Burghley Horse Trials

Saturday, September 4, I headed south again to the Burghley Horse Trials-one of the top equestrian competitions in the world. It is a three day event. Each horse and rider must complete a dressage competition the first day, the cross-country eventing round the next day (which is the one I had tickets for), and then compete in show jumping (like you'd see in the Olympics where the jumping is in an arena). The winner is the rider who has the highest total points across all three competitions.

The weekend show happens at Burghley House in the town of Stamford. Lord Burghley was the Lord High Treasurer for Elizabeth I. The house and grounds are exquisite. The picture below and to the right shows the "Deer Park" which sure enough had deer lounging around!

The cross country eventing was incredible and the fences unbelieveable. I understand why people can be injured or actually die in these events. Check out the fences they have to jump!

The fence (#3) shown above is called the Picnic table jump. Look at those giant baskets of fruits and vegetables on top of it! Below is the "Leaf Pit" fence (#4). So...the rider gallops away from the picnic table fence and basically jumps off a cliff! I would guess it is at least a 12' drop that the horse has to make before galloping up a short incline to take two small fences before galloping up and out of the hollow. It was incredible to see up close! Imagine...they are releasing these riders ever 4 minutes more or less. So, like at a golf tournament, the crowds just move from one fence to another...watching one or two riders go over then getting to the next jump to see the next one go by.

Fence 7 below is called Herbert's Hollow. ANd below that is the Winner's Avenue Bridge Fence (#18)...though there are still almost 11 more fences to take. Though you can't see it from the angle I took the picture, that bridge is probably at least 6-7' wide with a hedge in front. Did I say it was amazing to watch?

Last but not least, I should mention the Avenues of shopping here. Seemingly miles of places selling all things equestrian and all the accessories one would ever need for life and leisure in the English countryside. There were tweed coats and other clothes for the lady and gentleman from all the Saville Row shops in London and others from all over Britain. I bought a lovely pair of deep green moleskin trousers for 30 pounds and could have had a 400-pound tweed sport coat marked down to 125-pounds if I wanted too! There were cards, books, antiques, shoes and boots, hats, on and on and on it went. I finally gave up looking due to sensory overload!

And as for the food...well...all local, all the time! pork, game, and other kinds of pies...butchers selling fresh beef, pork, and game...cheese mongers...an Italian stand with some of the most unbelieveable anti pasti I have ever seen...champagne and oysters, french pastries and baguette sandwiches...and all of this doesn't even tell a tenth of it. Then of course there were the Pimm's vendors scattered over the grounds. I had one and it was lovely on the warm day that it turned out to be. They served it garnished with all the lovely fruit and mint one could wish for. Ahh summer in England.

As I prepared to leave, my head swimming with all of the things I had seen here. I heard the announcer say that Zara Phillips was on course. I had given up thinking I would see the Queen's grand daughter (Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips daughter) as she was 69 out of the 100+ riders. Imagine my surprise that as I am standing there, Zara goes galloping by on her way to fence 5. So there you go...I saw one of the royals after all!

What a day! But of course seeing the horses made me miss Bristol and because many many people broought their dogs, I also missed Derby! After all, it's all about the animals.