping back round away from the direction of the course

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17: Pol Roger Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18ab: LeMieux Stable Yard

Fence 18a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: Pardubice

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20: Irish Horse Board Cottesmore Leap

Fence 20 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20 alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21ab: Fairfax & Favor at Keepers

Fence 21a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21a long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22 and 23abc: Defender Dairy Mound

Fence 22 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23a long route – the alternative here is time-consuming

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

As well as the full long route above, there is this fence 23c alternative, which can be used after taking the direct route 23ab or following a run-out at the direct 23c.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24: Rolex Grand Slam at Capability’s Cutting

There isn’t a huge difference between the two fence options here. This one is closer to the slope up out of the cutting

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

This is probably a touch slower and is further from the slope

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25: Agria Lifetime Equine Slate Mine

Fence 25 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25 long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26abc: Boodles Raindance

Fence 26a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 27 and 28: Defender Lion Bridge

Fence 27

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28 alternative – this will not take a great deal of extra time

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 29: My Name’5 Doddie

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 30: Defender Finale

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Take a sneak peek at William Fox-Pitt walking the Burghley cross-country course…

Pippa Roome — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:30:13 +0000

With the event fast approaching next week (5-8 September), it’s time to take a first look at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course for 2024, designed by again by Derek di Grazia.

H&H dispatched six-time Burghley winner William Fox-Pitt to Lincolnshire to check out the track and you can read all his thoughts on every fence in this Thursday’s magazine (dated 29 August), plus we’ll release videos of William walking some key combinations on Monday, 2 September. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here’s a sneak peek at a few fences…

Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course: sneak peek

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 7ABCDE (Holland Cooper Leaf Pit) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

The Holland Cooper Leaf Pit (fence 7abcde) is always a landmark fence on the course. On the direct route, riders come down the big drop and then take on two brush arrowheads.

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 8AB (Defender Valley) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

William paces out the distance on the return trip through Defender Valley (fence 8ab), where a log drop is followed by a choice of striding to the big corner.

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 10 AB (Trout Hatchery) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

This rolltop is the first element of the serious water combination at the Trout Hatchery (10ab and 11abc).

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 11 ABC (Trout Hatchery) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

Having splashed through the water, riders then jump a second rolltop to enter the water for a second time (pictured behind William), before coming out to face the final challenge.

An angled hedge corner is followed by a half-moon brush fence as riders exit the Trout Hatchery area. This complex will be one of the most difficult parts of the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course.

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 15 ABC (Joules at the Maltings) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

The direct route through Joules at the Maltings (fences 14 and 15abc) starts with this oxer to hedge.

William demonstrates the angle needed over the angled rail that follows the hedge.

The final arrowhead element at Joules at the Maltings will then come up quickly.

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 21 AB (Fairfax & Favor at Keepers) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

This combination, Fairfax & Favor at Keepers (fence 21ab), comes at the highest part of the course, after the turn away from the Irish Horse Board Cottesmore Leap.

William Fox-Pitt at Fence 26 ABC (Boodles Raindance) during his preview of the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials Cross Country Course held within the grounds of Burghley House in Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 14 August 2024 (Image credit: Defender Burghley Horse Trials /)

Boodles Raindance (fence 26abc) is the final combination on course, with two cabins followed by this curving fence into the water.

Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course photos by Peter Nixon

To stay up-to-date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

See the fences Yasmin Ingham and Tom McEwen will jump at Kentucky five-star this week

Pippa Roome — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:06:29 +0000

The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for 2024 features 27 numbered fences on the five-star track, with an optimum time of 11 minutes 15 seconds.

The start and finish are in the same area as previously, but the route has been rearranged slightly, creating a different feel, particularly in the early and late parts of Derek di Grazia’s track.

Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course

Fence 1: Woerthy Tribute

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Trakehner

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Stairway Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4: Hillside Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5abc: Mars Sustainabililty Bay

Fence 5a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Back of fence 5a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6: Market Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7: Cosequin Cove

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8ab: Cosequin Cove

Fence 8a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Looking over fence 8a to fence 8b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Alternative fence 8b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9: Le Chameau

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10ab: Walnut Bank

Fence 10a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11: Ditch Brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12: Wofford Rails

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13abcd: Defender Head of the Lake

Fence 13a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over direct route fence 13a to the other elements of the complex

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13a long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13d long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14: Blade and Bow Bourbon Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15abc: EEI Root Cellar

Fence 15a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16abc: Pete’s Hollow

Fence 16a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 16a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View of the way to fence 16c on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17: Mick’s Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18abc: Rolex Grand Slam Challenge

Fence 18a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 18a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: Squirrel Tables

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20abc: Normany Bank

Fence 20a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Looking at the route from the bank down through the b and c elements

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21: Cedar Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22: Fox’s Den

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23abcde: Park Question

Fence 23a straight route, with the ditch behind which forms element b on all routes

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 23cd on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23e direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23de alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24: Lincoln Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25abc: Mighty Moguls

Fence 25a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26: Red Top Cabins

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27: Lucky Horseshoe

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Enjoy the best of Kentucky with Horse & Hound

To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Kentucky Three-Day Event with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from £1 a week in the UK or less than $2 a week in the US. Sign up now. And don’t miss our Kentucky Three-Day Event magazine report in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 3 May.

First look at the Burghley cross-country course – check out photos of Kitty King walking the track

Pippa Roome — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 11:32:21 +0000

With Defender Burghley (30 August-3 September) fast approaching, it’s time to get a first look at the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course for 2023.

Horse & Hound sent recent European team gold and individual silver medallist Kitty King to Lincolnshire to review Derek di Grazia’s second Burghley track, following his debut as course-designer at the event in 2022. You can read her thoughts on every fence in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 24 August). In the meantime, check out these pictures of the course…

Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course: first look

Kitty King at Fence 4AB LeMieux Arena Rails, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Kitty checks out the first combination, the LeMieux Arena Rails at fence 4ab.

Kitty King at Fence 7, Holland Cooper Leaf Pit, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

That’s a long way down! The big drop at The Holland Cooper Leaf Pit (fence 7abcd) is always a feature fence on the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course.

Kitty King at Fence 9AB, Herbert;s Hollow, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Kitty susses out the line through fence 9ab, Herbert’s Hollow.

How big is it? Kitty peeks over the top of fence 9a.

Kitty King at Fence 10ABC, Defender Trout Hatchery, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Defender Trout Hatchery (fence 10abc) always catches out some of the field. We’re pleased to see Kitty has her wellies on ready to take a thorough look at the water fences.

The bounce into water at the Defender Trout Hatcher (fence 10abc), seen from the landing side.

Kitty King at Fence 15ABC, Rolex, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The angled skinny hedge in a ditch which forms the first element of the Rolex combination (fence 15abc).

Kitty King at Fence 27, Lion Bridge, during a cross country preview of the Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2023 at Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK on the 17th August 2023. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Lion Bridge (fences 26 and 27) is the final big question before two plain fences on the way to the finish.

Pictures by Peter Nixon

Read Kitty’s thoughts on every fence on the Defender Burghley cross-country course in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale 24 August 2023, plus videos of Kitty walking some of the key combinations online the same day

You might also be interested in:

Five-time Burghley winner among the commentators for this year’s event

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Former winners, European champion and Zara Tindall head up Burghley entries

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Burghley reveals plans to speed up entry for visitors, plus news of fresh-look course

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How to watch Burghley Horse Trials 2025 live streams and on TV wherever you are

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Coloured cob found stuck on railway lines

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Burghley reveals plans to speed up entry for visitors, plus news of fresh-look course

Lucy Elder — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:10:24 +0000

Burghley Horse Trials has revealed new plans to speed up entry for visitors on cross-country day and a fresh feel to this year’s course as the clock ticks down to the 2023 event (31 August to 3 September).

Defender Burghley Horse Trials director Martyn Johnson shared news on preparations during the Lincolnshire five-star’s media morning on Wednesday (16 August).

