The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials

It was very much an Australian and New Zealand conquest at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials this year.
Not only did Chris Burton on Nobilis 18 take his first four-star win on British soil but he also became the first Australian rider to win Burghley for more than a decade. It was however, far from being a straight forward victory and turned into a nailbiting finish. Burton had four rails in hand as he cantered into the arena on Nobilis 18 on the final day, and he needed every single one of them as the eleven-year-old brought in a less than impressive performance. Had it not been for Burton’s superior lead in the first two phases, the Land Rover Burghley title could have easily slipped from his grasp.

“I thought I’d keep it interesting for everyone by making it as close as possible,” joked Burton, but added on a serious note: “He’s basically a careful showjumper and he warmed up well, but in the end he got a bit tired and had a few down.”

New Zealander Andrew Nicholson on Nereo finished a little over three marks behind the winners to take second place, which was notable after coming back from a serious neck injury. Fellow New Zealander Jonelle Price on Classic Moet took third spot after benefiting from her husband Tim’s misfortune on Ringwood Sky Boy as he lowered three fences, thus dropping him down to fourth position.

Considering that some of the best riders in the world were competing, Lincolnshire’s Ros Canter came a respectable 25th out of 38 finishers. Despite many of the big names putting in poor performances on the Showjumping stage, Ros Canter was one of only five riders that had a clear round throughout the whole day.

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