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.”
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