From Paris, with love

British equestrian sport is riding high post-Olympics and next month's Defender Burghley Horse Trials, which has attracted an illustrious entry, should show it in its best light, believes Kate Green

- Kate Green

FROM one spectacular backdrop to another—six weeks ago, Team GB’s gold medal-winning team in Versailles, Paris, provided the best possible advertisement for five-star eventing. Two out of the three horses in the triumphant Olympic squad were Badminton winners: London 52, ridden by Laura Collett, also the individual bronze medallist and part of the winning Tokyo team in 2021; and Lordships Graffalo with Ros Canter. The third, JL Dublin, mount of the now world number one, Tom McEwen, has twice been highly placed at Kentucky, the premier event in the US.

That the British selectors favoured five-star (top-level) equine form will, it is hoped, give a shot in the arm to the world’s highest-rated competitions, of which Defender Burghley Horse Trials in Lincolnshire (September 5–8) is the second oldest. Apart from the obvious pressure and intensity of the occasion, an Olympic cross-country course is officially a grade lower (at four star) in difficulty and length than the likes of the famously challenging ones at Burghley and Badminton. As a result, many nations do not even factor in five-star form into their selection criteria; for many, a bold, galloping ‘Burghley horse’ is nowadays a different beast from a prospect for championships where cross-country courses tend to be twistier.

There are seven five-star events in the world—two here, two in the US, one each in France, Germany and Australia. Some would say this is too many in the northern hemisphere and is spreading entries too thinly. Fortunately, Badminton and Burghley have history on their side and remain a ‘tick box’ and a rite of passage in most riders’ ambitions, but the start list at Burghley, albeit star-studded, will still be shorter than in previous decades.