“It’s very important that we keep what people enjoy at Burghley and that we don’t change things for change’s sake. But we are always trying to make the experience better for people on site,” he told H&H.

“We’ve brought in e-ticketing this year, which is a big change and will hopefully help us be more efficient on Saturday in getting people into the park. We have a couple of new areas, including a fan zone and the Lime Avenue area in the shopping village, so there are some subtle changes but we always try to keep the traditions of what works at Burghley.

“This year we will still take cash [on the gate]. The world is moving more and more towards cashless payments, but we felt this year with our new e-ticketing system coming in that we didn’t want to change things too much.

“So you will be able to buy tickets on the gate, you will be able to buy e-tickets right up until the day. It will hopefully make things much more efficient.”

Visitors are urged to download their e-tickets at home, before travelling to Burghley Horse Trials.

Fresh-look to Burghley Horse Trials course

Mr Johnson added that there is “quite a lot of change” to this year’s cross-country course, designed for a second year by Derek di Grazia.

“I walked it with Derek for the first time on Monday,” he said. “The route is quite similar to last year, but with the changes Derek has made I think people will see quite a fresh course.”

Mr di Grazia said: “The beginning of the course is the same track, but the combinations are completely different. The single fences are in different places, and we go in the reverse direction up Winner’s Avenue this year. That creates different questions. Coming down over the Dairy Mound, as opposed to going up, creates something completely different.

“At the latter end of the course, it’s a case of having little places where you are doing something different. For those who were here last year, I think they will definitely see something different.

“It’s about designing a track that’s a five-star track that’s fair, that keeps the riders thinking. At a five-star, they’ve got to be thinking because there’s always something to do.”

He told H&H that the first year of designing is not just about learning the track, but the way the event runs. Retuning for a second year means he now has a bank of information to draw on.

“As a course-designer, you’ve seen people riding over your course, how the ground rides, what horses are like at different parts of the course, so you have all that information which helps as you go along,” he said.

“Then as you are developing the course for the following year, you have all this information which definitely helps in how you design your course.

“Burghley has so much terrain. There are so many little places where you can do different things, so you’re always looking for ways to give the riders something new and something where you are making them think and at the same time, providing jumps that are going to be enjoyable.”

Don’t miss H&H’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials cross-country preview online in this coming Thursday’s issue of the magazine (24 August) with recent double European medal-winning British rider Kitty King. To watch Burghley Horse Trials in full, visit https://burghley-horse.co.uk/burghley-tv

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to watch Burghley Horse Trials 2025 live streams and on TV wherever you are

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Former winners, European champion and Zara Tindall head up Burghley entries

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Burghley box office is now open – get your tickets at the super-advance rate

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

The 28 challenging five-star fences Zara Tindall and Yasmin Ingham are facing this weekend

Pippa Roome — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 17:11:24 +0000

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for this year’s event (27–30 April) is designed by Derek di Grazia and there are 28 numbered obstacles.

The track is 6520m long and the optimum time is 11 minutes 26 seconds.

Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course: fence by fence

Fence 1: Red, White and Bluegrass

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Cedar Lodge

The water spray is part of the ground preparations and will not be there when horses are on course.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Meadow Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence three with MIMclips on the front rail and frangible pins on the back rail

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4abc: Mars Sustainability Bay

Fence 4a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5: Le Chameau Leap

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6abcd: Park Question

Fence 6a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6d direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6a long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 6b and 6c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6d long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7: Fox’s Den

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7 from the side

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8abc: Equestrian Events Trifecta

Fence 8a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 8a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9: Ditch Brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 9

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10abcd: Rolex Grand Slam Challenge

Fence 10a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10bc direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10d direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10cd long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11: Mick’s Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12abc: Pete’s Hollow

Fence 12a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 12a into the hollow

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13: Blade and Bow Bourbon Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14ab: Narrow Knolls

Fence 14a, showing the mounds on which these fences sit

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15: Wofford Rails

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 15, again with MIMclips and frangible pins

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 16abc, 17 and 18abc: Defender Head of the Lake

Fence 16a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16bc direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18bc direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18a long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18c long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: Creekside Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 19

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fences 20ab and 21: Normandy Bank

Fence 20a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22: Stairway Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 22

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23abc: Cosequin Cove

Fence 23a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 23a to the water and fences 23b and 23c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23b long route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24: Ditch n’ Roll

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25: Market Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Side view of fence 25

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26: Lincoln Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27ab: Angled Trakehners

Fence 27a – riders can jump the left or right-hand fence

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27b – again riders have a choice of which fence to take on

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28: Lucky Horseshoe

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pictures by John Kyle

Riders’ reactions to Burghley’s cross-country course: what they like –and what they want to see changed

Pippa Roome — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 12:09:55 +0000

Top riders have given their reactions to the 2022 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course, designed for the first time this year by the US’s Derek di Grazia.

“It’s Burghley, isn’t it?” said Pippa Funnell. “You come out of the arena [after fence four] and it’s quite serious through Defender Valley [fence five] up to the Leaf Pit – a lot of very big jumps.

“The Trout Hatchery is always big. It invites you to get out there and try to be attacking; be brave, be bold. Once you’re once through the Trout Hatchery hopefully you can settle into a bit of rhythm.

“The Defender at the Dairy Farm is a little bit of a tricky question and then there are a lot of big jumps coming home – you have to remember at Burghley, terrain is hugely important as well. I have to make sure the horse’s mind’s on the job and he’s not looking at crowds – and let’s hope his jockey’s feeling younger than ever!”

Francis Whittington said that the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course is “not what I would put down as being a traditional Burghley track”.

He said: “It’s a different twist to it, but that’s the point of having different course-designers and I think that’s the benefit, that we’re not just riding those similar tracks every time. But Burghley is Burghley. Burghley is big, bold, scary, rider frighteners; you’ve got the undulations, you’ve got the hills and terrain, which creates enough of a question as it is and half the task is riding the horse at the beginning with enough at the end to finish up.”

Derek is known for numbering combination fences in such a way that he uses a lot of letters and limits whether riders can change their minds about their route in the middle of the complex.

Francis said: “I’m not a big fan of this abcdefgh – I ran out of fingers and alphabet! It all comes up really quickly, so when you’re trying to react when you’ve had a stumble and find an alternative route, you’re assessing the situation, you’re creating a new plan, you’re enacting that new plan. You’re doing all that within a second and a half, not having time to think about it.

“Now we’ve got to think, ‘Was that a-b, was that a-c, was that a-d?’ When you’re trying to assess all of that and stop yourself from having a serious injury and you’ve got a second and a half to make that decision, it’s an awful lot [to think about].”

The Trout Hatchery. (Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

Francis added that riders are quering the numbering at the Trout Hatchery. At present, after jumping the rolltop into the second pond (fence 10cd), riders are committed to presenting to the skinny in the water (fence 10ef), because on the alternative route, the log in is element c and the step up is elements d and e.

“If you stumble there, ordinarily you would pick up quickly to the step up and go to the skinny, but if you do that now you end up being eliminated [for jumping element d twice],” said Francis.

Francis said that at present, riders are being told they can only go from the rolltop to the step without being eliminated by making a circle. By circling, they would accept 20 penalties, but because riders can re-take elements of fences after a stop, they would not be eliminated if they did this.

“The Trout Hatchery isn’t big enough to make a circle so you would start riding backwards to turn on a sixpence. That doesn’t make sense,” Frances said, confirming that riders are requesting a review of this fence. “I think it’s wrong.”

Update on Thursday evening: a change has now been made to the numbering at this fence

Derek di Grazia’s Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course

Tim Price commented on the Holland Cooper Leaf Pit at fence 7abcde (pictured top).

“That will come up very quickly – you’ll be hanging on for dear life and letting the horse do the job,” he said.

Tim has ridden courses designed by Derek at Kentucky Three-Day Event and the Tokyo Olympics.

“Just the same as at Kentucky and the other places he designs, he really uses the ground,” said Tim, picking out the way horses have to travel along the ridgeline to a corner at fence 8ab, the second time through Defender Valley, as an example of this.

