Everything Horse magazine Magazine, October 2014 | Page 6

Event Report:
Land Rover
Burghley Horse
Trials 2014

written by Sian Lovett

With the 2014 Land Rover Burghley
Horse Trials over for another year we
take a look back at the highlights.
Part of the FEI Classics series, the Land
Rover Burghley Horse Trials is one of
just two four-star events that are held
in Britain.
Held from 5-7th of September,
Burghley Horse Trials is one of the
most popular three-day events held in
UK and is part of the Rolex Grand Slam.
With £62,000 up for grabs for the
winning rider, they all had everything
to play for.
Making a triumphant comeback, New
Zealand’s Jock Paget led the field after
the Dressage on Day 1 riding Clifton
Promise. The 2013 Badminton winner
was last into the arena before the
morning’s first break and produced
a mistake-free test to earn a score of
38.8.
Jock was disqualified after the
competition last year when Clifton
Promise tested positive for a banned
substance. However Jock was cleared
of any wrong doing by an FEI tribunal
earlier this year.
William Fox-Pitt ended the first day of
the competition in second place with
Bay My Hero. Although described as
not being the biggest mover, the 11
year-old Irish-bred gelding and Fox-Pitt
rode a positive and accurate test to
end on 39.5.

BURGHLEY EVENT REPORT
to add a mere 5.6 time penalties to his
dressage score of 40.5 pushing him up
from 4th to 1st place.
Despite 11 riders being eliminated
from the testing course and being held
twice during his round, Sam Griffiths
riding Happy Times stormed round
to produce the third fastest round to
end on 9.6 time penalties to add to his
dressage score of 40.2.
“I was having a super ride until I got
held. It gave my horse a breather,
but it also really broke my rhythm”,
commented Sam
Leaping from 12th after the dressage
to third, Oliver Townend survived
a testing and hairy moment at the
Land Rover Trout Hatchery after his
ride Armada left a leg at the log drop.
However, in true Townend form he
displayed outstanding horsemanship
skills and went on to finish clear to add
to an impressive season that has also
seen him gain Great Britain selection
for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian
Games.
Paget and Clifton Promise lay in fourth
place overnight and Oxfordshirebased Izzy Taylor in fifth. Leading up
the rear in sixth was six-time Burghley
champion William Fox-Pitt.
There were a number of holds on
course during the day due to falls and
frangible pins being triggered. A total
of 41 of the 63 starters completed the
course with five horse falls and

11 riders being eliminated. In total 9
riders retired on course.
Sadly Sara Squire’s ride Orto was put
down after seriously injuring his stifle
when hitting the rail at the Rolex
Combination fence and three riders
were taken to hospital after suffering
falls.
However, it was Andrew Nicholson
that rode into record books after
he became the first rider to have
won the prestigious title three times
consecutively on the same horse.
14-year-old Avebury produced a
fantastic round but kept the crowd in
suspense as he clipped a few poles.
Thankfully all stayed up and Andrew
went clear with only two time faults.
“Avebury loves coming here!”
commented Andrew
 “He loves it, knows why we are here
and what he has to do,” Nicholson,
53, said. “I ride him like I’ve just stolen
him. He thrives on being asked to take
all the short cuts.”

Andrew scooped the £62,000 first prize
money.
Producing another clear, Jock Paget,
with Clifton Promise rose from fourth
to second whilst two fences down
meant Sam Griffiths dropped from
second to third.
Finishing in fourth place was William
Fox-Pitt on Bay My Hero after a clear
round.

Jock Paget on Clifton Promise (NZL)
Image Credit Mike Bain

Sam Griffiths riding Happy Times –
who also took this year’s Mitsubishi
Motors Badminton title - went into
third place overnight on 40.2
Day two saw Andrew Nicholson and
Avebury produce a breath-taking
display of cross-country riding to head
the leader board overnight. The duo
produced the fastest round of the day
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Everything Horse UK Magazine • Issue 13 • October 2014