1. Promising young British event rider withdraws from Burghley after undergoing surgery
Bubby Upton, 24, has been injured in a fall and had surgery on her spine. Bubby said she had an accident riding on the flat “leading to a complete burst fracture of [vertebra] L3 and a horizontal fracture of L2, which required six hours of surgery to stabilise the spine, decompress the vertebrae and fuse L3.” Bubby has withdrawn both Cola and Magic Roundabout IV from next week’s Defender Burghley Horse Trials. “There is now a very long road to recovery ahead of me, but I will give it my all to get fighting fit again,” she said.
Another withdrawal from Burghley this week is last year’s winning rider Piggy March and Brookfield Inocent, owing to “Arthur” sustaining an injury. The competition would have been the 14-year-old gelding’s first five-star since some time out for a different injury. “Very sadly we have had to withdraw Brookfield Inocent from Burghley this year. He has come back to top level competition in flying form but has sadly incurred a minor bone injury which requires a short period of rest,” said Piggy.
3. Offspring of five-star riders and a five-star horse selected for eventing under-21 championships
Five daughters and sons of five-star riders, plus one five-star horse, have been selected among the British squads heading to next month’s junior and young rider eventing European Championships in Montelibretti, Italy (13-17 September). Multiple medallist Tina Cook’s daughter Isabelle, Joshua Levett, son of Australian championship rider Bill, and Ellie Fredericks, daughter of Lucinda Fredericks and Clayton Fredericks, are among the riders in the squads.
4. Burghley in the mix to host the 2026 World Eventing Championships
Jonelle Price and CLASSIC MOET during the cross country phase, Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Stamford, Lincolnshire, 3 September 2022
(Image credit: Nico Morgan Media)
Hopes that the 2026 World Eventing Championships could come to Britain are alive as Burghley is on the shortlist of host contenders. It was announced in February that Burghley planned to bid to host the championships in 2026, and yesterday (24 August) the FEI revealed the shortlisted bidders across the disciplines, with five organising committees in the running. Aachen, Germany, has applied to host the showjumping, dressage and para dressage, eventing, driving four-in-hand and vaulting. Boekelo, the Netherlands, and Burghley have applied to host the eventing, and Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, and Samorin, Slovakia, have bid for the endurance.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