The corner out of Defender Valley at fence 8b. (Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

“Then after the Dairy Farm – which is tough in itself – there are the blue oxers [Fairfax & Favor Boot Racks, fence 19ab] which send you off and flying down a slope. I actually think they will cause more concern than what’s just round the corner, the Cottesmore Leap.”

The Fairfax & Favor Boot Racks at fence 19ab. (Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy said the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course is “a different kind of animal” to the last time he walked the track here, in 2018.

“It starts quite big – Defender Valley and onto the Leaf Pit looks like a real five-star, but I think the feeling and the philosophy is a little bit different out in the park,” he said.

“Derek has been clever how he uses the stride patterns and the angles, and maybe less the big bruising jumps we’ve seen here in the past. But that could also be that I have a really good cross-country horse and I think that always changes your opinion of how the course walks and how to ride it.

“It’s definitely a five-star, don’t get me wrong, but I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

Would you jump these? Take a virtual walk around the 2022 Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course

(Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On take early lead in Burghley dressage: ‘I felt I got the balance right’

Burghley Horse Trials dressage times: when does your favourite ride?

(Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

How to watch Burghley Horse Trials 2025 live streams and on TV wherever you are

(Image credit: Gemma Redrup)

Keep up with all of the breaking news, behind the scenes insight and the best of the action throughout Burghley Horse Trials with no limit on how much you can read from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Sign up now. Plus enjoy our full 20-page magazine report on Burghley, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from Nick Burton and Mark Phillips, in next week’s magazine (8 September).

Watch Laura Collett walk the Burghley Horse Trials course: ‘it will require proper cross-country riding’

Lucy Elder — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 07:32:21 +0000

Olympic gold medallist and 2022 Badminton winner Laura Collett shares her thoughts on the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course 2022 as she walks the five-star track exclusively for H&H.

This is designer Derek di Grazia’s first Burghley course – 2020 was supposed to be long-standing Burghley course-designer Mark Phillips’ swansong at the Lincolnshire five-star. But the pandemic forced the cancellation of that event and 2021, which would have been Derek’s first year in post.

In H&H’s Burghley preview issue, out today (Thursday, 25 August), Laura reflects on her memories of competing here, including feeling “quite sick” on seeing the Leaf Pit for the first time on the weekend that marked both her five-star debut and 21st birthday in 2010.

Laura describes the 2022 Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course as a track that is clear and fair to horses, while challenging riders’ reactions.

“What he is asking is can the rider react to what is happening underneath them, rather than just being able to stick to a plan,” says Laura.

“That’s where the ground plays such a big part, because you can’t totally predict the striding. It’s how the horses land, take a stride and read the ground. That’s what makes it a five-star.”

She adds she can see similarities to Tokyo, where Derek designed the Olympic cross-country course for last summer’s Games, particularly in its intensity and how quickly jumps will come up at each questions.

“It’s a brilliant track that will require proper cross-country riding, which is what the sport should be,” says Laura.

“Best of luck to everyone giving it a crack this year, there is no other feeling like coming through the finish at a five-star.”

Watch Laura discuss key combinations on the Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course below and read her full thoughts on the track in H&H’s Burghley preview, out today (25 August).

Fence 7abcdef: Holland Cooper Leaf Pit

“The Leaf Pit is where you recognise that you are at a proper five-star,” says Laura, who walks the direct route on the video above.

“Even just jumping down the drop is a serious question and then what’s to follow for me is as complicated and as intense as I’ve ever seen the Leaf Pit.

“I think that’s where the first batch of riders are going to have to show us how it’s done.”

She adds: “Riders don’t want to come too fast [to the drop at 7ab], but will have to keep your leg to the horse as they suddenly realise that the ground disappears away from them.

“There is then a curving line to a brush fence [7cd] – I wouldn’t be worrying about the distance here, as you don’t know how the horses are going to jump down. I think the most important thing is to make sure you are accelerating up to the brush, as the landing stride needs to be forward and moving to the corner [7ef] – I think the ground is going to play a really big part here.”

There is a lengthy alternative that avoids the drop at 7ab.

“If you want to win Burghley, you’re going to have to commit to the straight route,” she adds.

Fence 10abcdef: Trout Hatchery

“The ground in front of the first element rises slightly, so you can be really positive to it,” says Laura.

The direct line takes riders down into a corner brush in the water, before swinging left-handed out onto dry land and then over another roll-top trailer back into the second water. A related distance to the final skinny fence in the second water completes the direct route at the Trout Hatchery. There is a lengthy alternative at this fence.

“You need to land in balance, come down the ramp and into the water,” Laura explains. “Riders will want to stay on their line and be pretty square on at this corner, as they will be turning left afterwards.

“I think horses will be landing pretty much in the water after the second trailer and then there is a very skinny triple-brush. It is in a straight line – riders will have a gauge of how their horse went into the first water and over the corner, so they will then know how positive they need to be on the landing side of this, to get the distance to the final skinny triple-brush.”

Fences 13 & 14abc: Joules at the Maltings

“Competitors have a long run up the hill here before they jump the white gate, which is very cleverly positioned slightly on an angle. The direct line makes the gate quite angled, and it’s a case of respecting that,” she says, adding it might cost half a second or so to square it off, but that may prevent other problems at this fence.

“Horses can sometimes get a bit disorientated at the Maltings, as they are essentially doing a full circle, which you don’t often do on cross-country. Riders have to make sure the horse’s mind is focused on the job.

“[The direct route at fence 14] is the very large white parallel, followed by the curving right-hand turn to the bc-element, which is the corner. It walks a nice level five strides.

“If the track was going off to the left, or straight on, afterwards, I think you would definitely see people coming on the inside line on four strides. But because the course heads right after this, I don’t think you would gain anything by doing that as you would lose it on the turn afterwards.

“I think we will see some people staying slightly wider and coming a little bit squarer at this corner to prevent a run-out, maybe going on the six strides.”

How long is the Burghley cross-country course?

The Land Rover Burghley cross-country course is just over 4 miles in length (6,445 meters) and makes its way around the beautiful Burghley parkland, which was designed by famous 18th century landscape architect Capability Brown. The course is renowned for its use of the natural terrain so a horse that is able to gallop fluently with excellent stamina and rideability for more than 11 minutes (the optimum time is 11min19sec) is needed for to the task. This year the course runs through the main arena early on, before heading out the Leaf Pit, then back to the Trout Hatchery. Riders are then sent out to the Waterloo Plain and have to negotiate the big banks at the Dairy Farm before heading up to the famous Cottesmore Leap and coming down Winners’ Avenue towards the Lion Bridge.

What day is cross country at Burghley 2022?

As usual, the cross-country phase of the five-star competition will be held on Saturday (3 September), with the action expected to get underway at 11am. If you’re planning to attend on Saturday, it is recommended that you arrive in plenty of time before the cross-country gets underway as with many thousands of spectators expected, there may be some delays in gaining access to the site. By arriving early you can take the opportunity to browse the extensive shopping village, and pick your favourite point to view the cross-country course.

Dealing with drought, sneak insight into cross-country course and mobile phone masts: all roads lead to Burghley’s return

Lucy Elder — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 17:08:29 +0000

Final preparations are under way as Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials prepares to return for the first time since 2019 – with a new cross-country course-designer and organiser.

The Lincolnshire CCI5*’s three-year Covid-enforced hiatus from the FEI calendar will come to an end next month (1 to 4 September).

Event director Martyn Johnson told H&H there is “huge buzz, excitement and appetite” for Burghley’s return.

The dry conditions are evident in the parkland, with only the grass on the field of play itself showing any shade of green and spring underfoot – testament to the maintenance and ground preparations by Burghley’s team. The surrounding areas in keeping with the broadly parched colour chart of the neighbouring countryside.

The lake was dredged before the pandemic hit, which has greatly increased its volume and in turn, the amount of water available for event preparations.

“We’ve probably not had proper rain here for a couple of months, so that has brought some challenges, but because we have our own water source, it makes life slightly easier,” said Mr Johnson.

