Burnham horse trials go ahead despite torrential rain

Torrential rain played its part at this year’s FEI Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials.

Organisers were forced to cancel a number of classes/sections as the weather threw up some new challenges before the North Norfolk climate delivered a brighter day on the Sunday.

With the show jumping moved on to the dressage field and the Alec Lochore designed cross country courses looking great, the stage was set for some top-class jumping action and the horses and riders didn’t disappoint.

In the CCI-S 4*, Laura Collett and Dacapo led from start to finish, adding just 3.6 cross country time penalties to their dressage score to finish on a total of 27.3.

“I’m absolutely delighted with Dacapo,” she said.

“He gave me a brilliant ride and he’s been in amazing form for the last 12 months and luckily seems to be continuing it, so roll on Badminton.”

Piggy March and the hugely-popular mare Vanir Kamira added yet another superb performance to their glittering record, taking second on a score of 28.9, and Oliver Townend completed the top three, finishing third with Tregilder (30.6)

Bubby Upton was another to deliver an impeccable jumping display, another nothing to her dressage score of 25.4 to take the CCI-S 3* honours with Joy Jackson’s Viktor Krum.

“I’m absolutely delighted for the horse and for his owner, Joy Jackson, to have managed to secure the win this week,” said Bubby.

“It was also really nice to pick up the win because he finished second behind my other horse at Lincoln and narrowly missed out on the win at Thoresby, so he really deserved the win this weekend.

“He’s delivered every time out so far – this is only my third run on him, it’s a very new partnership still, so it’s really exciting for him and his owner that he got the win he deserved.

“I am unbelievably excited to see what the future holds with him.”

Mollie Summerland and Flow 7 also delivered in the jumping phases, keeping a clean sheet to finish on their dressage score of 28.8 and move up to finish second, whilst Oliver Townend took third with Finley Du Loir (31.3).

Whilst the decision was taken to cancel all intermediate classes on Saturday, the Advanced class was able to go ahead – with the jumping phases moved to Sunday.

With a lot of riders seeking runs before the big spring targets like Badminton, this was a competitive class that was enjoyed by the crowds.

The lead kept changing throughout the cross country, but in the end it was France’s Gaspard Maksud who took the top honours with Zaragoza II, owned by Jane Young and Martin Thurlow.

They picked up just four cross country time faults in a score of 33.9. Second went to Pippa Funnell and Billy Walk On (34.3) and third to David Doel and Ferro Point (36.8).