Top level eventing is of course at the heart of Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, but the event celebrates a wide range of equestrianism with its impressive list of additional classes, displays and choice of trade stands for horse-lovers.
Equine sport classes include the Dubarry Young Event Horse Championships, Pony Club team jumping competition, BSPS Gold Cup sports pony competition and Racehorse to Riding Horse (HOYS) qualifier.
This year crowds will be entertained with a grand prix masterclass from Olympic dressage rider Richard Davison and impressed by the show of British sport horse stallions. The Shetland Pony Grand National visits for the first time, while the driven donkey display returns for a second year.
Top 5 things to do – out of the saddle
1. The ‘Land Rover Experience’ can be found on the south side of the lake throughout each day of the event. The opportunity gives visitors the thrill of being driven in one of the latest Land Rover vehicles over dynamic display equipment.
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2. Bring your dog for “have a go” dog agility, hosted by dog food brand Autarky, which returns with its offering for our canine visitors in the Discovery Valley (close to the Country Living makers marquee). All dogs are welcome to try out the fun obstacles and earn an Autarky goody bag as a reward. Those who love to watch working dogs will also enjoy Adrian Slater’s field gun dog display in the main arena on Thursday 5 September from around 12:30pm.
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3. Delight the young ones in your group with the NFU Discovery Barn in Discovery Valley with interactive games specifically designed for children. Let the little ones try their hand at the virtual tractor driving experience or learn how to milk virtual cow Annabelle. There is also free face painting on Saturday and Sunday in the Discovery Valley for children aged three and over.
4. Shop and drop: shopping more than 600 trade stands around Burghley’s shopping village is no problem with the event’s handy “shop and drop” stops around the site where you can store your purchases until you are ready to leave. There is everything you could wish for as an equestrian enthusiast, but it’s also an excellent place to start the Christmas wish-list with art, jewellery and many lifestyle brands in the trade stand listings.
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5. Find foodie paradise on the Burghley food walk – from cupcakes to venison steaks and gelato to luxury teas. The walk offers a huge range of ways to refresh yourself after you’ve admired Burghley’s world famous cross-country course and scoured the shopping village.
The event will be available to view via livestream at www.burghley-horse.co.uk on Thursday 5 September and Friday 6 September and via the BBC Red Button on Saturday 7 September. A two hour omnibus programme will also be broadcast on BBC2 on Sunday 8 September.
Regular updates and information will be available via Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials’ social media channels: Facebook: www.facebook.com/BurghleyHorse Instagram: @lrbht_official Twitter @lrbht_official
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