“Burghley is pretty unique in that it has a permanent track all year, which is manicured and maintained. While it is dry, to walk on it is fairly good [underfoot].

He added clerk of the course Philip Herbert “knows the park inside out” and the team is very experienced at getting the ground right.

“We are watering now (12 August), and by the time we have worked the ground with machines, we should hopefully have it in as good a condition as we can get it in,” he said.

Mobile phone masts from O2, Vodafone and EE are confirmed, and event site construction is well under way.

“Burghley is hugely successful. And I certainly didn’t come in here with aspirations of reinventing Burghley completely. It has to evolve in the right way and for the right reasons,” Mr Johnson said. “But this year, I think people will broadly, hopefully, find it familiar, which I think is positive after three years with Covid.”

There are some changes for 2022, including the launch of Burghley TV. The BBC2 highlights show will go ahead, as in previous years, with the rest of the action now behind Burghley TV’s subscription-only service (news, 28 July).

Mr Johnson gave further insight into the decision.

“I think it is a little bit twofold. Certainly you can’t get away from the fact that to produce TV at these big events is a huge cost. It isn’t a case of making money, per se. It’s being able to recoup what it costs to produce,” he said.

He explained the second point is that while it is of “huge importance” to show British five-stars on the BBC, there are limitations to what they can cover. In short, balancing that coverage with Burghley TV affords more freedom.

“We have an opportunity to maximise and show Burghley off to its fullest. The BBC is hugely important for us, but Burghley TV is also important for the wider audience and the future direction of the sport.”

The direction of new course-designer Derek di Grazia’s cross-country course is similar to that of Burghley 2019 in the early stages of the track. The Waterloo Plain Loop returns for this year, and there are fresh takes on iconic areas of the parkland. H&H’s full course preview, with double five-star winner Laura Collett, will be in next Thursday’s issue (25 August).

“It’s Burghley so it’s going to be big,” said Derek, adding the course is “in a good place right now”. “I’m hoping people like what they see.”

“When you are doing a five-star, you have to expect a course at that level. It’s going to have questions that use the terrain and that will require horses that have been trained to be able to answer the questions you expect at this level – the control, the balance, the adjustability, and the fitness.”

‘We’ve got to get stuck in and be brave’ – Pippa Funnell and other riders’ first reactions to the Kentucky cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 14:26:31 +0000

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course is dimensionally big and riders will need to be brave on Saturday, said British rider Pippa Funnell.

“After not jumping a big track since 2019, it looks jolly big,” she said. “The one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials last year was a stamina test but not in the same league dimensionally – this is a proper five-star with lots of big wide tables and oxers – or in terms of the questions. It’ll be interesting to ride around, we’ve got to get stuck in and be brave.

“It’s beautifully built and designer Derek di Grazia has done a fabulous job – the fences are there in front of the horses. The lines are difficult but there are no tricks for the horses. We’ve got to be on our game and so have they, but hopefully if they are going well, it will ride well and not punish the horses.”

Pippa picked out Pete’s Hollow at fence 13abc, where horses head down a steep bank to a corner, as a fence which could cause problems.

Looking down the steep bank at Pete’s Hollow, fence 13abc on the 2022 Kentucky course. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

US rider Will Coleman described the course as “typical Derek”.

“It’s not too terrifying but you’ve got to be sharp the whole way,” he said. “It’s very different to the 2021 track so there’s not a lot you can glean from last year.

“I think the Hollow is interesting and at the Land Rover Head of the Lake horses will have to be really with you. That’s sort of the theme of the course – you can’t set up and then bang through the combinations, you’ve got to ride each element.”

The fence into the Land Rover Head of the Lake on the 2022 Kentucky course, with the following elements visible on the opposite bank. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Will said competitors will need to ride off their instincts round the Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course, a view that was echoed by his compatriot Doug Payne.

“A lot of unpredictable things will happen and we’ll have to be super reactive,” said Doug. “We’ll see a lot of different solutions to the same problem and it’s more of an instinctive test than a mathematical one.”

Hannah Sue Burnett said she prefers the course to last year’s track as she feels it is more flowing and there is also less use of multiple letters in combinations, something she fell foul of in 2021.

“Derek does a good job of setting the tone with softer questions and then building on that,” she commented.

Former Kentucky winner Phillip Dutton said: “It’s not the biggest course since I’ve seen here, but there are three or four areas that are quite technical, which require horses to be on their line and in front of your leg.”

As well as the Hollow and the Head of the Lake, Phillip picked out the first serious combination at fence 7abc, the Park Question, and the last water, the Cosequin Cove (fence 23abc), as potential problem areas.

The Park Question (fence 7abc) on the 2022 Kentucky course. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over the first element of the Cosequin Cove (fence 23abc) on the 2022 Kentucky course, looking at the angled hedges which form elements b and c. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Overnight leader Tamie Smith commented: “You don’t know how the horses are going to react to the terrain questions, you’ve got to have feel and that’s what makes a good cross-country horse and rider.

“Derek’s a genius and I love riding round his tracks.”

Collen Rutledge, who sits second, added: “Derek is a genius but a bit of a Machiavellian genius. This will separate those that wannabe from those that are. You’ve got to be able to ride not just off your eye, but off your leg and your butt.

“Every questions asks something different, but every question is clear and there isn’t a gimme [giveaway] fence on the course.”

Could you jump this goose? Full cross-country course pictures from Kentucky, 2022’s first five-star

Pippa Roome — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 17:56:23 +0000

The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for the showcase CCI5* this week (28 April-1 May) is designed by Derek di Grazia.

The course-building team is led by Mick Costello and Sheila Woerth is the course decoration chief steward.

There are 28 numbered fences on the track and the optimum time is 11min 4sec.

Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course fence by fence

Fence 1: Red, White and Bluegrass

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Market Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Hillside Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4ab: Mars Sustainability Bay

Fence 4a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The fence dressing in the foreground of this picture prevents riders getting to the direct route fence 4b on the perfect line.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b slower route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5: Mick’s Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6: Triple Scoop

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7abc: Park Question

Direct route fence 7a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7b and 7c direct route – over the ditch and then to the left-hand angled brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7b and 7c alternative route – over the ditch and the right-hand angled brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8ab: Fox Den

Fence 8a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 8a to fence 8b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9: Whiskey Barrel Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10: Ditch Brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11abc: EEI’s Challenge Accepted

Fence 11a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 11a, showing the two angled brushes which are the direct route at 11b and 11c, plus the alternative fence 11b, the box jumping back towards the camera

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12: Holyfield Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13abc: Pete’s Hollow

Fence 13a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 13a showing the two corners which are the options for fence 13b, plus the direct route 13c up to the left

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13b longer route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13c longer route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14: Shouldered Tables

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15: Rolex Grand Slam Challenge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16abc: Sunken Road

Fence 16a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Looking down the drop at fence 16b to fence 16c on the direct route, with the alternative fence 16c visible behind to the left

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17: Paddock Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18: Land Rover Head of the Lake

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19abc: Land Rover Head of the Lake

The direct route at fence 19abc goes round a sweeping right-handed curve, whereas the alternative route requires riders to take a longer right-handed loop and then a left-handed curve back to part 19c

Fence 19a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20: Creek Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21abc: Normandy Bank

Fence 21ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 21b to fence 21c on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22: Stairway Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23abc: Cosequin Cove

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 23a to the hedges which form fences 23b and 23c on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24: Ditch n’ Roll

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25: Stick Pile

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26ab: Mighty Moguls

Fence 26a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 27: Trakehner

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28: Lucky Horseshoe

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pictures by Pippa Roome

Burghley ‘full steam ahead’ for 2022: new course-designer shares early thoughts on cross-country track

Lucy Elder — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 19:42:30 +0000

The incoming Burghley Horse Trials course-designer and director have shared early thoughts on what fans and riders can expect as plans continue “full steam ahead” for next year’s event.

Derek di Grazia, whose designing credits include the Tokyo Olympics and 10 years of Kentucky CCI5* tracks, will be the brains behind Burghley’s 2022 course as the fixture prepares to return following a two-year hiatus.

“I always like to go into any course, even the ones I do year after year, and try to think of it as being blank, starting fresh, and then going from there,” he told H&H on his first visit to the site in two years.

“To me, it’s the best way to look at it, because then you don’t get stuck on any one thing. Then you’re able to bring new things, new obstacles, new features to the course.

“I think that there are some things that are always givens, that you probably have to do. But at the same time, even with those, you try to sort of look at them in different ways.”

“It’s a little early, I don’t ever really give much away,” he added, with a smile.

“I’m just looking at ways we can change the track where we can, changing how the jumps come up and how the combinations are put together. On any course I like things to be newer and fresher, so that you just don’t see the same thing. That’s how I have always gone about it.”

It was an expectedly cryptic response to the question to which everyone wants to know the answer – what can we expect from the 2022 course. But one of the joys of this sport is the build-up to the reveal and the preparation to this five-star has been a particularly long time coming.

Derek’s Burghley debut is a year behind schedule, a result of Covid-forced cancellations of the Lincolnshire event. It was announced in 2019 that he would take over from outgoing designer, H&H columnist Mark Phillips, after 30 years at the helm. The 2020 event was supposed to be Mark’s swansong before Derek took over for 2021, but the pandemic scuppered those plans.

Travel restrictions meant the US national was unable to travel to Burghley in his planning for 2021. So to ask whether the 2022 course is the same as we would have seen last year is perhaps to simplify the question. But it’s one worth asking all the same.

“I was designing on the computer based on my maps, and information I had, and hoping to be able to travel over in the summer to make more plans, but obviously that never happened” he said.

“Being able to come out, to work on the track and walk the ground is very valuable – nothing replaces that. You have to really be here and to understand it.

“I’ve been here [as a spectator] at least 10 times, so I’ve seen the course run in both directions, the courses have been different every time I’ve been and I’m very familiar with how the ground rides.”

But seeing the event through the eyes of a spectator is a different perspective to looking at the park as a whole as a blank canvas for a future CCI5*. He credits the established team and course-builders for their years of experience and insight in “certainly making my job a lot easier”.

“When you come to the event, there’s so much, not only going on, but all the infrastructure and so you only just see that track in the ropes – you never see outside of that,” he explained.

“If you go out there now, you would be hard pressed to find where the main arena is. Luckily, I have Adrian Ditcham [long-term builder alongside Philip Herbert], who came out with me a couple years ago and this time as well, to show me exactly where everything sits. That’s very important, because you have to be able to know how you’re going to design your course with all of those things in mind.

“The terrain and the way the ground moves here is unique to any piece of property that I’ve been on in the world. So not only from a design aspect, but as a competitor here, you have to always know your lines so well because of all those [up and down landscape] features that come into play.

“There are so many iconic features in the park and [designing] is really a case of planning where they come in the course, the relationship between them and what you do in between. That’s what I’m working on trying to figure out, getting the right balance.

“The other thing you always have to always think about here is that there is a great amount of terrain. And so it becomes not only an event of jumping and figuring out all of the exercises, but an event of endurance as well. You have to balance both those factors and make sure that you don’t overdo it. At the same time, you have to put forward a true five-star course, and one that everybody’s going to enjoy.

“It’s a case of trying to put all those things together and then come out with hopefully, the best [course] possible.”

(L to R) Adrian Ditcham, Phillip Surl, Martyn Johnson (new director), Sophie Herbert (née Attwood) and Derek di Grazia (new course designer) at the leaf pit. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘Full steam ahead’

Derek has ridden up to four-star level and his experience as a rider is something that plays into his vision as a designer.

“I think that having ridden, and understanding how the horses move over the ground, how jumps come to you and how quickly they can come up gives you a perspective of the relationship between your jumps. To me, I think that’s quite valuable,” he says.

“I think you’re always designing to try to have a great competition; [a course] where the horses are safe, the riders are safe and the questions are fair. You want riders to enjoy what they’re doing, and you want the public to have something that’s nice to look at.

“A lot of that is having jumps that are interesting, but also that are going to show what these horses and riders are able to do, because these horses are amazing.”

Work on the footing is under way, so by the spring, everything will be in place to capitalise on the growing season, which is when the heavy lifting starts in earnest. Derek will return in the spring to lay out where the jumps will go, with much of the building work taking place between March and June. By the time July rolls around, the course will be about in place.

“August is really the final sort of just the final look and making sure everything’s where it needs to be,” he added.

“You have the ideas, you have the concept of how you want the course to be, but [the satisfaction] is about the development, and eventually in those last four to six weeks, seeing how it all comes together. “Obviously the big part is seeing it ridden, I get to the point at the end where I just want the competition to start.”

Derek’s appointment is a legacy of former Burghley Horse Trials director Liz Inman, who stepped down in July after 16 years.

“Derek’s appointment, which was before my time, would be my decision as well,” said new director Martyn Johnson, paying tribute to Liz for her choice.

“I was lucky enough to go to Kentucky a couple of years ago – the place is immaculate, the course was fantastic and I think it’s really exciting for us in Britain to be able to see Derek and what he does.”

Martyn added that the job he has on his own hands is “hugely exciting” and “slightly daunting” at the same time.

“There’s a great team here already. They’ve been here a long time and have a lot of experience. Everyone is very supportive and very positive about next year’s event,” he said.

“It’s full steam ahead now, planning and discussing all detail required. It’s great not just for Burghley, but for the sport of eventing to know that our big events are coming back.

“The 2022 event is all about Burghley coming back and things being familiar, but there’s also going to be some new angles and new aspects. We’re not going to tell you too much! And it’s also about looking to the future – while we’re planning for 2022, we’re already talking about 2023 and 2024.”

‘It’s intense, but horse friendly’: Oliver Townend and others’ first reactions to the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 03:38:18 +0000

Riders are in agreement that Derek di Grazia has done a great job as designer for the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course and predict that it will provide a suitable challenge for the competition.

“The course is a ‘four and a half star’ and is very intense – you’re always on the climb or the camber or in the water or in a combination,” said Oliver Townend, who will be the first rider out for the British team.

“But the questions are extremely fair and it’s very horse friendly. If you took each fence individually there wouldn’t be too many problems, but when you add the heat, the terrain, the Olympic pressure and then speed on top of that, it’s going to cause a lot of trouble and it’s going to be very difficult to get the time.”

Oliver has ridden tracks put together by Derek di Grazia several times at Kentucky Three-Day Event.

He added: “Derek is a horseman, which is a very nice start to being a course-designer. I think he’s a very special course-designer, a very talented man at the job.

“For me, this is a very different track to Kentucky, but it still has the feel that he wants the horses to see where they are going. There are no tricks, which you can get quite a lot in the modern day sport with people trying to catch horses. He doesn’t want to catch the horses out. He builds very see-able questions and lets speed and terrain do the job for him.”

US rider Doug Payne echoed Oliver’s thoughts, saying that horses have “a really good shot to try and assess what’s being asked” and that Derek has done an excellent job at making the course as flowing as possible in the tight space available.

He also pointed out that in a number of places, the time difference between routes is minimal, so it’s about trying to find a smooth flowing line for your horse.

Finally, talking about the time, Doug said: “The first and last minute are tough to make up any sort of time, but I think in the middle there’s a couple of spots where you’re going to have to go forward if you want to be close to the time.”

Tokyo Olympics cross-country course: ‘Perfect for this championship’

Alex Hua Tian, who will be followed by two less experienced riders in the Chinese team, commented: “I think it’s a cleverly designed, balanced course which is perfect for this championship. The time will be really tight, which will put a lot of pressure on the traditional nations.

“I think going quickly around that track, the course is intense enough that some superstars will make a mistake in the heat of the moment. But there are enough long ways round that are not actually too time consuming, and not too tiring, for the greener nations like us to take and have a safe strategy for the team cross-country plan.”

Irish rider Sam Watson said: “I think it’s clever – you walk it and you go, that’s a very fair course, but you’ve got to remember what the format is. The team that makes the least mistakes wins medals here, and he’s given us plenty of opportunity to make mistakes.

“There are not many one-stride distances at all and very few two-stride distances, so not many fences where you can just jump in and then momentum takes you through. You’ve got to jump in and either hold your line or attack the line. You’ve got to make choices, so when you’re doing that over a lot of combinations, you could find people sometimes make the wrong decision and get into trouble.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Sam picked out fence 14abcd, the Lone Tree Moguls (above), as an example of somewhere on the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course where riders will need to know plan A and plan B, saying: “The oxer is a big fence and you could go on quite an attacking five strides or a little bit quieter on six. You just don’t know how they’re going to jump that big oxer, if they’re going to land a little bit steep. Derek has given us decisions everywhere.”

Sam also mentioned fence 23abcd, the Mount Fuji Water (pictured, top): “The last water’s got plenty jumping in it as well. You want to have a lot of horse left underneath you.”

Vittoria Panizzon, first out for the Italian team, mentioned that the warm-up is in quite a different area to the start.

She said: “The warm-up is down the bottom of the hill and then you go right up the top of the hill to set off so the horses won’t have seen what’s going on, what environment they’re in. It’s going be a bit of a surprise, I think, when you suddenly set off and you even set off uphill so all they can see when you get up there is the start.

“It perhaps wouldn’t be the biggest course many people have done, but the situation will make it far more challenging than it could look at first. As well as the warm-up, it’s very hard to get your bearings because it’s so twisty. I think the horses need have a lot of trust in the rider, because they’re not always going to be sure where they’re going, what’s happening.”

The fences that will decide the eventing medals: analysing the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 19:10:21 +0000

Find out which fences on the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course are likely to determine who wins the Olympic eventing medals – and what Tokyo course-designer Derek di Grazia says about them.

Tokyo Olympic cross-country course – fence 4 and 5abc: Lakehouse and The Sanctuary

What’s the challenge? On the direct route, riders jump the lighthouse at fence four, then continue down the slope over the log at 5ab and on over the fish in the water (5c). The long route is off to the left and involves a lighthouse (four), a log (5a) and then two birds on a right-hand curve in the water (5b and 5c). This is the first combination on the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course.

Fence 4 direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4 alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? The numbering here means that riders can divert to the alternative 5c after the direct log in (5ab) if they wish.

Derek says: “The drop from the log isn’t huge and horses will land on dry land, but it’s enough at this point on the course. It’s probably five or six strides from fence four to 5ab on the direct route – we may even see seven strides here – and four to the fish in the water, though we could see five strides here.”

Fences 8abcd and 9abc: Lake Sea Forest

What’s the challenge? The direct route is all on a right-hand turn. It involves jumping an angled hanging log into the water (8ab), a boat in the water (8cd), a step up out of the water (9ab) and a left-handed corner (9c). The long route is an outer line and riders tackle a log on the land (8a), a further log into the water (8bc), a boat (8d), a step up out of the water (9a) and a right-handed corner (9bc).

Fence 8ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8cd direct route (fence nearest to camera)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9ab direct route is a step up out of water (not pictured)

Fence 9c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8bc alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8d alternative (far side)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9a alternative route is a step up out of water (not pictured)

Fence 9bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? No. The numbering and roping means that you are committed to one line or the other.

Derek says: “When you’re going long here, you’re definitely going long. It makes a big difference to be able to use numbering to create different lines in this way.”

Tokyo Olympic cross-country course – fence 11abc: Dragon Fly Pond

What’s the challenge? The fastest route involves taking on a big, narrow skinny (11ab), then down into the water on a right-hand curve and on over another skinny (11c). The slower option, on the outer line to the left of the straight route, involves a skinny (11a), a house (11b) and then a skinny in the water (11c).

Fence 11ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11c (two options)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? Yes. You can jump the direct route 11ab and then the slower 11c.

Derek says: “The direct skinny in is a big jump, with quite a big drop, so it’s important to offer an ‘out’ if riders have a problem on the way in, hence letting riders change their minds before element c. I think most riders will have a crack at the direct route here.”

Fence 14abcd: Lone Tree Moguls

What’s the challenge? The direct route is over a rail oxer (14ab) and on to a left-handed corner (14cd) on a right-hand curve. The slow way is an outer line over a brush-topped box (14a), a left-handed corner (14bc) and out over a skinny brush box (14d). The activation of MIMclips for 11 penalties could come into play here on the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course.

Fence 14ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? No. If you jump the rail oxer (14ab), you have to jump the direct route corner out to stay penalty-free.

Derek says: “The oxer on the direct route is maximum size and I think will ride quite big. You could say it’s five or six strides to the corner… or it could be more. It will depend how the horse lands and on the individual horse. The direct route will come up quicker and riders will have to have the horse on his line and very straight to jump the corner. The alternative gives more room, taking out the intensity and giving time to prepare and go from one jump to the next. This fence is at 4min 30sec for those aiming for the time, so a little over halfway round the track.”

Fence 16abc: Mount Fuji Drop

What’s the challenge? Everyone jumps the big drop (16a). Then there’s a choice of a tighter inner line on the left-hand curve over a shoulder brush (16b) and right-handed corner (16c) or a longer outer line over the same style of fences.

Fence 16a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16a back view

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? Yes. It would be slightly awkward, but if a rider had a bad jump over 16b on the fast route, they could pull out of the direct line and take the alternative corner at 16c.

Derek says: “Momentum is going to carry horses down the hill so riders will have to make sure they have control and accuracy to jump the corner. The longer route still requires the ability to turn and hold a line to the corner but it’s not quite as intense.”

Fence 18abcd: Bumps and Stumps

What’s the challenge? The speedy route is a rail (18a), down a slope to a ditch (18b) and up to a narrow stump (18cd). The long route, again on an outer line, is over a skinny rail (18a), another set of rails (18b), and two stumps (18c and 18d). Again, MIMclips could be activated for 11 penalties here.

Fence 18a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? Technically the numbering allows for going from the ditch (18b) to the alternative stumps out (18c and d) but the line is such that it would be difficult to do without incurring penalties for crossing your tracks.

Derek says: “This fence comes at 6min 30sec. Both routes will be used and I’d expect riders to know both options, with some deciding which way to go depending on how the time is going for them and whether they can afford to play it safe. It will also depend on whether your horse is good at this type of fence. The straight way will be a little quicker and has one less jumping effort.”

Fence 20abcd: Mount Fuji Water

What’s the challenge? The direct route is a house on a mound (20ab), then a right-handed corner in the water (20c) and a skinny bear out (20d). The slower option is a narrower house on a smaller mound (20a), across the water to a bear (20bc) and then a right-hand turn to a left-handed corner (20d). This is the penultimate combination on the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course – the last is a double of bullet trains at fence 22ab.

Fence 20ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 20ab to fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20d direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Can riders change their minds mid-combination? Once you jump the direct house (20ab), you are committed to the direct corner (20c). Technically a rider could divert to the alternative 20d, but with not much distance between fences, it could be difficult to pull off without being penalised for presenting to the direct d element.

Derek says: “It’s a steep rise to the house on the direct route, then probably four strides to the corner and two to the bear – but again, we can’t be sure, we’ll see what happens on the day. The base of the mound is about 40sec from the finish for those on target to make the time. Riders can’t relax here, near the end of the course – they still have fences to jump and must ride all the way to the finish.”

‘Time will be quite a factor’: Tokyo Olympics cross-country course-designer analyses the challenge ahead

Pippa Roome — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 04:31:24 +0000

Course-designer Derek di Grazia expects the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course optimum time to prove tight when the event riders and horses tackle the track next Sunday (1 August).

The optimum time is 7min 45sec and the US course-designer expects it to be influential “with the terrain and the way the fences come up”.

He would like to see three or four combinations finish clear inside the time, but says the number is difficult to predict.

“Riders are going to have to manage the time efficiently – there are places where they can gallop and make up time,” he says.

Tokyo Olympics cross-country course: keeping the flow

With only a tight area available for the course, Derek had to design a route involving doubling back, but he has taken care that the course is still flowing.

“In a lot of places we’ve used the fences to make the turn, so it doesn’t feel like a turn,” he says.

Derek has also had flow in mind when designing the long routes, which generally take an outer line in the same direction through the combinations.

“Often long routes will wind horses around – we didn’t want to do that with the heat because it makes horses more tired,” he said. “The long routes take more time, removing the intensity and giving more space and time for the riders to prepare for the fences, but they keep the horses going.”

Derek expects the long routes to be well used.

“With three to a team and all to count, it depends on strategy for the team – where they want to play it safe. Each team will have their own plan,” he said.

“But time will be quite a factor, so for the teams that have a crack at the medals, they’ll be looking at the straight routes first. But it could change through the day depending on how their first riders get on.”

Creating the course

Derek was appointed as Tokyo Olympics cross-country course-designer in 2016 and has visited Tokyo 16 times over the past five years.

Sea Forest is reclaimed land and was a virgin site in terms of never having hosted cross-country before the 2019 test event.

“One of the challenges is that we couldn’t dig down – everything had to be built up,” he says. “We also relocated thousands of trees.”

Two of the ponds which now host water fences (fences 5abc, 8abcd, 9abc and 11abc) already existed, while the final water (fence 20abcd) was created specially.

Derek paid tribute to British course-builder David Evans and his assistants, who have done “an amazing job”, as well as the rest of the team who have been involved.

“I’m happy with the result and what we have,” he says.

The initial plan was to have a 10-minute cross-country course, which could have involved up to 42 jumping efforts. But after the 2019 test event, it was recommended the course was shortened with horse welfare in mind in the hot and humid conditions.

“When I designed the course, I made three ways we could shorten it, and that’s what happened,” says Derek.

The course now has 36 jumping efforts if a rider takes all the direct routes.

The “loamy mix” subsoil that was used on the course was chosen bearing in mind it can rain heavily in Japan at this time of year.

“Hopefully it’ll hold up well if it does rain,” said Derek, adding that the extra year has helped the footing to bed in.

He also said that Sea Forest is considerably less open than it would have been in 2020, with more trees and undergrowth.

Five things you need to know about the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 19:02:36 +0000

So, you’ve checked out the full photo gallery of the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course, but you still want to know more about the challenge facing horses and riders on Sunday 1 August.

Here are five things you need to know about Derek di Grazia’s track…

1. The feel of the undulations and the route of the track is reminiscent of the London Olympics. It’s a twisty course, which doubles back on itself multiple times. There are no big hills, but there are multiple small ups and downs and horses will be on a camber or a turn for a significant proportion of the time.

2. Derek has been clever with the numbering of the fences. There are four combinations (fence 8abcd, fence 9abc, fence 14abcd, fence 20abcd) where he has arranged it so that if a rider jumps in on the direct line but something goes wrong, they are limited in how much they can change their mind and go long without collecting a penalty.

For example, at the Lone Tree Moguls, the direct route is an oxer (14ab) and then a corner (14cd). The long route is a brush-topped box (14a), a corner (14bc) and a skinny box (14d). If something goes wrong for you over the oxer (14ab), you still have to tackle the direct corner out (14cd) – you can’t divert to the alternative corner, because doing so would involve jumping element b twice, and that’s not allowed.

3. The Tokyo Olympics cross-country course is beautiful. British course-builder David Evans and his team have done a spectacular job on the presentation of the fences. David’s signature carvings are much in evidence, too (see the Dragon at fence 17 below). The fences have a Tokyo theme, with names including the Chopsticks at fence three, the Mount Fuji Drop at fence 16abc and the Bullet Trains at fence 22ab.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

4. As you’d expect at an Olympics, where the riders in the field have a wide variety of experience, there are plenty of long routes. Many of them offer a wider line through the combination, perhaps with an extra jumping effort, rather than circling round in an extremely time-consuming way. This is a positive for the horses as it will avoid their rhythm being broken.

From the point of view of the competition, much will depend on how tight the time is – if it proves a tough target, riders in the top teams will need to save every second and so the pressure will be on to take the long routes. If the time proves more lenient, even those who want to be competitive may be able to take the odd alternative if they want to play it safe.

5. It turns out it’s not called Sea Forest for no reason. Much of the track is indeed through trees and the sound of the cicadas is almost overwhelming at times walking the course.

Walk the Tokyo Olympics cross-country course: photos of every fence

Pippa Roome — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 08:20:41 +0000

The Tokyo Olympics cross-country course has been designed by the USA’s Derek di Grazia. This is the first Olympic cross-country course Derek has been responsible for and he was appointed for the role in 2016.

The course has been constructed at Sea Forest, an area of reclaimed land offering superb views of Tokyo Bay and Tokyo’s dramatic cityscape.

The Tokyo Olympics cross-country course is shorter than a regular four-star long or five-star course. This distance has been set on account of the likely hot and humid conditions in Japan at this time of year.

The height of the fences and technical specifications of the course are on a par with four-star.

Experienced British course-designer and builder David Evans won the contract to build the course and so he and his team have been responsible for bringing Derek’s vision to life.

Tokyo Olympics cross-country course in pictures

Fence 1: Flowerbed

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Wind Shrine

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Chopsticks

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4: Lakehouse

Direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5abc: The Sanctuary

Fence 5ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6: Park Footbridge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7: 2020 Overlook Log

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7 back view

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8abcd: Lake Sea Forest

Fence 8ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8cd direct route (fence nearest to camera)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8bc alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8d alternative (far side)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9abc: Lake Sea Forest

Fence 9ab direct route is a step up out of water (not pictured)

Fence 9c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9a alternative route is a step up out of water (not pictured)

Fence 9bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10: Station House

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11abc: Dragon Fly Pond

Fence 11ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11c – both these arrowheads in the water are fence 11c so riders can jump either. The natural line would be to take the one on the right after the direct fence 11ab in and the one on the left after the alternative fences 11a and 11b in

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12ab: Harbour Turn

Fence 12a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12a back view, showing the Tokyo skyline – this fence is bound to prove popular with photographers

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13: Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14abcd: Lone Tree Moguls

Fence 14ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15: Stonebridge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16abc: Mount Fuji Drop

Fence 16a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16a back view

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17: Dragon

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18abcd: Bumps and Stumps

Fence 18a direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18cd direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18b alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18c alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19: Samurai Sword

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20abcd: Mount Fuji Water

Fence 20ab direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

View over fence 20ab to fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20d direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20a alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20bc alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20d alternative route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21: Temple Steps

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22ab: Bullet Trains

Fence 22a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23: Penultimate Gate

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence by fence: pictures of every jump on this year’s Kentucky cross-country course

Pippa Roome — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 23:14:04 +0000

Can’t wait to see the Kentucky cross-country course 2021? Here it is! Every fence on the cross-country track for the 2021 running of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, which kicks off tomorrow (22 April) with two days of dressage.

The cross-country, over a course designed by Derek di Grazia, takes place on Saturday, with Sunday’s showjumping rounding off the event.

The cross-country course is 6270m long and the optimum time will be 11 minutes.

Our pictures were taken on Wednesday after it had snowed overnight and the Kentucky team had covered the flowers and fence dressing to protect them from the cold. These coverings will be removed before the horses and riders take on the course.

Kentucky cross-country course 2021: every fence

Fence 1: Produce Stand

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 2: Cedar Lodge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 3: Hillside Oxer

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4abcd: MARS Sustainability Bay

Fence 4ab on the direct route, with the direct exit box (4cd) visible to the right in the background

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4cd on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 4d alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 5: Bourbon Barrel Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 6: CR’s P Bars

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7abcd: Frog Pond

Fence 7a on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view to fence 7cd on the direct route, looking over 7b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7cd on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7bc alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 7d alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 8: Stairway Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9abc: Normandy Bank

Fence a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 9a to the straight route over fence 9bc

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9bc on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 9c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 10: Ditch Brush

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11ab and 12abc: Land Rover Head of the Lake

Fence 11a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 11b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 12bc

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 13: Park Gates

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14abc: Goose Bumps

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 14b to the straight route over 14c

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14c on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 14c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 15: Mick’s Picnic Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16 and 17ab: Pete’s Hollow

A view of the whole hollow

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 16

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17a on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 17a to fence 17b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 17b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 18: Market Table

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19abcd: Rolex Grand Slam Challenge

Fence 19a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19bc on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The view over fence 19bc to fence 19d on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19d on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 19d alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 20: Footbridge

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21ab: Conundrum Hedgeline Corners

Fence 21a on the direct route, with the direct route element b straight ahead. The alternative fence 21a is to the left and the alternative fence 21b to the right.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b on the direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21a alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 21b alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 22: Triple Scoop

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 23: Fox on the Fly

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24abcd: Park Question

Fence 24a, with the direct route on the left and the alternative on the right

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The direct route, looking over fence 24a to elements b (ditch) and cd (arrowhead)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24cd on the direct line

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 24 on the alternative line – elements b (ditch), c (rail) and d (arrowhead off to the left)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 25: Stick Pile

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26abc: Mighty Moguls

Fence 26a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26b

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26c direct route

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 26c alternative

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Article continues below…

How to watch Kentucky Three-Day Event live from anywhere in the world

(Image credit: Amy Dragoo)

Late withdrawals leave a field of 63 after Kentucky Three-Day Event first trot-up H&H Plus

Find out who had to withdraw from Kentucky at the last minute, as the competition gets underway

(Image credit: Amy Dragoo)

Fence 27: Hillside Cabins

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Fence 28: Kentucky Collective Lucky Horseshoe

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pictures by John Kyle

Check back for more Kentucky coverage every day on horseandhound.co.uk

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Burghley confirms new course-designer from 2021

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 06:03:25 +0000

Captain Mark Phillips is to design his last Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course next year.

After some 30 years at the helm, the Olympic medallist, Burghley winner and Horse & Hound columnist is to hand over to Tokyo Olympic course-designer Derek di Grazia from 2021.

Mark said: “While I am still enjoying every moment of work with Burghley’s fabulous team, I’m not getting any younger and want to retire while I still feel at the cutting edge and on top of my game.”

Mark said in his early years of designing at the event, the then director Bill Henson told him to “make Burghley, Burghley”, something a spokesman for the CCI5* said he has done ever since.

“I am grateful to the event directors Bill and latterly Elizabeth Inman for all their support, which has helped me, to help them, make Burghley the event it is today,” Mark added.

The spokesman said Mark had “built an enduring partnership” with the event.

“His expertise and creativity continue to deliver epic competitions year after year; thrilling the crowds and challenging the world’s best riders to their limits,” she added, while Ms Inman said the 2020 event would be “particularly poignant” as Mark’s swansong.

“Mark knows how we wonder every year at his ability to keep ‘pulling it out of the bag’,” she said.

“Undoubtedly our cross-country track – acknowledged as probably the most technically challenging test of all the five-star events, both from a competitor’s and designer’s perspective – has benefited hugely from the superlative all-round experience and skill that Mark Phillips has brought to the event.

“So yes, difficult shoes to fill, but softened by the good news that we are appointing Derek di Grazia into the role of course-designer in 2021.”

Derek, who competes up to four-star level himself, has been course-designer at the CCI5* Kentucky Three Day Event since 2011.

Continues below…

(Image credit: Future)

Ride of my life: Mary Gordon Watson

A tiny Mary Gordon Watson produced an inspired round on the huge Cornishman V to win the 1970 world championships

(Image credit: Future)

‘Truly a great man’: Mark Phillips wins Horse & Hound Lifetime Achievement Award

The former top rider, leading cross-country course-designer and renowned trainer was honoured with the final award at last night's ceremony

“It is a great honour to be appointed course-designer for this very special competition and I’m truly excited to have a chance to design the cross-country phase within Burghley Park’s very unique landscape,” he said. “It is a fantastic project to have in my sights following on from the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Ms Inman added: “We look forward with enthusiasm and confidence to this next chapter in the history of the event and to Derek continuing to ‘make Burghley, Burghley’.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic eventing course designer revealed

Lucy Elder — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 09:55:29 +0000

The eventing cross-country course-designer for the 2020 Olympics has been revealed.

Rolex Kentucky CCI4* course designer Derek di Grazia has confirmed he will be designing both the course for the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Bromont, Canada, and the 2020 Games in Japan.

“I feel deeply honored and very grateful for being given the opportunity to design for these competitions,” Mr di Grazia told H&H.

“It is always the time and commitment of many people that makes these competitions happen and I look forward to working with all of those involved.”

The US national took over the designing of Kentucky’s four-star from Mike Etherington-Smith ahead of the 2011 event.

He has also designed a host of other national and international events in the US and Canada.

“At this point both courses are in the early stages of design. However, the nature of the sites will allow for each course to have its own character,” said Mr di Grazia.

“While both of these competitions will take place on sites that are quite different from each other I will strive to offer courses that will provide both the competitors and the spectators a good day of eventing at the very highest level.”

Related articles:

Rio 2016

This year’s Olympic eventing cross-country course has been designed by Frenchman Pierre Michelet.

He has previously designed courses for Pau CCI4* as well as the CICO3* at Fontainebleau and the World Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers.

He also designed the 2014 World Equestrian Games course in Normandy.

Rolex Kentucky cross-country course: rider’s eye view

Horse & Hound — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:19:03 +0000

Title sponsors of the Lexington three-day event since 1981, Rolex invited a small group of journalists to ‘ride the course’ on horseback for the first time to get a rider’s perspective.

As Kentucky has had more rain in April than it has since the 1800s, and a tornado warning saw all the horses evacuated to the new Alltech Indoor Arena prior to the trot-up, 2011 will definitely be the year that everyone remembers for the weather.

About 12 members of the media were mounted western-style on borrowed horses from the park’s trail-riding programme to ‘ride the course’. Mine was a very obliging palomino called Hidalgo; he seemed surprised to be off the beaten track and squelching through the sodden grass which felt akin to riding through marshland.

The going will play a major factor in Saturday’s cross-country. The Kentucky Horse Park is renowned for its ability to absorb moisture, but rookie Rolex course designer Derek di Grazia (who won Rolex in 1985) told us that for the first time ever, this year there will be water in the Sunken Road, as “an added attraction” (see picture).

Although we only walked our horses around the course, the brush fences, even at the Head of the Lake, looked far more inviting from horseback than they do from the ground, begging to be galloped at and jumped out of stride.

The turns however, feel much tighter, even at a sedate pace — some that I hadn’t even considered while walking the course earlier, took on a new dimension when hugging the strings on Hidalgo to gain precious extra seconds! The jumps too, come up much quicker, testing the trust in horse and rider partnership to the utmost.

Our tour guide, Olympic medalist David O’Connor (pictured above with Samantha), who coached the Canadian team to a silver medal around this park at the World Equestrian Games last autumn, explained the dynamics of the coffin at fence 7 to us, the ditch in the middle completely submerged and invisible, and added that in his 30 years of coming here, he had never seen so much water.

Just within our small group, it really made a difference whether you went first or last on the saturated footing, so my heart goes out to William Fox-Pitt’s Neuf des Coeurs who has been drawn last to go and will suffer the worst of the ground after some 40 horses have been over it.

I’ll watch on Saturday with a fresh perspective, and renewed excitement, as well as a healthy respect for the horses and riders tackling the course at full speed.

I’d like to extend my thanks to Rolex, and to Horse & Hound for arranging such a wonderful opportunity, and will remember Hidalgo and this year’s Rolex Kentucky especially fondly.

You can follow Samantha’s regular updates from Rolex on twitter – www.twitter.com/samanthalclark